Mal Shah

Syntax, semantics, and their interfaces

I'm a second-year PhD student in Linguistics at the University of Maryland, where I am advised by Jeff Lidz and Alexander Williams.

I am a syntactician. I am interested in how (morpho)phonology and meaning get aligned, both above and below the word-level. I also look at how linguistic meaning is used in processing, in the real-time interpretation of quantifiers. This is all underpinned by an interest in 'meaning internalism'. To find out more about my work, click here.

I currently help organize Maryland's Syntax Lab.

Before coming to Maryland, I studied at St. Hugh's College, Oxford (2019-2022), where I was advised by Matt Husband. I read Philosophy and Linguistics BA, for which I was awarded a Congratulatory First Class.

The best way to reach me is by email: mpshah at umd dot edu.

Pictured: me looking very happy at D.C.'s Planet Word Museum on my 22nd birthday, where I happened to be dressed as fellow immigrant to Britain, Paddington Bear.

I would like to thank my cohort-mate Utku Turk for the idea behind the logo (a syntactician's favourite thing, a phrase structure tree, blending into the semanticist's favorite thing, a lambda.)