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Dr. Philipp Weisser

Research Fellow

Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft
Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum
Beethovenstraße 15, Room 1509
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97-37646
Fax: +49 341 97-37609

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Abstract

I currently work as a postdoctoral research assistent at the department of linguistics at Leipzig University as part of the DFG-funded project about syntactic structure removal (PI: Prof Gereon Müller). Before that, I was at the University of Connecticut as a Feodor-Lynen research fellow (funded by the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation). I have defended my PhD thesis in 2015 at Leipzig University.


My main research foci lie in the areas of morphology and syntax as well as their interaction. I try to combine empirical work on underresearched languages with currrent theoretical discussions. In my experience, we often profit from newly found patterns and generalization we can identify when describing underresearched languages as they provide us with new perspectives on old questions in the field.


At the department of linguistics, I am teaching Bachelors courses as well as Masters and Graduate courses about morphology, syntax and empirical language description.

Professional career

  • since 09/2017
    Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the Department of Linguistics in the Project Structure Removal in Syntax (PI:Gereon Müller). Leipzig University
  • 08/2016 - 07/2017
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Linguistics, Leipzig University. Feodor-Lynen Return Fellowship of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation
  • 08/2015 - 07/2016
    Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Linguistics, University of Connecticut. Feodor-Lynen Fellowship of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation
  • 08/2011 - 07/2014
    Research Assistant in the DFG-project Local modeling ofnon-local dependencies in syntax. (PIs: Prof Gereon Müller, PD Dr Fabian Heck) Leipzig University.

Education

  • 08/2011 - 07/2014
    PhD student at the department of linguistics at Leipzig University
  • 10/2004 - 03/2011
    Studies in General Linguistics, China Studies and Communication and Media Studies at Leipzig University

The main focus of my research lies in the combination of empirically descriptive and a theory-guided research perspectives. As for the empirically descriptive perspective, I work on the description of minority languages of the Finno-Ugric language family (such as Mari and Udmurt). I usually try to combine empirical contributions with theory-guided formulations of the respective research questions as I am convinced that this contributes to a more systematical description.


Apart from the accurate descriptions of single languages, I also work on project about language comparison using qualitative methods. I usually try to find the right balance between looking at a single language in enough detail to consider language-specific idiosyncrasies while at the same time looking at enough languages to gather a broad empirical and diverse picture.


As for the theoretical perspective, I have been working on symmetric and asymmetric coordination structures, including clause-chaining constructions in underresearched languages as well as asymmetric coordination constructions in English and German. I have also worked on case marking, Suspended Affixation phenomena, affix order, Differential Object Marking and shifted coordinators.



  • Introduction to Morphology (SS 2020)

    BA-level course, Course language: German

  • Clitics (SS 2019)

    MA- and Graduate-level course, Course language: English

  • Foundations of Morphology (WS 2018/2019)

    MA-level course, Course language: English

  • Theoretical and psycholinguistic approaches to case and word order (SS 2018).

    together with Jana Häussler & Martin Salzmann. MA- and Graduate-level course, Course language: English

  • IGRA 01 - Sequential Interactions in Syntax, Morphology, Phonology (SS 2018)

    Together with Barbara Stiebels und Eva Zimmermann. Graduate-level course, Course language: English

  • Recent Developments in Morphological Theory

    together with Gereon Müller. MA- and Graduate-level course, Course language: English

  • IGRA 02 - Simultaneous Interactions in Syntax, Morphology, Phonology (WS 2017/2018)

    together with Gereon Müller, Eva Zimmermann - Graduate level course, Course language: English

  • Theoretical Morphology (SS 2017)

    BA-level course, Course language: German