My general research interest is the nature and the interaction of the cognitive systems underlying language and its use.

- One perspective on this is provided by the question of what is the source of universals in language:

What in the language system is specific to language, and which of its         features follow from general properties of the human cognitive system?

- A more general perspective is the tension between 'nature' and 'culture' in language, which  in turn leads to the question of what is the relation between the "freedom" in the development of culture and the constraints due to human nature.

1. -A third perspective is provided by the evolution of language, especially the question of which properties are constitutive of language, and by what kind of evolutionary event they could have arisen.
   

My research derives much of its inspiration from the Minimalist Program as it has been taking shape over the last decade.