Arshia Asudeh examines Linguistic Applications of Linear Logic

SSHRC Grant 2006 – Research Profile
Arshia Asudeh, Institute of Cognitive Science; School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies
Project Title: “Linguistic applications of linear logic”

Arshia Asudeh is investigating potential contributions to linguistics of linear logic, an increasingly important logic in computer science and proof theory. The latter is the study of proofs as formal mathematical objects.

The project will consider three key features of linear logic: 1) its notion of premises and conclusions in formal logical proofs as resources whose use is tightly controlled; 2) its rich set of logical connectives, which allow varying perspectives on resource usage; 3) its utility in stating generalizations about and constraints on proofs. We expect our linguistic investigations to also be of interest to logicians – and researchers in connected fields, such as computer science, mathematics, and philosophy – since the application of logics to different domains invariably reveals new logical properties and unsolved research problems.

“The research in my SSHRC grant stems from my doctoral work at Stanford, where I became interested in the ability of resource logics to shed light on puzzling empirical phenomena to do with language while simultaneously grounding certain insights in theoretical linguistics in logical aspects of how larger linguistic units are built up from smaller one,” said Asudeh.