Linguistic research advances at NYUAD

New York is a double-edged sword for NYU linguistics and psychology professor Alec Marantz.

On one hand, he is able to conduct experiments and teach at one of the leading neurolinguistic research universities. On the other hand, New York's cramped space is a constant issue for those experiments.

Another issue: It's difficult to reserve time with NYU's MEG machine, which measures magnetic fields produced by electricity in the brain.

But Marantz will no longer be conducting research solely in this city with a 13-year-old MEG machine. Marantz is one of three recipients of a $20 million research grant.

As one of the first projects to be conducted at NYU's research facility, he and principle researchers Liina Pylkkänen and David Poeppel, both professors of psychology at NYU, will be researching the common bases of language in the brain, like sound reception to the brain's ability to form sentences.
As part of his grant, Marantz will commission a brand-new, state-of-the-art MEG machine, which will be unlike any other in the world.

"Being able to design an instrument that has the properties appropriate to the kind of experiments and analysis that we do, we think, will accelerate our research," Marantz said.

According to Marantz and Pylkkänen, Abu Dhabi provides an excellent environment for research, not only because of the newer technology, but because it is a hub for many world languages.

While the local Emirati speak a specific dialect of Arabic, many other languages are prevalent in the city, including Hindi, Urdu and Tagalog.

Linguistics graduate student and co-author of the grant Jon Brennan said the research is significant because most of the current linguistic research has been done in America or Northern Europe. Abu Dhabi will provide a broader base for language study.

"We know that languages across the world are very different and they are also very similar, but to really pin down how that interacts with how the brain works, we need to look at languages," Brennan said.

Pylkkänen said she was drawn to the opportunity because of the technology and because of the region. She knows maintaining research in both New York and Abu Dhabi will be difficult, but the facility will "multiply our ability for scientific discovery."

"We hope to develop a seamless operation, such that when we are in Abu Dhabi, we are also virtually here, and vice versa," she said.