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Department of Anthropology
Brandeis University
P.O. Box 549110, MS 006
Waltham, MA 02454-9110

(781) 736-2210
(781) 736-2232 (FAX)

Office location: Brown 228
lcarpent@brandeis.edu

Sophia A. Malamud

Department of Anthropology
Brandeis University
P.O. Box 549110, MS 006
Waltham, MA 02454-9110
smalamud@brandeis.edu
(781) 736-2225

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Formal semantics, formal pragmatics, game-theoretical approaches to language.

Background and Description

Sophia Malamud is a theoretical linguist, specializing in the study of language meaning. This includes research in formal semantics, formal pragmatics, discourse functions of syntax, and semantics-pragmatics interface.  After earning a BA (summa cum laude) from University of Pennsylvania in mathematics and linguistics, she stayed on for graduate studies, earning her M.A. in mathematics and Ph.D. in linguistics in 2006.  Her dissertation focuses on the semantics and pragmatics of impersonals and passives, proposing a meaning-driven cross-linguistic typology of impersonal and passive constructions.  The dissertation data is drawn from English, Russian, German, Italian, French, Amharic, and Yiddish. In exploring context-dependent aspects of interpretation of definite plurals, she proposes a Decision Theory-based framework that builds the speaker’s and hearer’s awareness of each other’s conversational goals into the interpretation. The new framework allows the meaning of plurals to incorporate the notion of relevance based on the goals of conversational participants, while maintaining the elegance and flexibility of previous purely semantic accounts. In her publications, Sophia has explored a wide variety of topics in semantics and pragmatics, such as the relationship between discourse coherence and word order in Russian, relationship between indexicality, context-dependence and reference de se, indexical-like readings of impersonal pronouns, influence of passives and impersonals on subsequent discourse. Her mathematics masters thesis explores several basic notions in statistical decision theory. The courses she teaches at Brandeis include “Introduction to Linguistics”, “Formal Semantics”, and “Pragmatics and Discourse.” Before coming to Brandeis, she has also taught mathematics (elementary-school level through Calculus III) at various venues. Sophia has a passion for dance (currently, Argentine tango). She lives in Waltham with her boyfriend Robert.

PUBLICATIONS

Malamud, Sophia A. (forthcoming) (Non)-maximality and distributivity: a Decision Theory approach. Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory 16 (SALT 16).

Malamud, Sophia A. (2006) Semantics and pragmatics of arbitrariness. Ph.D. thesis, University of Pennsylvania

Malamud, Sophia A. (in print) '(In)definiteness-driven typology of arbitrary items.' book chapter in Passives and Impersonals in European Languages. ed. Manninen, S., K. Hietaam, E. Keiser & V. Vihman. John Benjamins

Malamud, Sophia A. (2004) 'Arbitrariness: a definite account.'WCCFL 23 Proceedings, ed. G. Garding and M. Tsujimura. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press

Malamud, Sophia A. (2001a) 'Centering in Russian.’ Penn Working Papers in Linguistics (Volume 7.2: Current Work in Linguistics),  ed. Elsi Kaiser. Philadelphia, PA

Malamud, Sophia A. (2001b) Attentional and informational structure of Russian: interaction of reference, coherence, and word order. Undergraduate honours thesis in Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania

Malamud, Sophia A. (2000) 'Centring and Scrambling: towards a pragmatic motivation for Russian word order.’ The Ninth Annual Workshop on Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics: the Indiana Meeting. eds. Franks, S., T.H. King, and M. Yadroff. Ann Arbor: Michigan Slavic Publications 

CONFERENCES