Assistant Professor, Rutgers University 2020-
PhD in Linguistics , Harvard University 2019
BA in Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania 2012
As a semanticist interested in cross-linguistic typology, I investigate how the underlying building blocks of meaning compose to derive the patterns that we see within and across languages. To do so, I make use of both formal theoretic and experimental approaches to natural language semantics and pragmatics.
I received my Ph.D in Linguistics from Harvard University in May 2019 with a dissertation looking at definite expressions [pdf] I am generally interested in elements that are associated (at least structurally) with the nominal domain such as demonstratives, anaphora, number marking, and quantifiers.
Dorothy at TEAL10 [2015.06]
I am currently the Principal Investigator of the Meaning Across Languages lab ("the MAL lab") at Rutgers University.
CV
Updated: February, 2025
Recent & upcoming..
Recent papers
Definite expressions with and without deixis [DRAFT]
WCCFL 41 Proceedings.
​_account of demonstratives, deriving anti-uniqueness
_deixis, unique modality hypothesis
A four-way distinction in English definite expressions [DRAFT]
SuB28 Proceedings.
_building blocks of definite descriptions, pronouns
Recent events
June 19 - July 14, 2023
LSA Institute 2023, UMass Amherst - course
Definiteness Systems within and across languages
co-taught with Florian Schwarz
[website]
September 5-8, 2023
SuB28, Ruhr University Bochum
invited speaker
[website]
Research
- ordered by type & year
- color-coded by topic
[DEFINITE,DEMONSTRATIVE] [ASL ANAPHORS] [LOGOPHORICITY][PROPORTIONAL QUANTIFIER] [EITHER] [PLURAL] [HONORIFICS]
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PhD thesis
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2019. THAT thesis: A competition-based mechanism for anaphoric expressions. PhD thesis, Harvard University.
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Journal articles
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2022. Indirectly direct: An account of demonstratives and pointing. In Linguistics and Philosophy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10988-022-09350-5.
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Ahn, Dorothy & Heejeong Ko. 2022. On non-conservativity of Korean floating quantifiers​. In Glossa.
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Ahn, Dorothy & Snedeker, Jesse. 2021. Early acquisition of plural morphology in a classifier language: Data from Korean 2-4 year olds. In Language Learning and Development. [DRAFT]
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2019. ASL IX to locus as a modifier. In Snippets.
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Ahn, Dorothy & Van der Wal, Jenneke. 2019. What does that Lugwere demonstratives refer to? A semantic analysis of proximity and exteriority. In Studies in African Linguistics Vol 48.
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Ahn, Dorothy. & Sauerland, Uli. 2017. Measure constructions with relative measures: Towards a syntax of non-conservative construals. The Linguistic Review. doi:10.1515/tlr-2017-0001 [PDF]
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Proceedings/presentations​
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Ye, Ariela & Dorothy Ahn. 2025. Rethinking Embeddability and Context Sensitivity in Honorification: Evidence from Korean si. SALT35, Harvard. [HANDOUT]
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2025. Definite expressions with and without deixis. Proceedings of WCCFL41, UC Santa Cruz. [DRAFT]
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2024. A four-way distinction in English definite descriptions. Proceedings of SuB28, University of Bochum, Germany 2023. [DRAFT]
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Zhu, Ziling & Dorothy Ahn. 2022. Mandarin bridging: Experimental data and theoretical implications. In Proceedings of the 13th Generative Linguistics in the Old World in Asia (GLOW in Asia XIII) 2022. [PDF]
Ziling Zhu & Dorothy Ahn. 2022. Effects of instruction on semantic and pragmatic judgment tasks. In Proceedings of Experiments in Linguistic Meaning 2 (ELM2). [PDF]
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Ahn, Dorothy, Ankana Saha, & Uli Sauerland. 2020. Positively Polar Plurals. Proceedings of SALT 30, Cornell. August 17-20, 2020.
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2020. ASL IX to locus as a modifier. Proceedings of NELS 50, MIT. [DRAFT] [SLIDES]
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Ahn, Dorothy & Sudha Arunachalam. 2020. Anaphoric that: Difference between adults and children. Proceedings of BUCLD 44. October 25-27. [PREPRINT]
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Ahn, Dorothy, Annemarie Kocab & Kathryn Davidson. 2019. The role of contrast in anaphoric expressions in ASL. Proceedings of GLOW in Asia 2019, Seoul, Korea. August 6-9, 2019. [DRAFT]
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Kocab, Annemarie, Dorothy Ahn, Gunnar Lund & Kathryn Davidson. 2019. Reconsidering agreement in sign languages. Poster at GLOW 42, Oslo, Norway. May 7-10. [POSTER]
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Ahn, Dorothy & Kathryn Davidson. 2017. Where pointing matters: English and Korean demonstratives. Proceedings of NELS 2017, Iceland. October 27-20. [DRAFT]
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2017. Semantics of definite descriptions: A micro-typology. Proceedings of GLOW in Asia 2017, Singapore. February 20-22.
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Ahn, Dorothy. & Charnavel, Isabelle. 2017. Perspective on Korean Anaphors: Comparing Inanimate cachey vs. Animate caki-casin. Proceedings of WCCFL34
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2016. NPI intervention of too. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 20.
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Ahn, Dorothy. & Sauerland, Uli. (2015). The grammar of relative measurement. Proceedings of Semantics and Linguistic Theory 25, 125-142. doi:10.3765/salt.v25i0.3062
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Ahn, Dorothy. & Sauerland, Uli. (2015). Reverse Quantification with Proportional Quantifiers. NELS 45: Proceedings of the Forty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the North East Linguistic Society, MIT. [DRAFT]
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2015. The semantics of additive either. Proceedings of Sinn und Bedeutung 19.
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Manuscripts
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Ahn, Dorothy. In Prep. Bare Noun Blocking.
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Ahn, Dorothy. In Prep. Unified theory of anaphoric expressions.
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2019. Anaphoric expressions in ASL. MS, Lingbuzz.
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2016. Empathy and deixis: A deictic analysis of giving verbs. Harvard Working Papers in Linguistics.​
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Ahn, Dorothy. 2015. Condition A, Exemption, and Logophoricity in Korean. MS (Generals paper), Harvard.
dorothy.ahn[at]rutgers.edu