Contact Information

keshet -at-
alum.mit.edu

ekeshet -at-
umich.edu

University of Michigan
Dept. of Linguistics
466 Lorch Hall
611 Tappan St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

734-764-0353
Experience
2009- Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Tenure-track position in Linguistics (specialization: Semantics) since 2009. Courtesy appointment in Philosophy since 2012.
2008-2009 Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
One-year position in Semantics.
Education
2008 PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Completed Five-Year Program in Semantics.
1999 AB-AM, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Graduated joint four-year Bachelors-Masters program magna cum laude with highest honors in Linguistics, with related field Computer Science.
Papers
Submitted Using conjunctive normal form as semantic metalanguage, Linguistics and Philosophy
Joint work with Steven Abney.
2012 Focus on Conditional Conjunction, Journal of Semantics
(Published online May 28, 2012)
2011 Contrastive Focus and Paycheck Pronouns, Chicago Linguistic Society 47
2011 Split Intensionality: A New Scope Theory of De re and De dicto, Linguistics and Philosophy
2010 Possible Worlds and Wide-Scope Indefinites: A Reply to Bäuerle (1983), Linguistic Inquiry
2010 Situation Economy, Natural Language Semantics
2008 Situation Economy, WCCFL 27
2008 Only the Strong: Restricting Situation Variables, SALT 18
2007 Infinitival Complements and Tense, Sinn und Bedeutung 12
2007 Telescoping and Scope Economy, WCCFL 26
2006 Scalar Implicatures with Alternative Semantics , SALT 16
2006 A Matter of Taste, Manuscript, MIT
2005 Textsetting, Phonology Generals Paper, MIT
Conference Presentations
2013 CNF as Semantic Meta-Language, LSA, Boston, MA.
2012 Coherence Relations and Donkey Anaphora, 1st International Pragmatics Conference of the Americas and 5th International Conference on Intercultural Pragmatics, Charlotte, NC
2011 Scopal Effects of Embedded Coherence Relations, GLOW 35, Potsdam University
2011 Contrastive Focus and Paycheck Pronouns, SALT 21, Rutgers University
2011 Contrastive Focus and Paycheck Pronouns, Chicago Linguistic Society 47
2011 Local Implicatures and the Structure of Discourse, Annual Conference of the German Linguistics Society (DGfS), Göttingen, Germany
2011 BALLGAME: A Corpus for Formal Semantics, International Workshop on Computational Semantics, Oxford, UK
2011 If most quantifiers were in this if-clause, they couldn't escape, LSA, Pittsburgh, PA
2011 Donkey Anaphora is not NP Ellipsis, Michigan Linguistics Society, Flint, MI
2010 Focus on Conditional and Quantificational Coordination, LSA, Baltimore, MD
2009 Focus on Conditional and Quantificational Coordination, Texas Linguistics Society 12, UT Austin
2008 Situation Economy, WCCFL 27, UCLA
2008 Only the Strong: Restricting Situation Variables, SALT 18, UMass
2007 The World on Time, Southern New England Workshop on Semantics, MIT
2007 Infinitival Complements and Tense, Sinn und Bedeutung 12, University of Oslo
2007 Telescoping and Scope Economy, WCCFL 26, UC Berkeley
2006 Scalar Implicatures with Alternative Semantics , SALT 16, University of Tokyo
Invited Talks
Sep 2012 CNF as Semantic Meta-Language, Semantics Reading Group, University of Texas, Austin, TX
Sep 2012 Focus Structure & Paycheck Pronouns; or, the linguist who titled his talk seriously was wiser than the one with titled it wittily, Colloquium, University of Texas, Austin, TX
May 2012 Coherence Relations and Donkey Anaphora, Workshop in Philosophy and Linguistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Nov 2011 A Simple Explanation of Every Pronoun Ever, Colloquium, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Apr 2011 Comments on Charlow & Sharvit's "More on LFs of Attitude Reports", Workshop in Philosophy and Linguistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 2009 Comments on Kehler's "Ellipsis and Anaphora in a QUD Model of Discourse", Workshop in Philosophy and Linguistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Nov 2008 Split Intensionality, Colloquium, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Nov 2008 Comments on Eliza Block's "Is the Symmetry Problem Really a Problem?", Workshop in Philosophy and Linguistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 2008 Split Intensionality, Colloquium, Michigan State University
Apr 2008 Situation Economy, Colloquium, Concordia University, Montréal, QC
Mar 2008 Situation Economy, Talk, University of Michigan
Dissertation
title Good Intensions: Paving Two Roads to a Theory of the De re/De dicto Distinction
supervisors Irene Heim (chair), Alan Bale, Kai von Fintel, Danny Fox, Sabine Iatridou
description Discusses under- and over-generation problems for various theories of intensionality, before proposing a middle ground: the split intensionality system, which separates each intensional operator’s quantificational force from its intensional force.
Awards and Honors
2010 Rackham Summer Research Grant to develop a computational semantics corpus
2009 University of Michigan LSA ITC Level One grant to develop educational software
2008 Marshall M.Weinberg Fund for Graduate Seminars in Cognitive Science:
2003, '5, '6 Harvard University Certificate of Distinction in Teaching
2003 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Honorable Mention
1999 Phi Beta Kappa
1995-1999 Harvard Scholarship for Academic Achievement
Classes Taught
2011 Introduction to Language, University of Michigan
250-student introductory Linguistics class.
2010-2011 Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics, University of Michigan
Graduate class.
2008-2011 Aspects of Meaning, University of Michigan
Undergraduate introduction to Semantics.
2010 Computational Semantics: A Project-Based Approach, University of Michigan
2009 Seminar: Discourse Constraints on Anaphora, University of Michigan
Co-taught with Eric Swanson.
2006 Graduate Introduction to Semantics, MIT, with Irene Heim
Teaching Assistant; led two special sessions on logic; led weekly section.
2005 Undergraduate Introduction to Linguistics, MIT, with Norvin Richards
Teaching Assistant; led weekly section.
2003-2006 Freshman Seminar in Computational Linguistics, Harvard, with Stuart Shieber
Teaching Assistant all four years class was offered; led weekly section; wrote and corrected all problem sets; created software for students to write morphology, syntax, and semantics rules.
Other Selected Experience
2008 Reviewer, National Science Foundation
2008- Reviewer, Linguistics and Philosophy, Springer Press
2008 Reviewer, Language and Linguistics Compass, Blackwell Press
2009 Internal interviewer, Fulbright Program, University of Michigan
2009- Reviewer, Natural Language Semantics, Springer
2009 Reviewer, Sinn und Bedeutung
2008- Reviewer, Journal of Semantics, Oxford University Press
2007 Organizer, "Mereological Summer" Semantics Reading Group, MIT
2001-2008 Freelance Computer Programmer, Cambridge, MA
Worked for companies ranging from an online chat site to a non-profit providing electronics kits to high school students
2000-2001 Freelance Computer Programmer, WordStream, Inc., Somerville, MA
Provided expertise to team of linguists at translation software company by authoring guides for writing grammar rules and solving toughest grammar problems; improved efficiency through redesign of grammar and morphology formalisms.