The core question of my research is: How does the brain – an organ that is virtually the same across the species – manage to learn, use, and understand languages – which can be very different? Much of this research uses behavioral and electrophysiological (EEG/MEG) techniques to investigate how language users understand words and sentences moment-by-moment. This research is guided by insights from theoretical syntax/semantics, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. I also have a special interest in the languages of South Asia (Bengali, Hindi, Nepali).

Recent projects investigate understanding patterns of brain activity associated with understanding case in split ergative languages (Hindi & Nepali), brain activity associated with processing morphologically complex words (Bengali), the role of world knowledge and compositional semantics in processing wh-dependencies (English), and the temporal dynamics of the neural language network while reading short sentences in one eye gaze (English).

Note: Adjunct Faculty are individuals formally affiliated with the UGA Department of Linguistics but who are not employed at UGA. Dr. Chacón is currently an Assistant Professor in the Linguistics Department at UC Santa Cruz.

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