Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hi! I'm Andrew Ryan, and I'm a first year PhD student in linguistics at MIT. I'm originally from New York, but linguistics has taken me to Dallas, London, and now Cambridge!
My prior research has focused on the syntax (let's say that means "grammar") of Waray-Waray, an underdescribed language of the Philippines. I've investigated some unique features that the language actually shares with most languages spoken in the Philippines: a system of verb forms that seems (emphasis on seems!) to be able to make almost anything the subject of a sentence.
I love syntax because it simultaneously gives me the opportunity to appreciate the diversity of human languages, and offers a window into a part of human thought that is common to us all.

Past Classes