Dalila Ayoun is a contemporary linguist and philosopher of language whose work focuses on learnability theory and second language acquisition, particularly regarding tense, aspect, and mood. She has contributed to debates about the logical problem of language acquisition, examining whether certain grammatical properties can be induced from primary linguistic data alone. Her research draws on generative grammar frameworks to investigate nativist and empiricist accounts of linguistic knowledge.
Developed learnability arguments concerning the underdetermination of grammar by primary linguistic data
Contributed to the empirical study of tense-aspect-mood acquisition in second language learners
Applied generative grammar frameworks to questions at the intersection of linguistics and philosophy of mind
Examined nativist vs. empiricist positions on grammatical knowledge through learnability analysis