Piotr Gulgowski

Piotr Gulgowski is a Researcher at the Leibniz Centre for General Linguistics (ZAS) in Berlin, Germany, actively contributing to Research Area III 'Syntax & Lexicon'. His work spans multiple prestigious institutions including Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and international collaborations with researchers across Europe. As a core team member in the DFG-funded project 'Agreement mismatches in relative clauses and related structures' and the GRANITUS project on grammatical illusions in accented speech, he bridges theoretical linguistics with experimental cognitive science.

His research centers on the psycholinguistic mechanisms of grammatical number, agreement, and quantification in Polish, employing cutting-edge methodologies like ERP studies, behavioral experiments, and acceptability ratings. Key interests include how syntactic structures interact with cognitive processing, the perception of L2-accented speech, and illusions of ungrammaticality arising from phonological and grammatical errors. His interdisciplinary approach integrates syntax, phonetics, and cognitive neuroscience to unravel language processing complexities.

Analysis of Gulgowski's 2018-2021 publications reveals a cohesive trajectory exploring number representation, aspect-countability interactions, and quantifier scope through experimental paradigms. His work consistently leverages Polish as a test case for broader linguistic theories, with recent presentations (2023-2024) expanding into L2 accent processing and personality trait perception. This evolution demonstrates a strategic shift from pure syntax toward sociolinguistic dimensions of speech perception.

Gulgowski collaborates extensively with Sarah Wesolek, Marzena Zygis, and the late Joanna Blaszczak (honored in a 2021 memorial workshop) on projects funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Their team regularly presents at top-tier venues including Interspeech, ICPhS, and LabPhon, with recent work examining how grammatical errors in foreign-accented speech trigger perceptual illusions. The GRANITUS project represents a significant grant achievement focused on neural correlates of speech processing.

Based at ZAS's Berlin headquarters (Pariser Straße 1), he operates within a dynamic research cluster investigating syntax-lexicon interfaces. His team's 2024 presentations at Humboldt-Universität, University of Glasgow, and international conferences confirm ongoing leadership in experimental linguistics, particularly regarding German-Polish cross-linguistic comparisons in error processing and accent perception.