Neele Becker

Dr. Neele Becker is a researcher affiliated with the Department of English and Linguistics at Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz. She holds a PhD in Linguistics (summa cum laude, 2005) with a thesis on numeral classifiers in Thai. Her research focuses on classification systems (particularly in Thai, Chinese, and Japanese), syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and fieldwork methodologies. She has conducted extensive fieldwork, including coordination of survey work in Thailand as part of the DoBeS project "Tongues of the Semang". Since 2006, she has served as a Scientific Assistant at Mainz University and held a Research Fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics (Nijmegen, 2007-2008). She is also a member of COST Action A31, investigating cross-cultural stability and adaptation of classification systems.

Teaching interests include implicatures, optimality theory, language typology, and slips of the tongue. Her work emphasizes theoretical analyses of raw data and language documentation. In 2020, she received the prestigious JGU Teaching Award for her pedagogical contributions.

Her professional trajectory includes roles such as Associate Lecturer (2005-2006) and participation in major international research initiatives. She contributes to the Neurolinguistics Lab and engages in interdisciplinary collaborations within the Department of English and Linguistics.