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Martin HaspelmathView profile

Adjunct Professor

• Comparative Linguistics
• Language Universals
• Linguistic Typology
• +3 more

Martin Haspelmath is a Senior Research Scientist at the Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, and an honorary (adjunct) professor at Leipzig University. His research focuses on comparative linguistics, language universals, and typology, particularly in syntactic and morphological systems. He co-edited the World Atlas of Language Structures (2005/2013) and co-founded Language Science Press . Education: PhD in Linguistics, Freie Universität Berlin (1990–1993) MA in Linguistics, University of Cologne and University at Buffalo (1985–1989) Undergraduate studies in Linguistics, University of Vienna (1983–1985) Research Interests: Haspelmath investigates global grammatical diversity, form-function correspondences, and universals in syntax, morphology, and lexical systems. His work emphasizes comparative concepts for cross-linguistic analysis and critiques traditional grammatical categories. Grants & Projects: ERC project leader at Leipzig University (2015–2020) Co-creator of Grambank , an open-access database of grammatical structures Leading initiatives for open-access publication and linguistic data sharing Labs/Teams: Active in the MPI's Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, collaborating on projects like APICS (Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures) and ValPal (Valency Patterns Leipzig).

• Pragmatics
• Lexicon-Syntax-Interface
• Grammar-Pragmatics-Interface
• +8 more

Rita Finkbeiner is a Professor of German Linguistics at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, where she has held a W3 professorship since April 2020 and served as managing director of the German Institute from 2022-2023. Previously, she was a W2 Professor at Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (2018-2020) and has been affiliated with Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz since 2010. Her research focuses on the critical interface between grammatical structures and pragmatic functions in language use. Her academic background includes: Magistra Artium in German Linguistics and European Ethnology from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2000) Ph.D. in German Linguistics from Stockholm University (2009) Habilitation at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (2016) Professor Finkbeiner's research examines how linguistic constructions operate at the grammar-pragmatics interface, with particular attention to speech acts, implicit meaning, and expressivity in German. She investigates phenomena such as wh-headlines in newspapers, reduplicative constructions, expressive morphology, and the pragmatics of social media commenting. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in language teaching and media discourse, demonstrating how linguistic form and communicative function interact systematically. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on construction grammar and pragmatics, with increasing attention to digital communication patterns while maintaining strong theoretical foundations. Key trends include exploration of wh-headlines across discourse types, expressive morphology in German word formation, and the pragmatics of social media commenting, demonstrating both theoretical depth and practical relevance to contemporary communication contexts. Professor Finkbeiner actively supervises doctoral and master's students, with numerous successful completions including Julian Stawecki (2024) and Robert Külpmann (2019). She has led significant research projects including the DFG-funded "W-Überschriften im Deutschen" (2018-2022) on German wh-headlines, and is coordinating the development of a German linguistics textbook. She collaborates closely with researchers including Dr. Robert Külpmann, Dr. Paul Reszke, and Charlotte Eisenrauch. She leads a research team at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz that investigates construction grammar and pragmatics across various discourse contexts, with particular attention to digital communication and educational applications. Her work environment provides a strong interdisciplinary context connecting theoretical linguistics with language education and media studies.

Johanna MattissenView profile

Research Fellow

• Linguistic Typology
• Legal Linguistics
• Morphosyntax
• +7 more

Johanna Mattissen is a Research Fellow in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Cologne, specializing in European Legal Linguistics. Her office is located at Bernhard-Feilchenfeld-Str. 11, 50969 Köln, with postal address Albertus-Magnus-Platz, 50923 Köln. Contact is available by appointment via telephone (+49-221-470-3012) or email. Her research spans: Linguistic typology with focus on polysynthesis, morphological complexity, and endangered languages (Nivkh, Japanese, Laz, Greenlandic, Basque) Legal linguistics analyzing multilingual EU legislation, coordination phenomena, and terminology in European law Cross-linguistic analysis of discourse markers, modality, and reference-tracking in legal texts Machine translation challenges in human vs neural approaches for specialized domains Her recent publications (2021-2023) predominantly examine linguistic structures in EU legal instruments, investigating coordination ambiguity, terminological precision, and multilingual equivalence in binding texts. Earlier works establish foundations in polysynthesis typology and morphological theory.

Jan PfisterView profile

Researcher

• Natural Language Processing
• Deep Learning
• Sentiment Analysis
• +5 more

Jan Pfister is a researcher at the Chair of Data Science (Informatik X) , affiliated with the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Würzburg . Holding an M.Sc. in Computer Science from 2021, he contributes to the DMIR group while maintaining the BibSonomy platform. His work bridges Natural Language Processing and Deep Learning , with a focus on structured sentiment analysis and German language modeling. His research explores the integration of Large Language Models with Pointer Networks to extract fine-grained sentiment information. He has developed ModernGBERT , a German-only encoder model, and LLäMmlein , advancing NLP capabilities for the language. Pfister's recent publications highlight trends in encoder-decoder architectures, model-agnostic hallucination detection, and multi-label classification frameworks that refine LLM outputs. He has taught courses including Information Retrieval (SS '22), Text Mining (WS '23), and Selected Topics in Machine Learning (SS'21, WS '21, WS'24). His collaborative projects span medical informatics, human-AI interaction, and social media analysis, often involving interdisciplinary teams and real-world data.

• Cognitive Semantics
• Construction Grammar
• Discourse Analysis
• +6 more

Alexander Ziem is a Professor of German Linguistics and Chair holder at the Institute of German Studies , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, since 2016. His academic career spans institutions such as the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) in Berkeley, Universität Basel, and Technische Universität Berlin. Research Focus: Cognitive semantics, construction grammar, FrameNet-Konstruktikon projects, discourse analysis, and socio-cognitive dimensions of language. Projects: Initiator of the long-term ' FrameNet and Constructicon of German ' project; co-editor of Diskursforschung and DiskursNetz handbooks. His recent publications emphasize constructional meanings, semantic frames, and multilingual frameworks. He leads the German Constructicon project and collaborates on digital humanities tools like SimilarCxns and FrameMap3D. Scientific Awards: Preis für Geisteswissenschaften , Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen (2011). Research Fellow, International Computer Science Institute (ICSI), Berkeley (2013–2014). Ziem’s team at HHU includes 25 members, with 10 research assistants, and he contributes to curriculum development, including the upcoming Digital Cultures degree program. His methodological approach integrates corpus linguistics, frame semantics, and machine learning.

Luke AdamsonView profile

Researcher

• Syntax
• Morphology
• Grammatical Gender
• +5 more

Dr. Luke Adamson is a tenure-track Researcher in Research Area 3 'Syntax and Lexicon' at the Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS), Berlin. Previously, he held a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard University (2020–2022) and served as Lecturer at Rutgers University (2022–2023). He earned his PhD in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania (2019) and holds dual degrees from Oberlin College: a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance (2010–2014). His research focuses on nominal features, grammatical gender, and syntactic modularity, with notable projects exploring gender locality hypotheses, coordination resolution in three-gendered languages, and suppletion phenomena. Collaborators include prominent linguists such as Elena Anagnostopoulou (University of Crete), Ruth Kramer (Georgetown University), and Stanislao Zompì (Universität Potsdam). Key contributions include work on gender assignment constraints in languages like Greek, Swedish, and Lithuanian, as well as syntactic interfaces in Jarawara and Italian. Recent presentations include invited talks at the University of Geneva (June 2025), Yale University (October 2024), and the Brussels Conference on Generative Linguistics (December 2024). He co-edits Linguistic Inquiry Squibs & Discussion and organizes the ZAS Brown Bag Lunches. His work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the European Research Council. Adamson’s academic networks span formal linguistics and typological studies, with ongoing projects addressing politeness pronouns in Romance languages, emotive predicates in clausal complements, and allosemy in Greek gender systems.

Mingya LiuView profile

Professor

• Linguistics
• Syntax
• Semantics
• +8 more

Prof. Dr. Mingya Liu is a W1-Professor for Empirical English Linguistics (EEL) at the Department of English and American Studies, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. Her research focuses on the intersection of lexicon, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, with applications to language processing, acquisition, and sociolinguistic variation. Key projects include investigations into polarity sensitivity, modality, negation, and register effects in language use. Her work employs experimental, cross-linguistic, and socio- and psycholinguistic methods. Notable contributions include studies on modal concord (e.g., 'must certainly'), negative concord variation, and the social meanings of linguistic constructions in English, German, and Chinese. She is a core member of the CRC 1412 'Register: Language Users’ Knowledge of Situational-Functional Variation,' contributing to interdisciplinary research on language variation and cognitive modeling. Publications emphasize experimental findings on linguistic and social meaning correlations, register sensitivity in language use, and the role of interlocutor relations in formality perception. Collaborative efforts with institutions like HU Berlin and international scholars further highlight her commitment to advancing theoretical and experimental linguistics.

Florian HaasView profile

Senior Lecturer

• Linguistics
• Corpus Linguistics
• Historical Linguistics
• +5 more

Florian Haas is a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at the Institute for English and American Studies , Friedrich Schiller University Jena , where he has taught since 2009 across BA, MA, and teacher training programs. His research focuses on recent morphosyntactic changes in English , contrastive linguistics , typology , and usage-based construction grammar , with a notable Habilitation thesis on the history of human impersonal pronouns in English. Education : PhD in Linguistics (2008, Free University of Berlin, summa cum laude), MA in European Master's Degree in Linguistics (2002), MA in English Studies (2002). His research interests span corpus-driven analysis of language change, cross-linguistic contrasts (particularly English-German), and cognitive approaches to grammar. His publications emphasize diachronic shifts in pronouns, genre-specific linguistic patterns, and constructionist analyses of syntax. He has supervised numerous student theses on topics like political framing, bilingualism, and sociolinguistic variation in English. Academic service includes roles as Erasmus coordinator, reviewer for journals like Journal of Pragmatics , and memberships in societies such as the Association for Linguistic Typology .

Peter UhrigView profile

Professor

• Digital Linguistics
• Big Data in Linguistics
• Corpus Linguistics
• +12 more

Peter Uhrig is a Professor at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), holding the Chair of Digital Linguistics with a Focus on Big Data within the Institute of English and American Studies. He is based in Erlangen, Germany, and actively contributes to research and teaching in computational and cognitive linguistics. His research interests lie at the intersection of linguistics, computation, and cognition, with a strong emphasis on corpus-based analysis , construction grammar , multimodal communication , and digital methods in language research . He investigates phenomena such as collocation, argument structure, creativity in language, and spoken word comprehension using large-scale datasets and advanced computational models. His recent publications reveal a clear trend toward interdisciplinary, data-intensive research. He frequently collaborates on projects involving multimodal corpora , gesture analysis , spoken language processing , and computational modeling , often in collaboration with researchers from computer science and cognitive neuroscience. His work is published in leading journals in linguistics and cognitive science. How Collostructional Analysis Contributes to the Description of Argument Structure Constructions with Slots for that-and Infinitive Clauses (2024) The pluralization palette: unveiling semantic clusters in English nominal pluralization through distributional semantics (2024) World Futures through RT’s Eyes: Multimodal Dataset and Methodology (2024) Prof. Uhrig has co-edited several academic volumes and plays a key role in developing research infrastructure, such as the Red Hen Protocol for anonymizing audiovisual data and tools for multimodal analysis. While specific grant funding is not detailed, his involvement in large collaborative projects indicates active grant-supported research. He also contributes to academic service through editorial work and conference organization. He is involved in building digital infrastructure for multimodal research, including work on gesture retrieval systems and data anonymization protocols. His lab or research group appears to focus on integrating computational tools with linguistic theory, particularly within the framework of construction grammar and cognitive linguistics.

Lotte SommererView profile

Professor

• Usage-based Linguistics
• Cognitive Construction Grammar
• Diachronic Construction Grammar
• +12 more

Lotte Sommerer is Professor and Chair of English Linguistics at the Department of English and American Studies, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), a position she has held since October 1, 2024. She previously served as Assistant Professor at the University of Freiburg from March 2021 to September 2024. As a historical, functional-cognitive linguist, Professor Sommerer specializes in morphosyntactic variation and change across Modern English, Middle English, and Old English. She subscribes to a usage-based, constructional theory of morphosyntax (CCxG) that emphasizes functional and cognitive constraints while accounting for linguistic variation. Her research encompasses several interconnected domains: Cognitive Construction Grammar frameworks Diachronic language evolution processes Grammaticalization and Constructionalization phenomena Lexicon-Grammar interface interactions Noun phrase structural development Linguistic categorization mechanisms across historical English stages Professor Sommerer serves as Editor-in-Chief of the open access journal Constructions alongside Stefan Hartmann from the University of Düsseldorf. Her scholarly work bridges theoretical linguistics with historical language analysis, maintaining an active research profile as evidenced by her recent habilitation at the University of Freiburg in 2022.

Daniel KölliganView profile

Professor

• Comparative Linguistics
• Historical Linguistics
• Indo-European Languages
• +6 more

Daniel Kölligan is a Professor at the Institute of Classical Studies , Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg . His research bridges comparative linguistics, historical grammar, and Indo-European studies with a focus on Greek and Classical Armenian. Current Affiliation : Chair of Comparative Linguistics, Würzburg (since 2019) Prior Roles : Research Assistant, University of Oxford (2005–2008); Junior Research Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford Research Interests include verbal morphology, etymology, language contact, and diachronic syntax. He investigates Indo-European roots, Armenian-Greek interactions, and Mycenaean onomastics. His work often merges historical linguistics with digital humanities, exemplified by the VedaWeb project. Article Trends reflect expertise in: Comparative morphology of Indo-European languages Armenian and Greek historical syntax Etymological analysis of ritual terms Development of collaborative research platforms Language contact in ancient texts Diachronic evolution of grammatical features Projects : Leads the DFG-funded VedaWeb 2.0 initiative for digitally annotating ancient Indo-Aryan texts. Collaborates on expanding the platform to include the Atharva Veda and advanced search tools. Editorial Roles : Co-editor of MSB (Munich Studies in Linguistics – Supplements), MSS (Munich Studies in Linguistics), and Cratylus . Engaged in academic service through journal and conference proceedings editing.

Leila BehrensView profile

Associate Professor

• Semantics and Pragmatics
• Cross-linguistic and Cross-cultural Diversity
• Ambiguity
• +12 more

Leila Behrens serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Cologne, specializing in semantics and pragmatics with emphasis on cross-linguistic diversity. Her research examines ambiguity, evidentiality, modality, and intercultural communication phenomena across diverse languages. Education: Habilitation in Theoretical Linguistics and Computational Lexicology, Universität München (1999) PhD in General Linguistics, Universität München (1987) MA in General Linguistics, Universität München (1982) Her scholarly focus spans semantic-pragmatic interfaces and cross-cultural variation , particularly investigating irony comprehension , metadiscourse markers , and evidentiality systems . Current work analyzes stance-taking in digital discourse, while earlier research established foundational insights into lexicon-grammar interactions, genericity, and reciprocal constructions across languages. Analysis of her publication trajectory reveals sustained engagement with typological semantics , especially evidentiality-modality relationships and cross-linguistic genericity patterns. Her methodological approach consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical discourse analysis, increasingly incorporating digital communication contexts since 2010. Scientific Awards: No awards documented in source materials. Professor Behrens has secured substantial research funding including DFG support for 'Lexical Typology' (1996-2000), ARC-funded cross-cultural irony research at Melbourne University (2003), and Siemens-sponsored machine translation projects (1987-1993). While student advising details aren't specified, her 35+ year research trajectory indicates extensive mentorship through principal investigator roles.

• Romance Linguistics
• Morphology
• Semantics
• +4 more

Prof. Dr. Daniela Marzo is a Full Professor of Romance Philology (French and Italian Linguistics) at the University of Freiburg, Germany. Her research focuses on morphology, semantics, and contact linguistics with particular emphasis on Sardinian and Occitan languages. She co-edits the Italian Journal of Italian Language and Literature and has supervised numerous PhD and MA theses on topics ranging from language revitalization to lexical motivation. Education: M.A. in Romance Philology and American Literature (Tübingen University, 2003) Dr. phil. in Romance Philology (Tübingen University, 2013) Research Interests: Morphology-syntax interface and conversion in Romance Languages Lexical motivation through polysemy, metonymy, and metaphor Standardization and Koineization in minority languages Iconicity and transparency in the lexicon Language change in Sardinian and Occitan Academic Career: Full Professor, University of Freiburg (2020–present) Associate Professor, LMU Munich (2014–2020) Assistant Professor, University of Stuttgart (2009–2014) Research Associate, University of Tübingen (2007–2009) Selected Grants: DAAD grant for research stay at Lyon 2 University (2013) Erasmus and DAAD study grants for France, Italy, and Ireland (pre-2003) Current PhD Supervisions: Fiona Gehring: The New Speakers of Basque, Catalan and Occitan in Comparison Nicole Mazzetto: La motivation synchronique des locutions Benedetta Muccioli: Word-formation from Late Latin Linda Rüger: Accommodation Theory in Spoken Algherese Marinus Wiedner: Genus systems between Alps and Pyrenees Completed PhD Supervisions: Roberta Atzori (2022): Sociolinguistics of adult education centers in Italy Susanna Gaidolfi (2014): Italianization of Sardinian Katharina Jakob (2017): WhatsApp communication in Italian

• Yiddish Language
• Historical Linguistics
• Jewish Literature
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Simon Neuberg is a faculty member at the University of Trier , affiliated with the Department of German Studies and specializing in Yiddish Studies . His academic career spans decades, with a Doctorate (1995) and Habilitation (1999) focusing on Yiddish language and literature. Currently, he maintains regular office hours (Wednesdays 14:00-15:00) and collaborates with international scholars. Research Interests: Historical Development of Yiddish Lexicography and Etymology Literary Analysis of Jewish Texts Language Contact and Bilingualism Dialectology of Yiddish Dialects Philological Studies Recent Publications show consistent contributions to Yiddish linguistics, lexicography, and literary analysis from 1997-2024. Collaborations with Yitskhok Niborski and others resulted in multiple editions of Yiddish-Hebrew-Aramaic dictionaries and studies on adjective formation, medical texts, and historical narratives. His work spans monographs, text editions, and articles in Jiddistik-Mitteilungen and other journals.

Zorica Puškar-GallienView profile

Researcher

• Syntax-Morphology Interface
• Morphosyntactic Features
• Case Theory
• +1 more

Dr. Zorica Puškar-Gallien is a senior researcher at Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics (ZAS) Berlin, leading the DFG project 'Measures of change in the grammar of verbal predication'. Her work examines syntax-morphology interfaces with focus on agreement systems, case theory, and feature representation. Her research employs experimental methods to analyze grammatical phenomena in Slavic languages and develops theoretical frameworks for morphosemantic mismatches. Recent publications investigate proportional modification in measurement expressions and gender interpretation patterns.