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Bistra Andreeva is a full Professor of Phonetics and Phonology at Saarland University, Department of Language Science and Technology. She is also a principal investigator of the DFG-funded project “Judeo-Spanish in Bulgaria: a contact language between archaism and innovation” (2022-2025) and leads or co-leads several other externally funded projects on prosody, information structure, and language contact. She teaches and has taught at Saarland University, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, and other European universities. Education & Academic Background Habilitation (kumulative Habilitationsschrift): “Contrastive Prosody: Bulgarian vs. German”, Saarland University, 2016. PhD (Dr. phil.): “Zur Phonetik und Phonologie der Intonation der Sofioter-Varietät des Bulgarischen”, Saarland University, 2007. Research Interests Andreeva’s research focuses on the phonetics and phonology of intonation and rhythm, cross-language and individual differences in the production and perception of syllabic prominence, the relation between intonation and information structure, minority languages (especially Judeo-Spanish in Bulgaria), and the interaction between information density and prosodic structure. Her methodological expertise includes experimental phonetics, corpus-based studies, and acoustic analysis. Major Projects SFB 1102 C1: “Information Density and the Predictability of Phonetic Structure” (DFG, 2014-2026) JuSpa: “Judeo-Spanish in Bulgaria: a contact language between archaism and innovation” (DFG, 2022-2025) Prosodic aspects of Bulgarian compared to other languages with lexical stress (Bulgarian National Science Fund, 2019-2024) Prosodic manifestations of focus in French and English from a Bulgarian point of view (DAAD & Sofia University, 2021-2023) Scientific Awards & Recognition While no major named prizes are listed, Andreeva’s work has been continuously supported by competitive grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG), DAAD, and Bulgarian National Science Fund. Her publications appear in top-tier journals and conference proceedings (Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Interspeech, Speech Prosody, International Congress of Phonetic Sciences). Teaching & Supervision She offers a broad spectrum of courses including Experimental Phonetics, Prosody, Phonetics & Phonology of Slavic Languages, Introduction to Instrumental Phonetics, and seminars on language contact. She has supervised numerous BA, MA, and PhD theses and regularly teaches at the PhD School of Sofia University. Labs & Teams She is affiliated with the Phonetics Laboratory at Saarland University and collaborates closely with the Institute for Bulgarian Language (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences), working in interdisciplinary teams involving phoneticians, computational linguists, and field linguists.

• Phonetics and phonology of intonation and rhythm
• Cross-language and individual differences in syllabic prominence
• Intonation and information structure
• +3 more

Prof. Dr. Pia Knoeferle is a leading academic at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , where she serves as a Professor in the Department of German Language and Linguistics . She is a principal investigator in the Collaborative Research Center (CRC 1412) focused on register phenomena and leads the Reaction Time, Eye-tracking, and EEG Laboratories . Her research spans psycholinguistics , cognitive neuroscience , and computational modeling of language , with a central interest in how real-time language comprehension interacts with social context , formality-register congruence , and morphosyntactic processing . Appointments: Professor at Humboldt-Universität (2024), CRC 1412 member Methodologies: Eye-tracking, EEG, Visual World Paradigm, ERP Her work investigates lifespan language processing (children, adults, older adults) through contextual cue integration , including emotional , spatial , and social context such as gender cues , eye gaze , and facial expressions . Key questions include: How do pragmatic and contextual factors modulate lexical and grammatical processing ? What representations underlie register sensitivity in spoken and written comprehension ? Recent articles (2022-2024) focus on register congruence effects in German sentence processing, age-related differences in formality-register anticipation , and interactions between register and morphosyntactic knowledge . Using eye-tracking and visual world paradigms , her team examines incremental integration of socially-situated context with verb-argument relations and grammatical constraints . Findings suggest subtle late-stage register effects and interference between pragmatic and syntactic processing . Her lab collaborates with researchers like Katja Maquate , Valentina Nicole Pescuma , and Camilo Ronderos , contributing to the Frame text of the Second Phase Proposal for CRC 1412 (2020) and subsequent reviews in Frontiers in Psychology (2023). The work emphasizes complementary methods to model register variability across languages , modalities , and cultural contexts .

• Psycholinguistics
• Language Processing
• Register Studies
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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).

• Comparative Linguistics
• Language Universals
• Linguistic Typology
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Prof. Gerhard Jäger holds the Chair of General Linguistics at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Tübingen . He serves as a Principal Investigator (PI) in the Clusters of Excellence Human Origins and Machine Learning for Science , and leads projects like Phylomilia (funded by Volkswagen Foundation) and CrossLingference (ERC Advanced Grant). His career spans multiple institutions, including Bielefeld University (2004-2009) and Stanford University (visiting scholar, 2004). Habilitation (2002) at Humboldt University Berlin with thesis on Anaphora and Type Logical Grammar PhD (1996) at Humboldt University Berlin on Dynamic Semantics His research bridges computational linguistics , phylogenetic analysis , and game theory , focusing on Bayesian models , language evolution , and cross-linguistic typology . Recent work explores phylogenetic inference from acoustic speech data and geographic influences on language trees . Key contributions include 15+ recent publications on topics spanning phylogenetic typology , cognate detection , and Bayesian language modeling . These works employ machine learning , statistical inference , and evolutionary game theory to analyze language change , typological variation , and linguistic stability . Honors include ERC Advanced Grant , Volkswagen Foundation funding , and DFG-Humanities Centre for Advanced Studies participation. He has taught courses in Computational Historical Linguistics , Phylogenetic Methods , and Bayesian Data Analysis across institutions like Tübingen, Bielefeld, and Stanford. He actively contributes to academic communities through workshop organization (e.g., Quantitative Theoretical Linguistics , Game Theory in Pragmatics ) and serves on the faculty council at Tübingen. His team collaborates with institutions like Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology , University of Pennsylvania , and LMU Munich .

• Computational Linguistics
• Historical Linguistics
• Phylogenetic Linguistics
• +8 more

Prof. Dr. Frank Kammerzell is a Professor at the Department of Archaeology and Cultural History of Northeast Africa within Humboldt University of Berlin since May 2003. His academic career includes habilitation at the University of Göttingen (1999) and extensive research collaborations with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and University of Vienna. His educational background encompasses Medieval and Modern History (major 1980), Egyptology (major), Coptic Studies, General and Indo-European Linguistics, and Assyriology. He earned his Dr. phil. from Göttingen with a dissertation on 'Studies on the Language and History of the Carians in Egypt' (1990) and completed habilitation with 'Language contact and language change in ancient Egypt' (1999). Kammerzell's research spans Egyptian phonology, morphology, syntax, lexis, language history, diachronic typology, language contact, writing systems, and Carian history in Egypt. His work integrates linguistic analysis with archaeological contexts, examining language evolution through contact and typological shifts. Notable projects include studies on Egyptian-Akkadian typological developments and classifiers in ancient Egypt. His publications since 2000 demonstrate sustained focus on Egyptian linguistic structures, writing systems, and cross-linguistic influences. Key themes include verb classifiers, glossing rules for Ancient Egyptian, and lexical semantics-pragmatics interfaces, bridging Egyptology with broader linguistic theory. Graduate Scholarship from the State of Lower Saxony (Doctoral Scholarship) 1987-1989 Kammerzell has led significant research projects funded by the DFG, Fritz Thyssen Foundation, and Volkswagen Foundation. His collaborative work with institutions in Jerusalem and Göttingen highlights international partnerships. While specific advisees aren't listed, his editorial roles suggest mentorship in academic publishing. He co-founded research groups on multilingualism and script systems, contributing to journals like Lingua Aegyptia and Ägypten und Levante , underscoring team-based archaeological-linguistic research.

• Phonology
• Morphology
• Syntax
• +8 more

Prof. Dr. Christian Rathmann is a Professor for Sign Language Interpreting at the Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences , Humboldt University of Berlin. His academic journey includes prior roles at the University of Hamburg, University of Bristol, and The Ohio State University. PhD in Linguistics (2005), University of Texas at Austin MA in Linguistics (2000), University of Texas at Austin Research Interests : Rathmann specializes in sign language linguistics , focusing on morphosyntactic processes, semantics, and pragmatics. His work explores L1/L2 acquisition , multilingualism, language contact, and the implementation of the CEFR for sign languages . He also investigates Deaf Studies , discourse analysis, and language rights within international contexts. Scientific Contributions include publications on verb agreement, language standardization, and bilingual co-activation. His 2024 work on Signbank 2.0 and VisuoLab emphasizes digital resources for sign languages. Alexander von Humboldt Polish Honorary Research Scholarship (2016-2020) Professional Engagement : Rathmann serves on editorial boards (e.g., Frontiers in Psychology ) and scientific committees, including the SignON Project and the German Deaf Association . He advocates for early sign language access and language rights for deaf children.

• Sign Language Linguistics
• Morphosyntax
• Semantics and Pragmatics
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Christian Zimmer is a Professor of German Linguistics at Technische Universität Dortmund, specializing in variational linguistics with a focus on multilingual contexts. His academic journey includes a Habilitation (2021) and PhD (2016) from Freie Universität Berlin, and a state examination in German Studies, Philosophy, and Sport Science (2012) from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. He has held substitute professorships at TU Dortmund (2019-2020) and Freie Universität Berlin (2022-2023) and led DFG projects on German in multilingual Southern Africa (2020-2022) and Namibia (2016-2019). His research explores German within multilingual environments, language change, corpus linguistics, and gender linguistics. Key projects include analyzing Namibian German (Namdeutsch) and the dynamics of German in African contexts. He uses corpus-based methods to study morphosyntactic variation, case systems, and sociolinguistic factors influencing language structure. Zimmer’s publications address topics such as genitive case reduction, loanword integration, and gender correlations in phonology. His work bridges theoretical linguistics and applied sociolinguistics, contributing to understanding language vitality and contact dynamics in minority speech communities.

• German in multilingual contexts
• Language change
• Corpus linguistics
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Dr. Behrooz Mahmoodi-Bakhtiari is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Performing Arts at the University of Tehran, Iran. Born in 1974 in Tehran, he earned his PhD in Linguistics from Allameh Tabatabaee University in 2003. His work bridges linguistics and performing arts, with a focus on Persian language pedagogy and cultural studies. His research encompasses Iranian linguistics, dialectology, teaching Persian as a foreign language, Iranian dramatic literature, and discourse analysis of drama. He employs linguistic and semiotic approaches to analyze drama and film, contributing to interdisciplinary academic dialogues. Mahmoodi-Bakhtiari has published extensively in these areas and contributed to major reference works, including the Encyclopedia Iranica , Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics , Encyclopedia of Islam (Third Edition) , and The Great Islamic Encyclopedia . His publications span linguistics, medical education, neuroscience, and literature, reflecting a broad interdisciplinary scope. He welcomes international academic collaborations and can be contacted via email for scholarly exchanges.

• Iranian Linguistics
• Dialectology
• Teaching Persian as a Foreign Language
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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.

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

Tanja Ackermann is a Professor of German Linguistics with a focus on Variation and Change at Bielefeld University , holding the position since 2023. She serves as project leader in two subprojects of the Collaborative Research Center 1646: Linguistic Creativity in Communication (projects A06 and B03), and as a member of BiSEd (Bielefeld School of Education). Her academic affiliations include the Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Studies and its Habilitation Committee . Doctorate in Linguistics (2017) Habilitation, Venia legendi in German Linguistics (2023) Prior academic roles: Acting Professor at University of Mainz (2020–2022), Research Associate at Freie Universität Berlin (2011–2023), and short-term lectureship at Peking University (2017). Research interests span diachronic and synchronic analysis of language variation (areal/sociolinguistic), language change (functional/contrastive), historical grammar (morphology/morphosyntax), and pragmatics (speech acts, address forms, (im)politeness, expressivity). She specializes in onomastics (name grammar, sociopragmatic aspects, phonology) and interactive linguistic creativity (interrogative forms, indirect meaning). Publications reflect trends in Germanic morphosyntax, historical pragmatics, and onomastic variation. Key themes include inflectional erosion , possessive markers , and gendered phonological patterns in proper names. Scientific Recognition Awarded Wilhelm von Humboldt Prize by the DGfS in 2019 Affiliation Highlights Project leader for SFB 1646 (linguistic creativity in communication) Previous involvement in SRC 980 'Episteme in Motion' (subproject C08, 2016–2020)

• Language Change
• Historical Linguistics
• Germanic Linguistics
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PD Dr. phil. Evangelia Kordoni is a research assistant at Humboldt University of Berlin's Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Studies, specifically within the Institute for English and American Studies. Her office is located at Dorotheenstraße 28, Room 3.04, and she can be contacted via email for appointments. She is an active researcher in computational linguistics with a focus on grammar engineering and natural language processing. Kordoni's research primarily explores: Computational linguistics frameworks including HPSG grammar implementation Multiword expression processing and machine translation systems Treebank development for languages including English, German and Bulgarian Lexical acquisition methods for large-scale grammars Semantic parsing and disambiguation techniques Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical NLP applications. Kordoni's publication record shows consistent focus on deep linguistic processing, with recent emphasis on: Multiword expression analysis in machine translation systems Parallel treebank development for multilingual applications Verb subcategorization and compound noun disambiguation Dynamic annotation methodologies for Wall Street Journal texts Cross-linguistic studies of Germanic syntax

• Computational Linguistics
• Natural Language Processing
• Grammar Engineering
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Thomas Rainsford is a Lecturer at the University of Stuttgart's Institute of Linguistics, Division of Romance Linguistics. His research focuses on historical Romance linguistics, particularly phonological change, morpho-syntax, and corpus development. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and has held positions at ENS de Lyon and as a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Oxford. Research interests center on: Diachronic evolution of French, Occitan, and Italian Prosodic changes and phonological annotation Lexical and morpho-syntactic aspects of motion events Historical corpus development with multi-layer annotation Publications demonstrate consistent focus on: Historical phonology and orthographic systems Syntactic change in medieval Gallo-Romance languages Corpus linguistics methodologies Computational approaches to historical texts Awards include the British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Current research involves leading a DFG-funded project examining motion events in French and Italian through lexical and syntactic change analysis. Developed the Old Gallo-Romance Corpus (OGR) with specialized phonological and metrical annotation layers.

• Historical Romance Linguistics
• Phonology
• Corpus Linguistics
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Gabriele Diewald is a Professor of German Linguistics at the Department of German and Applied Linguistics, Leibniz University Hannover. She holds a habilitation in German linguistics and has held academic positions including Vice President for Teaching and Visiting Professorships at institutions like the University of São Paulo. Her research focuses on grammaticalization, language change, pragmatics, and gender-fair language use, with significant contributions to linguistic theory and public discourse on gendered language norms. Education & Career: PhD in German Linguistics (1990), University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Habilitation (1998), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg Visiting Scholar at Stanford University (1996–1997) Professorships at University of Hamburg (2000–2001) and Leibniz University Hannover (since 2001) Vice President for Teaching, Leibniz University Hannover (2007–2012) Research Interests: Diewald’s work bridges theoretical linguistics and societal applications, particularly in gender-fair language. She analyzes grammaticalization processes, pragmatic functions of language, and the sociopolitical dimensions of linguistic change. Her studies address how language reflects and shapes gender norms, with critiques of traditional linguistic assumptions and advocacy for inclusive language practices. Publications & Impact: Over 50 peer-reviewed articles and books, including co-authored Duden guides on gender-fair language (e.g., Handbuch geschlechtergerechte Sprache ). Her research appears in journals like Linguistische Berichte and Constructions & Frames , addressing topics from modal particles to evidentiality in German. She also engages public debates via media interviews (e.g., NZZ , Tagesspiegel ) and policy consultations on gender-sensitive language in education and governance. Contributions: Editor of volumes on grammaticalization, construction grammar, and gender linguistics. Active in interdisciplinary initiatives like the Leibniz Institute for the German Language’s Empirical Gender Linguistics project. Her work emphasizes the societal role of linguistics, advocating for linguists to address cultural and political challenges.

• German Linguistics
• Grammaticalization
• Language Change
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Laura Becker is an Assistant Professor at the Department of General Linguistics, University of Freiburg. Her research focuses on linguistic typology, quantitative methodology, and the role of coding efficiency in grammatical structures. She holds a PhD exploring article systems across languages and has contributed to cross-linguistic studies on syntax, morphology, and sociolinguistics. Her work emphasizes statistical rigor and computational tools, such as the glottospace R package for geospatial linguistic analysis. Recent projects include investigating phoneme inventories in Polynesian languages and socio-linguistic influences on conditional constructions. Publications highlight her expertise in morphosyntax, language contact, and corpus-based approaches. No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned in the provided materials. Dr. Becker has advised no recorded students in the available data and has not listed specific grants or labs. Her current research trends prioritize quantitative frameworks to address typological and evolutionary questions in linguistics.

• Linguistic Typology
• Quantitative Linguistics
• Coding Efficiency
• +4 more

Prof. Roland Kießling is a Professor of African Studies at the University of Hamburg's Faculty of Humanities, affiliated with the Asia-Africa Institute's Department of African and Ethiopian Studies. He has held visiting professorships at the Universities of Bayreuth and Cologne, and served as a DFG Heisenberg Fellow (2001–2006). His research focuses on African languages, particularly Southern Cushitic, Nilotic, Niger-Congo, and Khoisan languages, emphasizing documentation, phonetics, morphosemantics, and language change. Academic Career: Studied at University of Hamburg (African Studies, Phonetics), M.A. 1988, Ph.D. 1993, Habilitation 2000 1990–1993: Research Associate in the DFG 'Iraqw Texts' project 1993–1999: Research Assistant at Hamburg's Institute for African and Ethiopian Studies Recipient of the Kurt-Hartwig-Siemers Prize (1995) Since 2006: Full Professor at University of Hamburg Research Interests: Documentation of endangered African languages, phonetic transcription, morphosemantics, language contact, and historical linguistics. Specializes in Cushitic (Southern), Nilotic (Southern), Niger-Congo (South Bantoid), and Khoisan languages including !Xoon. Key Projects (selection): Cluster of Excellence 'Understanding Written Artefacts' (2019–2025) DFG SFB 950 'Manuscript Cultures' (2011–2020), leading subproject C07 on Arabo-Swahili manuscripts DoBeS-funded documentation projects for Bezen (2011–2015) and Datooga motion lexico-grammar (2018–2022) Publications: Over 59 publications including monographs on Isu (West Ring Bantu), edited volumes on African linguistics, and articles in Journal of African Languages and Linguistics , Afrika und Übersee , and others. Recent work explores numeral classifiers, hybrid youth discourse, and tonogenesis. Awards: Kurt-Hartwig-Siemers Prize (1995), Heisenberg Fellowship (2001–2006), and contributions to major linguistic reference works like The Oxford Handbook of African Languages .

• African Linguistics
• Language Documentation
• Phonetics
• +6 more