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.
Dr. Giorgos Spathas is a senior researcher and project leader at the Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS), Berlin, leading the DFG-funded project Measures of Change in the Grammar of Verbal Predications (MeasChange) . He holds a PhD in Linguistics from the Utrecht Institute of Linguistics OTS (2005-2010) and has held research positions at Humboldt University Berlin, University of Stuttgart, and MIT. His research focuses on the semantics of natural language interfaces with syntax and prosody, particularly in binding theory, focus theory, and argument structure alternations. Recent work emphasizes inner aspect and integrating event-decompositional/scalar analyses of verbal predication. Key Projects: DFG Project MeasChange (since 2022) DFG Project Relative measurement and the DP Border (2018-2022) Collaborative Research Center SFB 732, Project B6 (2003-2008) Research Interests: Proportional measurement in linguistic structures Event decomposition and aspectuality Diachronic developments in verbal predication
Daniela Sammler is an Adjunct Professor at Goethe University Frankfurt and Research Group Leader of the Neurocognition of Music and Language research group at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt/Main. She has established herself as a leading researcher at the intersection of music cognition, language processing, and neuroscience, with a particular focus on prosody, syntax, and the neural mechanisms underlying both speech and musical processing. Education 2025: Adjunct Professor, Goethe University Frankfurt/M. 2022: Venia Legendi, Goethe University Frankfurt/M. 2018: Habilitation and Venia Legendi, University of Leipzig (Topic: Intonation in speech and music) 2004-2008: Dr. rer. nat. in Psychology, University of Leipzig and MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig (Topic: Syntax in language and music) 1997-2004: Psychology studies at University of Leipzig and Université Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg (Diploma from Leipzig) Research Interests Daniela Sammler's research focuses on the neurocognitive foundations of music and language processing , with particular emphasis on how prosody, melody, and syntax are represented and processed in the brain. Her work explores the common neural mechanisms underlying speech and music, investigating how the brain processes intonation patterns in both domains. She has made significant contributions to understanding the dorsal and ventral pathways for prosody and the neuroanatomical overlap of syntax processing in music and language. Her research employs a variety of methodologies including fMRI, EEG, intracranial ERP studies, and behavioral experiments with both healthy participants and patient populations. She has conducted groundbreaking work on amusia and language disorders , prosodic structure building , and the neural bases of musical joint action . Analysis of her recent publications reveals a growing focus on interpersonal musical interaction, interbrain synchrony, and the cognitive mechanisms underlying collaborative music-making. Scientific Awards Gold Medal for outstanding achievements in the preservation of historic monuments in Europe (2012) Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society (2010) Otto Hahn Award of the Max Planck Society (2010) Poster Award, Organization of Human Brain Mapping (2010) Research Leadership and Grants Since 2020, Dr. Sammler has led the Neurocognition of Music and Language research group at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics. Prior to this, she headed the Otto Hahn Group Neural Bases of Intonation in Speech and Music at the MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences from 2013-2020, which was funded through her Otto Hahn Award. Her research has been supported by prestigious grants from the Max Planck Society and other funding bodies, enabling her to establish cutting-edge research programs at the intersection of music, language, and neuroscience. She currently leads multiple research projects including "Neural Networks for Real-Time Joint Music Performance: Piano duos in the MR-scanner" and "Cognitive drivers of interbrain synchrony during musical interaction," which investigate the complex cognitive and neural processes underlying musical collaboration. Her research group has also explored how vocal tone carries information about emotional state and speaker intention through prosody. Research Environment Dr. Sammler's research group operates within the Department of Music at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt. Her lab employs state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques including fMRI, EEG, and intracranial recordings to investigate the neural substrates of music and language processing. The research environment fosters interdisciplinary collaboration between neuroscientists, linguists, musicologists, and cognitive scientists, creating a rich intellectual space for exploring the complex relationships between music and language.
Professor Kriszta Eszter Szendröi is a distinguished academic at the University of Vienna, where she serves as Professor of Theoretical and Experimental Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics within the Faculty of Philology and Cultural Studies. Her extensive teaching portfolio includes courses on morphology, syntax, Yiddish language, and information structure across multiple semesters including upcoming 2025W and 2025S terms. Professor Szendröi's primary research interests span theoretical and experimental linguistics with a specialized focus on Yiddish linguistics. Her groundbreaking work documents significant grammatical changes in Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish (CHY), including the complete loss of morphological gender and case marking across global Hasidic communities. She has conducted extensive fieldwork resulting in over 100 hours of recordings with speakers from Israel, New York, Montreal and London, examining both theoretical linguistic analysis and sociolinguistic context. Her scholarly output reveals a consistent focus on the syntax-prosody interface, particularly regarding focus movement and its acquisition across languages. Szendröi has pioneered research on CHY as a distinct linguistic variety, examining innovations in its pronominal system and the Hebrew/Aramaic component within the language. Her work also extends to community engagement, notably translating critical health information during the COVID-19 pandemic for Hasidic communities worldwide. Professor Szendröi has secured significant research funding through an AHRC-funded project on Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish conducted with Lily Kahn. The project involved international collaboration and extensive fieldwork across multiple countries, resulting in numerous publications in top linguistics journals and edited volumes. She has mentored doctoral students including Riccardo Pulicani (on quantifier raising and information structure) and Cecile Larralde (on focus effects on negation-disjunction interactions). Her collaborative research network spans international institutions, working with scholars from the University of Edinburgh, University of Potsdam, and others on language acquisition studies involving children in Hasidic communities. Professor Szendröi leads the YUNG YiDiSH WIEN initiative, a dedicated space for Yiddish language and culture in Vienna that serves both the academic community and local Yiddish-speaking Orthodox populations. Her research team has made significant contributions to documenting and analyzing Contemporary Hasidic Yiddish as a living, evolving language variety, establishing it as a distinct linguistic phenomenon worthy of scholarly attention.
Nadav Asraf is a Lecturer in Classics at Harvard University, holding office hours Wednesday and Friday 10:30–11:45 a.m. in Boylston 206. His primary affiliation is with the Department of Classics within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He holds a BA in Classics from the Hebrew University (2012) and a PhD in Classical Philology from Harvard University (2023). His doctoral dissertation focused on The Middle Category in the Aorist Tense in the Homeric Epics—A Study of Form vs. Function . Research interests span structural and functional linguistics of Ancient Greek and Latin, Indo-European linguistics, textual transmission studies, post-classical Greek language evolution, late Latin and Romance language emergence, metrics/prosody, classical reception by Hebrew speakers, language pedagogy, and the history of classical education. His work emphasizes syntactic-morphology interfaces and diachronic linguistic analysis. Recent publications (2021–2023) focus on syntactic-morphology interactions in Ancient Greek, including aorist tense analysis, noun incorporation mechanisms, and morpheme syntactic properties. These contributions advance understanding of Ancient Greek linguistic structures and their theoretical implications. No academic awards or grants are explicitly listed in the provided materials. His professional activities include teaching and research supervision in classical philology and historical linguistics.
Andrew Weir is a Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Language and Literature (ISL). He holds positions in the Faculty of Humanities and serves on NTNU's Language Policy Committee and the MLSPRÅK teacher training committee. His academic journey includes an MA in Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh (2008), an MA in Syntax from University College London (2009), and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst (2014). Before NTNU, he was a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University's English department. Weir specializes in generative syntax and semantics, focusing on ellipsis (particularly clausal ellipsis) and interfaces between syntax, semantics, and phonology. He studies register variation in 'reduced written registers' (diaries, text messages) and dialectal features of Scottish English. As co-leader of the ForMAAL research group, he explores formal, mental, and acquisition-based approaches to language. His teaching spans theoretical linguistics courses including syntax, semantics, and linguistic theories. Weir's research emphasizes syntax-semantics interactions, dialectal syntax, and the role of prosody in ellipsis. He has supervised numerous student theses and actively participates in academic outreach, including lectures on Scots language history and generative syntax methodologies.
Emily Elfner is Associate Professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics at York University, specializing in phonological interfaces. Education includes: PhD, University of Massachusetts Amherst MA, University of Calgary BA, University of Calgary Research investigates prosodic structures in endangered languages, particularly Kwak'wala phonology and Irish syntax-prosody interactions. SSHRC-funded fieldwork documents Kwak'wala intonation patterns. Publications demonstrate consistent focus on prosodic systems across diverse languages including Breton, Irish, Inuktitut, and Tlingit. Recent works examine word-order constraints, morphological-prosodic mappings, and recursive phonological structures.
Dr. Katharina Haude is a Chargée de Recherche HDR (Research Fellow) at the Laboratoire Structure et Dynamique des Langues (SeDyL - CNRS UMR8202) in Villejuif, France, and maintains an active affiliation with the Department of Linguistics at the University of Cologne, Germany. Her research focuses on the documentation and theoretical analysis of endangered languages, particularly the Movima language isolate spoken in Bolivia. Her academic background includes: Habilitation (HDR) from Université de Paris (2020) PhD in Linguistics from Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (2006) Magister Artium (MA) in Linguistics from the University of Cologne (2001) Dr. Haude's research centers on syntax and information structure in under-documented languages, with Movima serving as her primary case study. Her work examines alignment systems, voice constructions, nominal tense, and clause structure, revealing how syntactic phenomena interact with discourse-pragmatic factors. She has made significant contributions to understanding inverse systems, ergativity patterns, and referential hierarchies across language families, particularly through her co-edited volumes on information structure and alignment. Her methodological approach combines rigorous fieldwork with cross-linguistic typological analysis, often focusing on how lesser-described languages challenge established theoretical frameworks. As a member of SeDyL laboratory, she contributes to collaborative projects documenting linguistic diversity, including the DoBeS archive of Movima multimedia documentation (2006-2012). Her editorial work includes special issues on information structure in lesser-described languages (2018) and referential hierarchies (2016), advancing methodological approaches for studying prosody-syntax interfaces in endangered languages. She has developed pedagogical materials for the Movima community, including grammars, dictionaries, and orthographic guides, demonstrating commitment to both theoretical linguistics and language preservation.
Sophia A. Malamud is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Brandeis University, where she directs the Meaning In Language Research Group (MILa) and is affiliated with the Language & Linguistics Program. Her research specializes in theoretical linguistics with a focus on formal semantics, formal pragmatics, discourse-syntax interactions, and semantics-pragmatics interface. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Linguistics with a dissertation on Semantics and pragmatics of arbitrariness and an M.A. in Mathematics exploring statistical decision theory in Entropy as relevance: maximizing entropy and minimizing loss . Malamud's research investigates discourse coherence, word order variations, indexicality, semantics of impersonals/plurals, speech acts, and utterance modifiers. She leads NSF-funded projects creating annotated corpora of spoken Russian (including the BiRCh Corpus), examining bilingual acquisition and heritage language phenomena. Her work employs corpus linguistics, experimental methods, and formal modeling. Her publications demonstrate consistent focus on pragmatic computation models, conversational dynamics, and cross-linguistic semantics, with frequent examination of Russian, Mandarin, and Greek data. Key themes include commitment avoidance strategies, conversational scoreboard modeling, and formal analyses of particles/pronouns. Awards include: NSF Grant BCS-1651083 for BiRCh Corpus development Mandel Foundation Faculty Grant for heritage language research Theodore and Jane Norman Award (2018) Multiple Brandeis Provost Research Grants Malamud has advised 8+ graduate/undergraduate theses on topics including heritage Russian pragmatics, utterance particles, reduplication, and distributivity. She collaborates internationally on corpus projects and directs research teams at Brandeis' Laboratory for Linguistics and Computation.
Ayaka Sugawara serves as Associate Professor at Waseda University's Faculty of Science and Engineering, School of Creative Science and Engineering, with concurrent affiliation at the Global Education Center and Waseda Research Institute for Science and Engineering (2024-2026). Her academic journey includes positions at Mie University (2015-2019) and multiple research appointments. BA (2008) and MA (2010) from The University of Tokyo PhD in Linguistics (2016) from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dr. Sugawara's research spans formal semantics, pragmatics, and language acquisition with specific focus on quantifier scope interpretation , focus particles , Japanese dialectology , and second language processing . Her experimental work combines cross-linguistic comparison (Japanese/English/German/Persian), neuroimaging techniques (MEG/EEG), and computational approaches to vocabulary assessment. Current investigations examine early English education's impact on first language acquisition and non-literal language processing. Her publication trends reveal consistent interdisciplinary work bridging theoretical linguistics with educational applications, particularly in automated language assessment tools and experimental validation of semantic theories across developmental stages. Recent work demonstrates increasing collaboration with computational linguists and educational technologists. Dr. Sugawara actively contributes to the academic community through: Standing Committee membership in The Linguistics Society of Japan (2021-present) Professional affiliations with Linguistic Society of America and The Japanese Society for Language Studies Her research projects include multiple Japan Society for the Promotion of Science grants examining: Early English education effects on L1 acquisition (2021-2024) Question-under-Discussion mechanisms in ambiguous sentences (2019-2021) Cross-linguistic 'only' comprehension studies (2016-2018) Current internal projects investigate non-literal language processing and pragmatics in L1/L2 acquisition contexts.
Dr. Marieke Einfeldt is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Konstanz's Department of Linguistics, focusing on the phonology-phonetics interface. Her work investigates topics such as trilingual first language acquisition (Standard German, Swiss German, and Italian), prosodic features of rhetorical questions, and bilingual language development. She is affiliated with Prof. Dr. Nicole Dehé's research group and previously contributed to Project 6 of the Questions at the Interfaces research unit, examining prosody in rhetorical questions. Her research spans phonological development in multilingual children, the interplay of discourse markers and prosody, and methodological advancements in psycholinguistic experiments using Active Learning systems. She holds a dissertation on trilingual consonant inventory acquisition, supervised by Prof. Dr. Tanja Kupisch, Dr. Mechtild Tronnier, and Prof. Dr. Bettina Braun. Key research interests include bilingualism, prosody, language acquisition, and sociolinguistics. Her studies address topics like tonal transfer effects in L2 learning, geminate production in heritage speakers, and cross-linguistic comparisons of speech styles. She is based in Office G223 at the University of Konstanz.
Dr. Claudia Wegener is a Researcher at the Department of Linguistics, University of Cologne, specializing in General Linguistics. Her work focuses on language documentation, speech-gesture interaction, and Papuan/Austronesian languages like Savosavo and Gela. She holds a PhD from Radboud University Nijmegen (2008) and has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Solomon Islands and Malaysia. Previous Positions: Research Assistant, University of Cologne (2017–present) Postdoctoral Researcher at MPI for Psycholinguistics, Radboud University (2002–2011) DoBeS Project Leader for Savosavo documentation Research Interests Her research spans: Socio-linguistic aspects of gesture systems Morphosyntactic typology of Papuan languages Lexical semantics and kinship terminology Documentation methodologies for endangered languages Publications Her work includes a landmark grammar of Savosavo (2012), co-edited volumes on language documentation (2011), and influential articles on gesture studies (2022) and motion event encoding (2022). Projects Leading the Savosavo-Gela Documentation Project (DoBeS-funded) Contributions to MPI's Endangered Languages Documentation Archive Collaborations with Australian National University and University of Manchester Her research bridges linguistic theory with applied documentation, emphasizing community-driven preservation strategies.
Sunil Bhatt is an Associate Professor of Teaching specializing in Hindi-Urdu language instruction within the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. With a background in Comparative Linguistics and experience teaching South Asian languages across multiple continents, he brings a unique perspective to language education. His research focuses on linguistics, particularly Hindi-Urdu language teaching, sociolinguistics, and language acquisition. He has published extensively on topics including honorifics in Hindi, bilingual situations in India, and the integration of Bollywood culture in language instruction. His work demonstrates a commitment to understanding the complex sociopolitical dimensions of language teaching in South Asian contexts. Bhatt's recent publications reveal a consistent focus on pedagogical approaches to Hindi-Urdu instruction, with emphasis on heritage learners, pandemic-era teaching adaptations, and the relationship between language and cultural identity. His research spans theoretical linguistics, applied language teaching, and sociolinguistic analysis of language communities. As an educator, he teaches foundational and advanced courses including Introductory Hindi-Urdu, Sufi and Bhakti Devotional Literatures, and Introduction to Hindi Film, demonstrating his integration of language instruction with cultural studies. His scholarly contributions extend beyond traditional publications to include textbooks, edited volumes, and digital learning resources that have significantly impacted Hindi-Urdu language pedagogy internationally.
Jeffrey Heath is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Michigan, with a dry-line appointment in Near Eastern Studies. His research focuses on language documentation, historical linguistics, morphology, and the study of African languages. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Mali, Morocco, Australia, and other regions, particularly on Dogon, Songhay, and Berber languages. Heath holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago (1976) and a B.A. from Harvard University (1971). His work includes over 20 books and numerous articles on linguistic typology, language contact, and morphological evolution. He has received significant grants from the National Science Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, and Fulbright Program. His research emphasizes functional morphosyntax and the role of prosody in linguistic systems. Education: Ph.D. (University of Chicago, 1976), M.A. (1973), A.B. (Harvard, 1971) Affiliations: Department of Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies (UMich) Key Projects: Dogon Language Documentation Project, Tamashek (Tuareg) studies, Songhay grammar series Heath’s research interests span morphology, tonosyntax, and the historical development of African languages. His fieldwork in Mali has produced detailed grammars of Dogon languages, while his work on Moroccan Arabic explores language contact and borrowing. He has also contributed to the documentation of Songhay and Gur languages in West Africa. Grants and awards highlight his commitment to endangered language preservation, including NEH and NSF funding for Dogon and Songhay projects. His contributions to linguistic typology and historical morphology have influenced debates on morpheme renewal and syntactic change.
Dr. Angeliek van Hout is a faculty member at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Arts, where she leads the Acquisition Lab within the Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG). Her academic profile centers on experimental research into first language acquisition in typically developing monolingual children, employing a crosslinguistic perspective to investigate fundamental aspects of language development. Her research expertise spans multiple interconnected domains of linguistic development: Temporal reference (tense and aspect, telicity, event culmination) Nominal reference (definiteness, quantification) Syntactic structures (questions, passives, pronouns) Pragmatic reasoning (scalar implicatures, theory of mind) Dr. van Hout's methodological approach integrates formal linguistic theory with empirical experimentation, examining how children acquire complex linguistic structures across different languages. Her recent work demonstrates particular focus on logical operators and their interpretation in child language, with extensive crosslinguistic comparisons examining how children process disjunction under negation in Dutch, French, Hungarian, and Italian. She investigates the cognitive mechanisms underlying these linguistic phenomena, bridging theoretical linguistics with cognitive science. Her publication record shows consistent productivity with 89 research outputs including 25 articles, 23 conference contributions, and 20 book chapters. Notable recent publications include work on prosodic disambiguation in Dutch, free choice interpretation in French children, and crosslinguistic patterns in quantifier acquisition. Dr. van Hout actively contributes to the academic community through: Supervision of PhD students (4 supervised works documented) Editorial work including the TABU Festschrift for Jack Hoeksema Organizing academic events such as "Novel Semantic Research in Theory, Processing and L1 Acquisition" Presenting research at international conferences including the Boston University Conference on Language Development Her research has practical applications in understanding typical language development trajectories, which she communicates to broader audiences through public engagement activities. She has presented on language development in twins at multiple public events and participated in the NEMO Science Live initiative from 2016-2018, demonstrating commitment to knowledge transfer beyond academic circles. As leader of the Acquisition Lab, Dr. van Hout directs research examining how children develop linguistic competence across various domains, with particular attention to the interface between syntax, semantics, and pragmatics in early language development.
