Abhimanyu Sharma

Dr. Abhimanyu Sharma is a Teaching Associate in German Linguistics at the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics, University of Cambridge. His academic work focuses on language policy, critical discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics. He serves as the Communications Secretary of BAAL's Language Policy Special Interest Group and founded the Cambridge Sociolinguistics Circle to promote sociolinguistic research at Cambridge.

Dr. Sharma's educational background includes:

• PhD in Linguistics from the University of Cambridge (2019), with thesis on language policies of the EU and India
• MA in German Linguistics from the University of Bern
• Double degree MA from Bremen and Palermo in Medieval German Literature

Dr. Sharma's research centers on language policy with particular focus on power dynamics, critical discourse analysis, and language in social contexts. His work examines policies across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Luxembourg, the EU, and India, with significant contributions to understanding how language policies impact minority communities, migrants, and deaf populations. He employs Historical Structural Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis to investigate sociopolitical factors shaping language legislation.

His publications reveal a consistent comparative approach to language policy analysis across multiple continents, examining how policies address linguistic minority needs in education, healthcare, legal systems, and media. A notable pattern is his examination of shifts in language policy texts through modal verbs (from 'may' to 'shall'), reflecting changing sociopolitical contexts.

• Monograph: 'Reconceptualising Power in Language Policy. Evidence from Comparative Cases' (Springer, 2022)
• Established Malati Sharma Memorial Award (2019) for PhD students

As an educator, Dr. Sharma teaches Introduction to German Studies, German Linguistics modules, and translation courses. His teaching integrates sociolinguistic theory with practical language instruction, particularly regarding German language education during the pandemic.

Dr. Sharma leads the Cambridge Sociolinguistics Circle and delivered the Kapuscinski Development Lecture on 'Language Policy, Development and Inclusion' at Maqsut Narikbayev University in April 2025.