Amel Khalfaoui

Amel Khalfaoui is an Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Linguistics at the University of Oklahoma, with a joint appointment in the Department of International and Area Studies and the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. She serves as Middle East Studies Academic Coordinator and holds a PhD in Linguistics with a minor in Cognitive Science from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her research focuses on linguistic pragmatics, particularly investigating how linguistic and cognitive factors influence speakers' choices of referring expressions and discourse markers in Tunisian Arabic.

• Education: PhD in Linguistics, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
• Prior Institutions: University of Minnesota, Macalester College, Florida Atlantic University

Her research interests include the interplay between cognitive processes and language structure, with specific attention to Tunisian Arabic's syntactic and semantic features. She explores pragmatic phenomena such as demonstratives, discourse connectives, and attitudinal markers, often employing cross-linguistic and cognitive frameworks.

Her recent publications analyze Tunisian Arabic's linguistic features, including vocatives, demonstratives, and generic expressions. These studies contribute to broader theoretical debates in pragmatics and syntax-semantics interfaces.

Though no formal awards are listed, her academic contributions reflect sustained engagement with Arabic linguistics research and pedagogy.

Her teaching and advising activities are central to her role, though specific student names or grant details are not provided in the text.