Gabriele Knappe

Prof. Dr. Gabriele Knappe has been Professor of English Linguistics and Medieval Studies at the Chair of English Linguistics including Language History, University of Bamberg, since 2008. Within the Faculty of Humanities and Cultural Studies she teaches and researches across synchronic and diachronic English linguistics, medieval English language and literature, and the history of English language scholarship.

Education & Habilitation

• 1988: Magister Artium, University of Munich
• 1989: First State Examination for Teaching at Grammar Schools, Munich
• 1994: PhD, University of Munich (LMU); dissertation Traditionen der klassischen Rhetorik im angelsächsischen England published 1996
• 2003: Habilitation, University of Bamberg; thesis Idioms and Fixed Expressions in English Language Study before 1800 published 2004

Research Interests

Prof. Knappe’s scholarship integrates historical linguistics with medieval studies. Core areas include:

• Historical English phraseology & lexicology, especially development of idioms and fixed expressions
• Linguistic medievalism: contemporary reception and didactic use of Old and Middle English
• Antilexicalization phenomena (folk etymology, back-formation) as drivers of language change
• History of English language scholarship before 1800: proverb collections, style handbooks, early lexicography, universal language schemes, shorthand, and grammar writing
• Rhetoric and grammar in Anglo-Saxon England, exploring how classical rhetorical traditions were adapted in Old English texts
• Integration of historical linguistics into teacher education, fostering awareness of language change and variation in schools

Recent Research Trends

Over the past decade her publications and conference presentations have increasingly focused on construction grammar approaches to historical phraseology, tracing the NPN (noun-preposition-noun) pattern from Old English to Present-day English. Simultaneously, she has advanced pedagogical linguistic medievalism, examining how Old English is employed in modern television series and developing classroom strategies that bridge medieval and contemporary language awareness.

Conferences & Academic Service

• Organizer, English Linguistics and Medieval Studies: Positions and Perspectives (Bamberg, 2004)
• Initiator and coordinator of annual study excursions to Oxford and London for cohorts of Bamberg students (2010, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2025)
• Erasmus Departmental Coordinator, Faculty of Humanities, University of Bamberg (2007/08)
• Member, University Senate (Konvent) and Conflict Commission (since 2018, deputy chair since 2022)
• Former assistant editor, Dialectologia et Geolinguistica (1993-2000, 2002-2003)

Teaching & Student Engagement

Prof. Knappe teaches comprehensive courses on Old, Middle and Early Modern English language and literature, historical linguistics, etymology, lexicography, and English dialects. She mentors students through international excursions, medieval choir performances, and Middle English theatre productions, fostering immersive learning experiences that combine linguistic analysis with cultural history.