Karin Birkner

Prof. Dr. Karin Birkner is a full Professor of German Linguistics at the University of Bayreuth, where she holds the Chair of German Linguistics within the Faculty of Linguistics and Literature. Since October 2018, she has served as Deputy University Women's Representative and as Contact Person for Protection against Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence. Since January 1, 2024, she has been President of the Society for Applied Linguistics (GAL eV), one of the largest linguistic societies in the German-speaking world with over 800 members. Her office is located in Room 0.30, GW I at Universitätsstraße 30, 95440 Bayreuth, with office hours on Tuesdays from 2-3 PM during the 2024/2025 winter semester.

Prof. Birkner's research spans multiple areas of linguistics with a particular focus on conversation analysis, medical communication, intercultural communication, grammar of spoken language, and construction grammar. Her work examines linguistic practices in institutional settings, particularly in medical contexts where she investigates doctor-patient interactions, neurological examinations in telemedicine, and the construction of medical knowledge. She has established significant research networks including the Medical Communication Working Group and the Transdisciplinary Research Network "Video Analysis of Religious Practice." Her research on language work with refugees demonstrates her commitment to addressing contemporary social issues through linguistic analysis.

Prof. Birkner's publication record shows a consistent trajectory of high-impact research in conversation analysis and medical communication, with increasing focus on telemedicine applications in recent years. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications in healthcare settings, demonstrating how linguistic analysis can improve medical communication practices. She has made significant contributions to understanding narrative structures in medical contexts, epistemic markers in therapy conversations, and the grammatical organization of spoken language across different contexts.

Prof. Birkner actively supervises doctoral students and habilitation candidates, as indicated by the "Promotions" and "Habilitations" sections on her departmental website. She has secured research funding for multiple projects, most notably the DFG Project "Krankheitstheorien" (Subjective Theories of Illness in Conversation) which ran from October 2006 to March 2008. Her leadership extends to the Research Focus on Refugees (GAL eV), demonstrating her commitment to addressing migration-related linguistic challenges.

She leads the Medical Communication Working Group and participates in the Transdisciplinary Research Network "Video Analysis of Religious Practice," creating collaborative spaces for interdisciplinary research that bridges linguistic analysis with medical practice, religious studies, and migration research. Her work with the German-Ukrainian German Studies Network further demonstrates her commitment to international academic collaboration.