Lars Behnke

Lars Behnke serves as a Teaching Associate Professor at the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies (Engerom) within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen. His academic base is at Emil Holms Kanal 6, Copenhagen S. His professional focus spans both theoretical linguistics and practical German language instruction across all proficiency levels.

His research centers on linguistic dynamics, particularly language change over time and space, and adaptations during language acquisition. With initial training in Slavic languages (Polish and Russian), he maintains a contrastive perspective—especially regarding Danish-German linguistic relationships—in his German language teaching methodology. His pedagogical philosophy emphasizes functional, communicative approaches to demystify German's perceived difficulty for learners.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals concentrated exploration of language contact phenomena in European border zones (particularly German-Polish interfaces), morphosyntactic innovations, and academic literacy frameworks. His work bridges corpus linguistics with practical language teaching, examining tensions between linguistic authenticity and learnability in German-as-foreign-language materials. Current projects address multilingual communicative competence and language policy implementation within Danish higher education.

Professional development includes significant involvement in the NCFF-project 'Academic Literacy i et brobygningsperspektiv' and co-organization of conferences like 'Danish and German as European neighbour languages' (2021). His teaching methodology integrates linguistic theory with practical application, focusing on enabling learner competence through accessible communicative strategies.