Lena Sowada

Lena Sowada, a researcher at the Department of Romance Studies of the University of Heidelberg, focuses on historical sociolinguistics, language contact, and writing practices in multilingual contexts. Since 2022, she has been a member of the Junge Akademie of the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften.

• PhD (2019) in cotutelle between Heidelberg University and Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3
• BA in Spanish and French Linguistics

Her research explores

• French language history (19th-20th centuries)
• Writing practices of less-experienced scribes
• Language contact in bilingual spaces (e.g., Alsace-Lorraine, Balearic Islands)

Recent projects examine multilingualism and WWII correspondence.

Her publications analyze

• Ego-documents from WWI
• Discursive traditions in private texts
• Orthographic challenges in historical writing

She coordinates Erasmus programs for Spain and serves on the university's research commission.