Paul Rössler

Paul Rössler is Professor of German Linguistics at the University of Regensburg's Institute of German Studies within the Faculty of Languages, Literature and Cultural Studies. He has chaired the Department of German Linguistics since 2011 after serving as visiting professor (2009-2011) and holding academic positions at the University of Vienna, Janus Pannonius University in Pécs, and Charles University in Prague.

• PhD (1997) and Habilitation (2005) from University of Vienna
• FWF research projects on Austrian German written language development (1998-2001, 2002-2005)
• Numerous international research stays including MIT (2022), Tokyo (2017), and Bristol (2015)

Rössler's research centers on historical aspects of German language structure with particular emphasis on grapholinguistics and punctuation systems. His work examines orthographic variation, standardization processes, and language change from the Early New High German period through contemporary usage. He investigates how writing systems reflect social, regional, and confessional identities while maintaining interest in morphological and syntactic developments across historical periods.

His recent publications reveal consistent focus on diachronic punctuation studies, with particular attention to the 18th century as a critical period for orthographic standardization. The research demonstrates how typographic elements like the virgule evolved into modern comma usage, reflecting broader processes of linguistic codification and variation. His work bridges historical linguistics with sociolinguistic perspectives on language norms.

Rössler actively supervises doctoral and master's students across diverse linguistic topics while teaching courses on historical linguistics, punctuation, and language variation. He leads the 'punctuation network' research consortium and participates in the FoMuR (Multilingualism and Regionality) forum.