Stian Hårstad

Stian Hårstad is a Professor of Scandinavian Linguistics at the Department of Language and Literature, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). His research focuses on sociolinguistics, language didactics, language history, and digital writing practices. He holds a Cand.Philol. (2004) and PhD in Linguistics (2010) from NTNU, with his doctoral work examining youth speech variation in Trondheim. Previously, he served as an Associate Professor at Sør-Trøndelag University College (2010–2015) and as a visiting scholar at the University of Bern’s Center for the Study of Language and Society (2019).

Key research projects include investigations into Norwegian Jewish language history (funded by Fritt Ord), grammatical gender variation (GenVAC project), and multilectal literacy in education (MultiLit). He contributes to research groups like Language Ecologies – Norwegian Language(s) in Time and Space and Linguistic Diversity in School and Society. His work bridges historical linguistics, sociolinguistic theory, and language education, addressing topics like minority language dynamics, language policy, and media representation.

Publications span academic articles in journals like Sociolinguistica and European Journal of Scandinavian Studies, as well as textbooks such as Blikk for språk (Cappelen Damm Akademisk) and edited volumes like Language Variation - European Perspectives V (John Benjamins). His recent work explores language shift among Norwegian Jews and the historical representation of Sami language use in Norwegian media.

Teaching responsibilities include courses on sociolinguistics, dialectology, and language variation. He actively engages in public outreach through radio programs (NRK P2 Språksnakk) and lectures on topics ranging from Yiddish in Norway to digital writing practices.