Jürgen Spitzmüller is a Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Vienna. His academic work focuses on sociolinguistics, metapragmatics, and language ideologies, with a particular emphasis on discursive practices in digital and institutional contexts. Current role: Deputy Head, Department of Linguistics Teaching: Applied Linguistics, Theory of Science, Yiddish Studies Email: juergen.spitzmueller@univie.ac.at His research explores the intersection of language ideologies, social positioning, and discursive practices. Key areas include typographic variation as a social phenomenon, the role of multimodal elements in communication, and the construction of public spheres in digital contexts. Recent publications highlight trends in analyzing graphic variation, the socio-political implications of text design, and the interplay between language and cultural identity. His work often bridges theoretical frameworks from sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, and media studies. Spitzmüller’s teaching includes courses such as Introduction to Applied Linguistics , Methods of Applied Linguistics , and specialized seminars on Yiddish and language ideologies. He has also contributed to academic discourse through editorial work and collaborative research projects.
Dirk Geeraerts is a full Professor of Linguistics at the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), where he has held a faculty position since 1993. He studied Germanic languages (Dutch and English) and holds a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, earning his PhD in 1981. His academic career includes professorships at the Kortrijk campus of the University of Leuven (1986–1993) and the University of Leiden (1985–1986), as well as foundational research at the Instituut voor Nederlandse Lexicologie (1977–1985). Research Focus : Geeraerts specializes in lexical semantics , lexicology , and cognitive linguistics , particularly examining social variation , diachronic change , and empirical semantic methods . His work bridges theoretical and applied lexicography, notably through his editorial role in the Van Dale Groot woordenboek van de Nederlandse taal (1995–2005). Scientific Contributions : Founded the international journal Cognitive Linguistics Co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Cognitive Linguistics Managing editor of the Cognitive Linguistics Research monograph series Honors and Awards : 1978: L.K. Engels Award 1992: Flemish Government Award for Wat er in een woord zit 2003: Member of the Royal Academy for Dutch Language and Literature (KANTL) 2020: Matthias de Vries Medal for Dutch lexicology contributions Labs and Teams : Established the Quantitative Lexicology and Variational Linguistics (QLVL) research group at the University of Leuven, advancing empirical approaches to lexical and semantic studies.
Stefan-Michael Newerkla is a University Professor of West Slavic Linguistics at the Department of Slavonic Studies, Faculty of Philology and Cultural Studies, University of Vienna. He has served as Head of the Institute of Slavic Studies since 2022, following previous leadership roles as Deputy Head (2018-2022) and Head (2005-2008). His academic leadership extends to significant positions including Member of the Academy Council of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (2022-2026), Member of the International Board of Palacký University Olomouc (2022-2026), and Member of the Scientific Council of the Czech Academy of Sciences (since 2013). Professor Newerkla earned his doctorate in 1998 with a dissertation on "Intended and actual linguistic reality in Bohemia. Diglossia in the school system of the Czech-speaking countries of the Habsburg Monarchy 1740–1918 using the example of the West Bohemian district town of Plzeň (Pilsen)" and completed his habilitation in 2003 on "Language Contacts Czech – German – Slovak. German Loanwords in Czech and Slovak: Historical Development, Evidence, Previous and New Interpretations." His academic journey began with studies in Slavic Studies, English Studies, and American Studies at the University of Vienna from 1992-1998. His research focuses on West Slavic linguistics with particular emphasis on contact linguistics, areal linguistics, linguistic geography, and historical sociolinguistics. He investigates the development of linguistic contacts between German, Hungarian and Slavic languages, examining Central Europe as a linguistic area with special attention to Austriazisms and Internationalisms research. His work also explores the school system and language teaching in the Habsburg Monarchy, analyzing language legislation versus language reality and diglossia or polyglossia in the educational system. Additional research interests include the National Renewal in the Bohemian Lands, Vienna's role in the Czech National Renewal, the Slovak national awareness process, and the grammatology and grammarography of West Slavic languages. Analysis of his recent publications (2023-2025) reveals a continued focus on historical language contact in Central Europe, particularly examining multilingualism in the Habsburg Monarchy and linguistic heritage. His work increasingly incorporates interdisciplinary approaches, connecting linguistic analysis with historical, educational, and cultural studies perspectives. Recent publications show particular attention to Czech language in Austria, language teaching methodologies, and the reconstruction of historical language contact phenomena, with several multilingual publications reflecting his expertise in cross-cultural communication. Professor Newerkla's scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards: Medal of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (August 7, 2024) for Services to Diplomacy Premia Bohemica for 2023 for outstanding contribution to promoting Czech literature abroad Josef-Dobrovský-Ehrenmedaille of the Czech Academy of Sciences (April 25, 2017) Full member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (since 2018) Corresponding Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (since 2014) Member of the Academic Assembly of the Czech Academy of Sciences (since 2010) Award from University of Vienna for Innovative Teaching (June 22, 2001) As an academic leader, Professor Newerkla has supervised numerous theses across various levels of study. His research is supported by significant grants, most notably his role since 2016 as consortium member and board member of the Special Research Programme "German in Austria. Variation – Contact – Perception" (SFB F 60-G23), where he heads Task Cluster C and subprojects 05 and 06. He also led the research project "Slavists in Exchange: Austria and Russia 1849-1939" (2021-2025). His administrative roles have included Chairman of the Curricular Commission of the Senate of the University of Vienna (2010-2016) and Member of the Senate of the University of Vienna (2009-2016). Professor Newerkla is actively involved in multiple international research teams and collaborations, including the Permanent Conference of Austrian and Czech Historians on Common Cultural Heritage (SKÖTH), which he has co-chaired since 2009. His research group at the University of Vienna's Institute of Slavic Studies focuses on West Slavic linguistics, with particular expertise in historical language contact phenomena and the linguistic heritage of Slavic languages in Central Europe. He has also served as editor for numerous publications including the Vienna Slavic Yearbook (New Series) since 2013.
Arne Ziegler is a full Professor at the Institute of German Studies within the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Graz, Austria. His academic career spans over two decades, with current leadership of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)-supported Special Research Programme 'German in Austria' (DiÖ), running from 2016 to 2026. He maintains active roles in international academic governance and editorial boards. Professor Ziegler's research centers on grammatical variation in Standard German , with particular emphasis on Austrian German dialects, urban sociolinguistics, and youth language phenomena. His work bridges theoretical linguistics and practical applications, examining how regional, social, and historical factors shape language structures. Key contributions include the development of the 'Variant Grammar of Standard German' – a comprehensive digital reference work documenting areal grammatical differences across German-speaking regions. Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent focus on urban language dynamics, grammatical variation patterns, and reference grammar development. His work demonstrates methodological innovation through quantitative analysis of spoken interaction, spatial distribution mapping of linguistic features, and interdisciplinary approaches combining sociolinguistics with historical text analysis. The 'German in Austria' project represents the cornerstone of his current research, investigating language variation, contact phenomena, and speaker perception across Austria. Professor Ziegler has secured significant competitive funding including three major FWF projects: 'German in Austria' (2016-2026), 'Youth language(s) in Austria' (2013-2016), and 'Variant Grammar of Standard German' (2015-2018). These initiatives involve extensive collaboration with researchers across German-speaking countries and support large-scale empirical investigations into contemporary language use. He holds prominent leadership positions including Chair of the International Association for German Studies (IVG) since 2000, Chair of the Society for German Language History since 2008, and editorial roles for 'Technical language' (International Advisory Board) and 'Contingentia' (Editorial Board). His academic service extends to co-editing six major book series including 'Writings on the German Language in Austria' (Peter Lang) and 'Lingua Historica Germanica' (de Gruyter), significantly shaping publication venues for German linguistic research.
Stefano Quaglia is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Romance Studies , University of Graz. His research focuses on syntax and its interfaces with morphology and semantics , using Italian as a comparative framework within and beyond Romance languages. Email: stefano.quaglia@uni-graz.at Office: Room 003303056, Merangasse 70/III, Graz, Austria Consultation Hours: Wednesday, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Research interests include: Spatial expressions and functional sentence structure Long-distance dependencies Language contact phenomena Particle verbs and clausal organization Wh-movement and information structure Cross-linguistic syntactic analysis Recent publications highlight empirical and theoretical work on verbal theme vowels , Slavic prefix ordering , and L3 transfer dynamics . His studies integrate synchronic analysis with diachronic and contact linguistics frameworks. Articles demonstrate trends in: Syntax-morphology interfaces : Allomorphy, prefix stacking, particle systems Comparative Romance-Slavic analysis : Extraction patterns, convergence phenomena Language acquisition : CLI effects in bilingual/multilingual contexts Prosodic constraints : Stress and phrasing in particle verbs Information structure : Wh-questions in Romance
Dalina Kallulli is an Associate Professor at the University of Vienna , Department of Linguistics. Since 2012, she has been a leading figure in theoretical and comparative syntax, with a focus on Albanian and Balkan languages . Her work bridges syntax, semantics, and morphology, emphasizing interfaces and universals. Education: PhD in Theoretical Linguistics (University of Durham, 1999), Cand.Philol. in General Linguistics (University of Trondheim, 1995), MA in English (University of Tirana, 1991) Research Interests include grammar theory , comparative syntax , syntax-semantics interfaces , and language cognition . Her publications explore clitic doubling, voice systems, and cross-linguistic morphological phenomena. Notable fellowships include the Hertha Firnberg Fellowship (2004-2007) and APART Fellow (2008-2010). Recent Publications highlight diachronic aspects of voice systems, form copy in wh-dependencies, and the role of diminutives in suppressing root projections. She has been a visiting scholar at institutions like the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and New York University. Awards and Invitations: Hertha Firnberg Fellowship (FWF) APART Fellow (Austrian Academy of Sciences) W3 Professor (acting chair) at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Invited talks at major international conferences (GLOW, DGfS, NELS) Teaching encompasses courses in Theory of Grammar , Introductory Linguistics , and seminars on syntactic typology.
Roman Krivko is an Associate Professor at the Department of Slavonic Studies , University of Vienna. His research focuses on Old Church Slavonic , Byzantine hymnography , and historical linguistics of Slavic languages. Specializes in medieval Slavic epigraphy and liturgical text analysis Key contributor to studies on Christian traditions in Slavic contexts Active editor and researcher in international Slavic studies Research Themes include: Quantitative analysis of loanwords in Slavic Gospels Textological studies of service menaia and kontakia Historical development of Old Bulgarian language Linguistic networks in Central/Eastern Europe Scientific Contributions span Editorial work on Slověne journal Notable publications on the Temnić inscription and Samuil's epigraph Collaborations with institutions like Vinogradov Russian Language Institute
Professor Ailbhe Ní Chasaide at Trinity College Dublin is a leading figure in phonetics, with expertise in voice quality, speech production, and Irish language prosody. She established Trinity’s Phonetics & Speech Laboratory and leads a multidisciplinary team focused on speech technology and endangered language preservation. Education PhD Experimental Phonetics, University of Wales, Bangor (1985) MA Linguistics, University of Wales, Bangor (1977) Maîtrise ès Lettres French Literature, Université de Bordeaux (1975) BA French/German, University College Galway (1973) Her research explores how voice quality interacts with prosody to convey emotion and linguistic meaning, alongside pioneering work in documenting and preserving the Irish language through speech technology. Key areas include experimental phonetics, speech acoustics, and Irish dialect intonation. Recent publications highlight affective prosody, cross-language voice quality analysis, and Irish language revitalization. These works span acoustic modeling, synthetic speech applications, and the role of prosody in linguistic identity. Scientific Awards Elected member of the ISCA IAC (2021) Elected to Council of the International Phonetic Association (2019) Government of Ireland Senior Research Fellowship (2003) Fellow Trinity College Dublin (1998) Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship (1987) Senior Research Fellowship, Oxford University (1982) Professor Ní Chasaide mentors a team of postdocs, research assistants, and PhD students. She has co-founded Irish postgraduate programs in phonetics and supervised numerous researchers. Her projects, including ABAIR (€3.85m) and FastNet (€1.12m), focus on speech technology and social interaction studies.
Prof. Artemis Alexiadou is a leading linguist serving as Director of the Leibniz Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS) in Berlin and holds a Professorship in General Linguistics at Humboldt University of Berlin. Previously, she was Vice-Director of ZAS and Professor of English Linguistics at the University of Stuttgart. Her academic roles include Managing Directorships of key linguistic institutes and extensive administrative leadership across German universities. Education: 1999 Habilitation (General Linguistics), University of Potsdam 1994 PhD in Linguistics, University of Potsdam 1991 MA, University of Reading, UK 1990 Diploma in Philology (Linguistics), University of Athens Research focuses on syntax-morphology interfaces, diachronic syntax, and heritage languages. She pioneered studies on clitic phenomena and syntactic variation in Greek dialects. Awards include the prestigious Leibniz Prize (2014) and ERC Synergy Grant (2019). Institutional leadership includes current roles as Managing Director of the Institute of English and American Studies at HU Berlin, DFG Board member for Linguistics, and member of the Berlin Elsa-Neumann Scholarship Committee. She has held over 20 academic governance roles since 1992, including ethics committee memberships and international grant panel participation. Active in scholarly societies: served as GLOW Board Chair (2005-2009), German Linguistic Society Treasurer (2003-2004), and on advisory boards for Nordic research centers. Her work bridges theoretical linguistics with language acquisition studies in multilingual contexts.
Bernd Kortmann is a Full Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Freiburg , Germany. He has held visiting professorships at Portland State University (2000) and served as Substitute Full Professor at Free University of Berlin (1994-1995), with a long-standing career at University of Hannover and Free University of Berlin as Assistant Professor (1985-1994). Currently, he directs the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS) for Humanities and Social Sciences (since 2013) and the Language Teaching Centre (since 2004). He co-edits the book series Topics in English Linguistics and Dialects of English , as well as the journal English Language and Linguistics . Co-editor: Topics in English Linguistics (since 1996) Co-editor: Dialects of English (since 2012) Co-editor: English Language and Linguistics (since 2012) Director: FRIAS Humanities and Social Sciences (2013-present) Director: Language Teaching Centre (2004-present) Research Interests focus on non-standard English varieties, World Englishes, areal typology, language complexity, grammaticalization, and semantic change. His work bridges theoretical and applied linguistics, with a strong emphasis on typological and geographical analysis of English dialects. Publication Trends (2009-2013) highlight cross-linguistic variation, typological universals, and historical evolution. Key themes include areal syntax, morphosyntactic complexity, and the role of geography in shaping linguistic patterns. Honours: Honorary doctorate from University of Eastern Finland (2014) Administrative Roles include Dean of the Philological Faculty (2010-2014), Director of the Master programme in European Linguistics (2004-2014), and Senior Research Fellow at FRIAS (2008-2009).
Ailbhe Ní Chasaide is a Professor of Phonetics at Trinity College Dublin's School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences, where she has held continuous academic positions since 1979, progressing from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer and ultimately Professor in 2003. Her career spans over four decades of research excellence in phonetics with significant international collaborations including appointments at MIT, Haskins Laboratories, Oxford University, and Stockholm University. Professor Ní Chasaide's research focuses on experimental phonetics with particular expertise in voice quality analysis, prosody, and Irish language phonetics. Her work bridges theoretical phonetics with practical applications for Irish language documentation and revitalization. She has made significant contributions to understanding how voice quality interacts with melody in linguistic and expressive contexts, speech production mechanisms, and acoustic-perceptual relationships in speech. Her extensive publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly productivity, with recent work focusing on leveraging speech technology for Irish language maintenance. Her research on Irish dialects, particularly Connaught Irish, has provided valuable insights into micro-dialect variation and tonal alignment patterns unique to the language. Notable scientific awards include: Election to the ISCA IAC (Advisory Council to the International Speech Communication Association) in 2021 Long-standing election to the Council of the International Phonetic Association (re-elected consistently since 1991) Gradaim na Gaeilge 2015 Irish Language Service Award from Trinity College Dublin Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship for work at MIT Speech Group and Haskins Laboratories Government of Ireland Senior Research Fellowship Professor Ní Chasaide has received significant recognition for her contributions to Irish language technology, including being nominated for 'Person of the Year' following the development of the first Irish synthetic voice. Her work bridges academic phonetics with practical language preservation efforts, demonstrating commitment to both theoretical advancement and real-world application of speech science.
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexandra Lenz is a Professor of German Linguistics at the University of Vienna's Department of German Studies. Her research focuses on Austrian German dialects, lexical variation, and sociolinguistic dynamics, particularly through digital methods and corpus-based approaches. Key Research Areas: Austrian German dialects, lexical variation, sociolinguistic perception, and digital humanities. Projects: Leading contributions to the Special Research Programme 'German in Austria (DiÖ): Variation–Contact–Perception' and LexAT21 lexicon atlas. Methodology: Specializes in corpus linguistics, syntactic variation analysis, and experimental elicitation techniques. Recent Trends: Articles from 2025–2020 explore lexical responses to crises (e.g., pandemic language), grammaticalization pathways, and dialect syntax through comparative and interdisciplinary frameworks.
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ulrike Krieg-Holz is a Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Cultural and Educational Sciences at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. She is also a Member of the Senate. Her research focuses on Applied Linguistics, German Studies, and Digital Humanities, with specialties in corpus linguistics, variational linguistics, dialect research, sociolinguistics, and text linguistics. Recent academic activities include organizing the 43rd Austrian Linguistics Conference (2017) and hosting events like 'Text Beginnings in Klagenfurt' (2016) and the 'Lecture series 'Digital Humanities' (2016). She leads the Linguistics and Literature team within the Institute of German Studies, collaborating with colleagues such as Barbara Neymeyr and Sabrina Schoonjans. Her work integrates linguistic theory with digital methodologies, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to language analysis and education. Despite no explicit awards listed, her academic leadership roles highlight her contributions to institutional governance and scholarly community-building.
Alexandra N. Lenz is a Professor of German Linguistics at the University of Vienna and a Full Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. She serves as Director of the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage (ACDH-CH) and Spokesperson for the Collaborative Research Center 'German in Austria: Variation – Contact – Perception' (FWF F060). Her work spans dialectology, variationist linguistics, syntax, sociolinguistics, and digital humanities. Ph.D. in German Linguistics (University of Marburg, 2002) DFG Fellowship (1998–2001) Rosalind Franklin Fellowships (2005–2009) Her research focuses on Austrian German dialects, lexical variation, syntactic change, language contact, and the interplay between standard and non-standard varieties. She leads the LexAT21 project, analyzing 21st-century lexical variation in Austria, and explores diaglossic repertoires through corpus-based and experimental methods. Recent publications examine lexical dynamics in Austrian media during the pandemic, relativizer variation in Austria, and the evolution of possessive constructions. She has organized major conferences like ICLaVE12 and 'AI meets Humanities & Social Sciences' in 2025. Full Member, Austrian Academy of Sciences (2019) Elected Corresponding Member, Austrian Academy of Sciences (2013) Vidi-Grant (NWO, 2009) [unaccepted] Hugo-Moser-Prize (2009) Lenz mentors through networks like 'Sprachwissenschaftliche Dissertationsprojekte der Wiener Germanistik & Friends' and contributes to editorial boards of journals such as Zeitschrift für Dialektologie und Linguistik . Her leadership roles include chairing the ÖAW Research Department 'Linguistics' and co-founding initiatives like the 'Bairisch Across Borders' network. She directs labs and teams at ACDH-CH, focusing on digital humanities infrastructure and language variation corpora. Her work bridges traditional dialectology with computational methods, emphasizing Austria's unique linguistic landscape.
Reinhardt Tobias is a Corpus Christi Professor of the Latin Language and Literature at the University of Oxford, affiliated with Corpus Christi College. His academic career includes roles as Professorial Fellow (2008–present), University Lecturer in Classical Languages (2002–2008), and Junior Research Fellow in Ancient Philosophy (2000–2002). He specializes in Ancient Rhetoric, Latin Textual Criticism, and Greek/Latin Philosophy. Tobias holds a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford (2000) and earlier degrees from Germany, including a Staatsexamen in Classics from Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-Universität (1997). His research focuses on classical philology, particularly Cicero’s works, Quintilian’s rhetorical treatises, and philosophical texts. Notable contributions include critical editions of Cicero’s Topica (2003) and Quintilian’s Institutio Oratoria (2006), as well as studies on ancient linguistic theories and medical philosophy. He has received the Conington Prize (2002) for outstanding scholarly achievement in classical literature and textual criticism. Tobias has contributed to interdisciplinary projects on Latin prose language and edited volumes on ancient philosophy. His work bridges textual analysis with historical context, emphasizing the interplay between rhetoric, ethics, and scientific thought in antiquity. He maintains affiliations with multiple academic societies, including membership in the Academy of Europe (Section: Classics & Oriental Studies, elected 2012).
