I’m a historical English linguist currently holding a professorship (SNSF-Förderprofessur, project ‘WWW-SArDEEn’) at the English Department of the University of Zurich, Switzerland (2025-). From September 2027 onwards, I will be a full professor for historical English linguistics at the University of Vienna.
Before Zurich, I was a senior assistant (‘Oberassistentin’) at the same department (2021-2025), and was at the University of Kyoto as a visiting professor in autumn 2024. From 2018-2023, I was part of an SNF-funded project on prepositions in argument structure at UZH (prepcomp.es.uzh.ch). I also held positions as a lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the Department of Language and Linguistic Science at the University of York, UK (2017-2020), and as a doctoral/ postdoctoral assistant at the English department of the University of Vienna, Austria, where I completed my PhD in 2016.
My main research focus is on diachronic morphosyntax in the history of English (Old to Late Modern English). I particularly like syntactic alternations, and cognitive-functional explanations for their emergence and loss. The specific theoretical approaches I use are usage-based, cognitive (diachronic) construction grammar, as well as evolutionary linguistics. As for methods, I’m first and foremost a quantitative corpus linguist, but have a keen interest in others, such as evolutionary game theory.
Outside of work, I enjoy watching (live underground) wrestling, and am an avid runner: strava.com/athletes/35827200
Ic eom spræccræftiga ymb þa ealdan Engliscan spræce, ‧ nu hæbbe lareowdom (gife þæs Swiss National Science Foundation, weorc genemned ‘WWW-SArDEEn’) on þære Engliscan Scole þære Heahscole æt Turicum, on Swisslande, siððan MMXXV. Fram Septembermōnðe þæs gēares 2027 ic bēo full prōfessor on Engliscere sprǣccræfte and hire ġesċeode æt þǣre Universitāte on Wīene.
Ǣr þām þe ic on Zūriche wæs, ic wæs yldra fultumigend (‘Oberassistentin’) on þære ilcan scole (MMXXI–MMXXV), ‧ wæs cuma-lareow æt þære Heahscole on Kyoto on hærfeste MMXXIV. Fram MMXVIII oð MMXXIII ic wæs dæl weorces be forsetnessum on gefegnesse spræce, federed þurh SNF, æt þære Heahscole on Turicum (prepcomp.es.uzh.ch). Eac ic hæfde lareowdom swa rædboc on Engliscre Spræce ‧ Spræccræfte on þære Scole Spræce ‧ Spræccræftes æt þære Heahscole on Eoforwic, on Bryttenlande (MMXVII–MMXX), ‧ swa fultumigend on leornunge ‧ æfterleornunge on þære Engliscan Scole þære Heahscole on Wienne, on Ēastrīce, þær ic geendode míne hēahstan lare (PhD) on MMXVI.
Min hēafod-smeaung is ymb þa wandlunge worda ‧ ƿordgesetnesse þurh tīda on þære Engliscan spræce, fram Ealdum Englisce oþ Nīwum Englisce. Swīþost ic lufie þa wrixlunga on wordgesetnesse, ‧ þa gescēad þe hī cuman ‧ forwurþaþ. Þa canunge þe ic bruce sind bigenge-bæfde ‧ ongietfulle (þurh tīda wandiende) getimbrunggrammatic, ‧ eac spræccræft be forþgange. Be wīsum, ic eom ærest getealcræftiga on gesomnungum wordhorda, ac hæbbe eac lust on ðrum wīsum, swylce forþgangolic gamenlarcræft.
Būtan weorce, mē līcaþ tō sceaƿigenne wræstlunge (cwice ‧ dēagolre), ‧ ic eom georn ærnere: strava.com/athletes/35827200