Current Projects

In my teaching and research, the focus lies on linguistic theory building. What do people know about language, and how is this knowledge acquired? I approach such questions mainly by studying data from bilingual and second language acquisition, often obtained in international school contexts. I am particularly interested in: syntax and morphology, interlanguage representations, and bilingual and multilingual development (specially age trajectories and literacy).

The C03 Project examines variation in the encoding of prominence by analyzing the production of referring expressions in discourse by bilingual children. Two focus aspects: a) different bilingual profiles in terms of language and literacy exposure have a varying impact on bilinguals' cognitive and linguistic skills, b) different language combinations (English-Greek, English-Italian, Greek-Italian) give rise to diverse patterns of cross-linguistic influence. The aim of this project is to show how both aspects of variation are reflected in individual strategies of reference production.

• Prominence in Language (SFB 1252) read more

The main aim of the research project is to explore language teaching approaches in multilingual environments in Germany and Greece. One of the first objectives of the proposed research project is to conduct an in-depth survey of bilingual educational programmes in Greece and Germany in order to establish a series of qualitative data analyses. These analyses will involve interviews with bi/multilingual learners, teachers and education policy makers, which will be employed to evaluate the factors that play a role in the training of bilingual children in the two educational contexts. Our second aim is to design and build specific material and train educators in the use of such material in the two countries so they can successfully address the challenges of multilingual classrooms. Finally, aiming to further utilize the data of the previous project and maximize their profit, we will compile a German-Greek open corpus. 

The ongoing transformations in the Global South involve not only a redirection of flows of migrants, labourers and citizens, money and debts, products and modes of social integration, but also the ways in which these flows are perceived and mediated through communication. Language is key for formulating such apprehensions or expectations and it is part of the action directed towards achieving what is anticipated and for avoiding what is feared.  

• Global South Studies Center Cologne (GSSC) read more

Editor & Author