Research Interests

Historical English linguistics:

• History of English
• Medieval multilingualism and code-switching
• Sociohistorical linguistics (especially Early Modern English)
• Old English syntax and lexicology

Teaching

• English historical linguistics
• Sociolinguistics

Selected Publications

• (forthc.) Code-switching in  early English. (Topics in English linguistics) Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter 2011 (with Laura Wright).
• Medieval English and its heritage. Structure, meaning and mechanisms of change. Frankfurt/Main etc.: P. Lang 2006 (co-ed. N. Ritt, C. Dalton-Puffer, D. Kastovsky)
• Rethinking Middle English. Linguistic and literary approaches. Frankfurt/Main: P. Lang. 2005 (co-ed. N. Ritt)
• Historical linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001.
• (forthc.) Language contact in Middle English. In: A. Bergs and L. Brinton (eds.), Historical linguistics of English, vol. 2. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter 2011.
• (forthc.) From text to analysis: multilingualism and written code-switching in medieval Britain. In: M. Sebba, S. Mahootian and C. Jonsson (eds.), Language mixing and code-switching in writing: approaches to mixed-language written discourse. London: Routledge 2011.
•  “Mixed language texts as data and evidence in English historical linguistics”. In: D. Minkova and R. Stockwell (eds.), Studies in the history of the English language. A millenial perspective. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2002, 51-78.
• “Morphological variation and change in Early Modern English: my/mine, thy/thine“. In: R. Hickey and S. Puppel (eds.), Language history and linguistic modelling. A festschrift for Jacek Fisiak on his 60th birthday. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter 1997, 179-191.
• “The 3rd plural present indicative in Early Modern English - variation and linguistic contact“. In: D. Britton (ed.), English historical linguistics 1994. Papers from the 8th international conference on English historical linguistics. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins 1996, 143-160.
• “A valency description of Old English possessive verbs“. In: M. Rissanen et al. (eds.), History of Englishes: new methods and interpretations in historical linguistics. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter 1992, 418-436.

CV

• 1985 ‘Habilitation’ in English linguistics, University of Vienna
• 1986-2007 Professor of English linguistics, University of Vienna
• 1992-1996, 2006-2007: Chair (‘Vorstand’), Dept. of English and American Studies
• 1998-2000 Chair (‘Fakultätsvorsitzender’), Faculty of Humanities
• 2001-2007 Chair, Steuerungsgruppe Lehramt, University of Vienna
• 2003-2006 Member of Senate
• 2006-date  Member Schiedskommission, University of Vienna