English and Digital Linguistics
Research

Research

At the chair of English and digital linguistics, we embrace a very large variety of research topics that we investigate with empirical and mainly digital methods like corpus linguistics, eye-tracking, screen-casting and mouse-tracking. We also carry out behavioural experiments and surveys to provide basic research and potential practical applications.

Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer’s current research is based on the cooperation with researchers from many different universities, institutions and disciplines and includes the following topics:

  • eye-tracking study on the cognitive processing of optional commas in English (cooperation with FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg)
  • optimisation of the pronunciation of foreign-language streetnames in German-language navigation systems
  • development of a linguistic system for the generation of individual personal names for archaeological human remains (in cooperation with archaeologists)
  • TransGrimm: compilation of an aligned multiple parallel corpus of German fairy tales by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm with their English translations
  • Bridge of Knowledge VR: development of a multiple-choice learning adventure quiz app, in which users have to cross a suspension bridge in the jungle by selecting the correct answers to multiple-choice questions with their gaze (cooperation with the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre)
  • Language in the Human-Machine Era (LITHME): The COST Action LITHME explores how new forms of language technology are likely to change our everyday communication, and ultimately language itself. Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer is the leader of a research group that investigates the integration of such technology into language teaching and its potential effect on language learning in general.

Dana Ebermann’s PhD project focuses on the classification of hate speech in digital contexts especially on Twitter and Facebook within the framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA). Other research interests include political and news discourses as well as conspiracy theories.

Antonia Friebel is currently involved in the creation of an English counterpart to the LediZ (“Lernen mit digitalen Zeugnissen”) project and will explore the testimony of a holocaust survivor with the aim of identifying linguistic patterns in trauma discourse, focusing e.g. on cognitive aspects such as emotions and metaphors.

Armine Garibyan is studying how collocations are processed in the brain using neurophysiological methods (EEG). She is also currently working on exploring sentence processing using a range of behavioural methods (e.g. reaction times, mouse-tracking).

 

Most recent publications

Sanchez-Stockhammer, Christina. 2021. Syntaxanalyse nach CGEL: Linguistische Studienmaterialien von Studierenden für Studierende. (2021). Munich: Open Access LMU. DOI: 10.5282/ubm/epub.75266. Access PDF.

Sayers, Dave, Rui Sousa-Silva, Sviatlana Höhn, [...], Christina Sanchez-Stockhammer, [...]. 2021. "The dawn of the human-machine era: A forecast of new and emerging language technologies. Report for EU COST Action CA19102 ‘Language In The Human-Machine Era’." https://doi.org/10.17011/jyx/reports/20210518/1 Titel anhand dieser DOI in Citavi-Projekt übernehmen.

Sanchez-Stockhammer, Christina & Johannes Tochtermann. 2021. "WordValue: Simultaneous corpus searches and information mapping on words in context." In: Busse, Beatrix, Nina Dumrukcic and Ruth Möhlig-Falke (eds.) (2021): Language and linguistics in a complex world: Data, interdisciplinarity, transfer, and the next generation. The International Computer Archive of Modern and Medieval English annual conference, May 20-23, 2020. Extended book of abstracts. Heidelberg University and Cologne University: KUPS. 66-70. Access PDF.