Research

INTRODUCTION

My work is in sociocultural linguistics and linguistic anthropology. I specialize in semantics and pragmatics, discourse studies and I enjoy doing interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work. I am currently working with cultural and intercultural approaches to words and meanings, with postcolonial and decolonial approaches to linguistics, and with linguistic contributions to green and blue humanities. 

In Roskilde, I teach at Danish Studies, Global Humanities and the bachelor study programme in the Humanities.

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:

• "Danish in the Making" (Velux), co-P1. 
• "Sustainable Linguistics" (NOS-HS), co-P1
• "Measuring Modernity" (Carlsberg), partner
• "Cultural Construction Grammar" (Carlsberg), monograph fellow (from Sept. 2024)

GLOBAL RESEARCH NETWORKS

I'm a part of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) research community, The International Association for Colonial and Postcolonial Linguistics and the International Pragmatics Association. In the past, I have contributed to major research projects such as the 'Evolution of Semantics Systems' (Max Planck, Nijmegen), 'Cognitive Creolistics' (Aarhus) and 'An Ethnography of Language Encounters' (Roskilde). I've been a visiting researcher at the Australian National University (Canberra), Griffith University (Brisbane), and the University of the South Pacific (Port Vila). I've been a visiting professor at Helsinki University, Tallinn University, and Ilisimatusarfik (Greenland's University). I'm an alumnus of The Young Academy of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters and the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute of Advanced Studies. 

JOURNALS

• Founding editor, and editor-in-chief Journal of Postcolonial Linguistics 2015- 
• Editor, Scandinavian Studies in Language 2014-2023

MONOGRAPHS

• Cultural Semantics and Social Cognition: A case study on the Danish Universe of Meaning. Published by De Gruyter Mouton, Berlin (Trends in Linguistics)  
• Postcolonial Semantics: Meaning and Metalanguage in a Multipolar World. In press with De Gruyter Mouton, Berlin (Koloniale und Postkoloniale Linguistik/Colonial and Postcolonial Linguistics), publication scheduled for March 2023
• Cultural Construction Grammar: Studies in Nordic Language and Life. As a Carlsberg Monograph Fellow (Sept. 2024-2025), I have received funds to write a new Nordic grammar of language and life. Stay tuned!

EDITED BOOKS

• Creole Studies: Phylogenetic Approaches. Published by J. Benjamins, Amsterdam. With Peter Bakker (Aarhus), Finn Borchsenius (Aarhus) and Eeva Sippola (Bremen).
• Cultural Keywords in Discourse: Published by J. Benjamins, Amsterdam. (Pragmatics and Beyond New Series). With Sophia Waters (University of New England). 
• Tanker i lockdown: [Thoughts in Lockdown]. Published by The Young Academy, Copenhagen. With Casper Andersen (Aarhus), Liselotte Jauffred (Copenhagen), Andreas Hougaard Laustsen (DTU-Copenhagen), Stine Lomborg (Copenhagen), Birgitte Beck Pristed (Aarhus).
• The Cultural Pragmatics of Danger. 2024. Published by J. Benjamins, Amsterdam (Pragmatics and Beyond New Series). With Zhengdao Ye (Australian National University). 

SPECIAL ISSUES

• Language Ideologies in Music: Emergent Socialities in the Age of Transnationalism. Special issue of Language and Communication, with Eeva Sippola (Bremen) and Britta Schneider (Berlin).
• Biases in Linguistics: Special issue of Language Sciences, with Simon Borchmann (Roskilde) and Britta Schneider (Berlin)
• The Social Life of Interjections: Special issue of Scandinavian Studies in Language, with Eva Skafte Jensen (DSN-Copenhagen) and Tina Thode Hougaard (Aarhus).
• Cognitive Cultural Semantics: Special issue of Scandinavian Studies in Language, with Susana S. Fernández (Aarhus) and Jan Hein (Griffith)
• The Pragmatics of Place: Postcolonial Perspectives. Special issue in Journal of Postcolonial Linguistics, with Eeva Sippola, (Helsinki).
• Language and Popular Geopolitics: Special issue in Journal of Postcolonial Linguistics, with Susana S. Fernández (Aarhus)

PAPERS & BOOK CHAPTERS

I've published in journals such as Language Sciences, International Journal of Language and Culture, Intercultural Pragmatics, Language and Communication, Australian Journal of Linguistics, Scandinavian Studies in Language and Nordic Journal of Linguistics. I've also published chapters in edited books, such as the ‘The Semantics of Nouns’, Z. Ye (Oxford University Press), 'Languages - Cultures - Worldviews', A. Glaz (Routledge) and encyclopedias such as International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, and International Encyclopedia of Intercultural Communication.  

ONGOING PUBLICATION PROJECTS   

• "Blue Pragmatics: Speaking of the Sea and Plantetary Waters" - panel at IPrA 2025, with Stephanie Maskova (Griffith)
• "Magical Speech Acts" - edited book with Nico Nassenstein (Mainz)
• "The Routledge Handbook of Postcolonial and Decolonial Linguistics" - with Eeva Sippola (Helsinki)
• Intercultural Semantics: Meaning and Metalanguage in the Context of Migration - with Susana S. Fernández (Aarhus)

VERY SHORT CV 

• 2015-, Associate Professor, Roskilde University, Denmark
• 2011-2015, Assistant Professor, postdoc and lecturer, Aarhus University, Denmark
• 2007-2010, PhD student, University of New England, Australia 

RESEARCH  STAYS 

• 2025 (June), ANU Hansen Friendship Scholar, Australian National University
• 2024 (Sep/Oct), Visiting Researcher, University of Helsinki 
• 2023 (May), Visting Researcher, Griffith Univeristy, Brisbane
• 2023 (April), Visiting Researcher, Australian National University
• 2019-2020 (7 months), Senior Research Fellow, Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg Institute of Advanced Studies, Bremen, Germany.
• 2018 (3 weeks), Guest professor, Illisimatusarfik (Greenland’s University).
• 2017 (10 days), Erasmus+ guest professor, School of Humanities, Tallinn University.
• 2014-2018 (in total, 6 months), Visiting researcher, The Pacific Languages Unit, The University of the South Pacific.
• 2013 (May), ANUCES Fellow, European Studies Centre, The Australian National University, Canberra.

COMMISSIONS OF TRUST

• 2022-, The Danish Lecturer Scheme (Danish Language, Literature and Culture Abroad), Board Member, Nordic Region and German-speaking Europe). 
• 2020-, The Danish Language Council, Member of the Board of Representatives
• 2017-2022, The Young Academy of Denmark under the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, Member and Council Member (2019-2020).