Romance Linguistics
The Romance languages are spoken by a billion people in different parts the world. This area of research explores how these languages interact with culture and social development.
The development and use of the major languages Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian are influenced by social and cultural patterns in different parts of the world. Research at the University is conducted through a large international network, and places the Romance languages in greater context. There are important points in common with media research, anthropology, sociology, political science and law. An important part of the research focuses on the discourse used in different professional and institutional activities. Other areas are closely related to the field of interaction research. Research questions include: how do we act when we talk? How do cultures differ in these respects? How do colloquial language and formal language influence each other?
Second language research is another major focus, especially research on advanced and very advanced uses of French, Spanish and Italian as second languages. What is the learning process like, and which aspects of the language are the most difficult to learn? And what about cultural adaptation? For example, Spanish-speaking Swedes rarely use or understand emotional arguments in negotiations. Linguistics with a focus on language structure and semantics also has a natural place, as do language history and the study of historical documents. An expanding field is sociolinguistics with a focus on language contact.
Research groups are based in the Department of French, Italian and Classical Languages, the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies, and the Department of Language Education. The University has Sweden's only professors in Portuguese and Latin American Studies, and has hosted a national research school in Romance languages. The research in Romance linguistics is conducted with funding from the Swedish Central Bank's Jubilee Fund, the Swedish Research Council, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and STINT.
Web editor:
Paul Parker
Last updated:
November 23, 2011
Source: Communications Office
