Prof. Dr. Christiane Meierkord

After graduating from Düsseldorf University in 1989 with an M.A. in English Linguistics, English Medieval Studies, and Modern Japanese Studies, I obtained my PhD in 1996, for a thesis on English as a medium of intercultural communication. Ever since then, I have been interested in the variability of the English language, particularly in the newest codes that emerge from English being in contact with other languages in multilingual ecologies. My research focusses on varieties of English on the African continent (particularly in Uganda and its neighbouring countries) and on the processes that can be observed when speakers using these diverse varieties of English (e.g. a Japanese speaker of English and a speaker of Kenyan English) interact with each other.

I previously held positions at the Universities of Erfurt and Münster, and I had the privilege of being invited to Stockholm University, as a guest professor, in 2009.

Since October 2009, I have held the chair of English Linguistics at Ruhr Universität Bochum, where I am happy to lead an energetic and supportive team of linguists.