English Department

Portrait and research interests

Portrait

Born in Basel, Switzerland, April 7 1971

Worked at 7 universities (University of Lausanne; University of Fribourg; North Carolina State University, USA; University of Canterbury, New Zealand; University of Regensburg, Germany; University of Bern; University of Zurich). Lived in 5 countries on 3 continents (Switzerland, England, USA, New Zealand, Germany) and on 2 islands: Tristan da Cunha, St Helena. Never left home in spirit.

Married, two daughters (born Sept. 2006 and Oct. 2009)

Hobbies: cooking, reading, travelling, playing cards (enthusiasm makes up for lack of talent), playing and watching football (lifelong supporter of THE Swiss football club - 14 times - no sorry, 15 times!!! - Swiss champion, 11 times cup winner, doubles in 2008, 2010, 2012), victorious in European football against Bayern Munich, Juventus, AS Roma, Manchester United - 24'400 season tickets sold, loved and respected by football afficionados around the world, feared all over Switzerland, extremely disliked where I work).

Research interests

Language variation and change; Sociolinguistics (historical and contemporary); Dialectology; English historical linguistics; Contact linguistics (Contact dialectology, Pidgin and Creole linguistics); Varieties of English, better- and lesser-known.

Education and Employment

Teaching, Conferences and Administration

Publications