Skip to main content
Languages, Linguistics and Film

Breadcrumb

  1. Languages, Linguistics and Film
  2. Modern Languages and Cultures
  3. People
  4. Academics
  5. Profiles

Dr Falco Pfalzgraf, PhD (Manchester)

Falco

Reader in German Linguistics

Email: f.pfalzgraf@qmul.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7882 8321
Room Number: Francis Bancroft Building 2.39
Website: https://pfalzgraf.net

Profile

Dr Falco Pfalzgraf is a specialist on Sociolinguistics. His main research interests lie within five areas: 1. Gender across languages. 2. Linguistic Purism. 3. The application of discourse analysis. 4. The relationships between politics, language, and culture. 5. Text book / school book analysis.

He is the organiser and leader of the International Research Networking Project  “Language and Gender: Academic Research and Practical Implementation” which brings together practitioners and academics from various different cultural and linguistic backgrounds (see "Research").

Dr Pfalzgraf's research on Austrian and German language protection organisations has caught the attention of the mass media. His work has been mentioned repeatedly in The Economist, The Guardian, Stern, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung and others, as well as in internet publications based outside Europe.

He has been teaching at university level for over 25 years. His teaching is informed by his research. He has consistently received excellent student feedback and has been repeatedly nominated for teaching prizes.

He currently teaches German Linguistics, English Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics to undergraduate students. He teaches Applied Linguistics and General Linguistics to Masters students on two MA programmes, and he (co-)supervises doctoral students in areas within and beyond his main research interests. Dr Pfalzgraf is happy to receive proposals/ applications for potential doctoral research.

Dr Falco Pfalzgraf is the co-founder of the MA in Applied Linguistics for English Language Teaching which he convened for several years. He is the founder and convenor of the MA in Language Teaching for which he teaches a compulsory module. He also teaches a compulsory module for the MA in English Language Teaching. 

He is the Convenor of the Language and Linguistics Section at the Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations (CAGCR) and has been chairing the London/UK branch of the Association for the German Language Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache [Gfds] since its foundation in 2010.

Research

Research Interests:

My primary research interest is in gender-inclusive language across multiple languages. When examining individuals and organisations that criticise the use of gender-fair language throughout Europe and beyond, it becomes clear that their main discourses are strikingly similar and ideologically motivated.

Resistance to gender-fair language within European languages and beyond exhibits discursive patterns identical to those observed in past instances of resistance to language change. My research shows that opposition to gender-fair language should be understood as a new facet of linguistic purism.

For the immediate future, I have identified several needs: an overview of the current state of research and desiderata across different languages; conceptual clarity regarding terminology such as "gender-fair," "gender-neutral," and "gender-inclusive" and their equivalents languages other than English; as well as collaboration between academics and practitioners from diverse countries and cultural backgrounds to identify synergies in their work on gender-fair language.

To address these issues, I have been organising and leading the International Research Networking Project "Language and Gender: Academic Research and Practical Implementation." This project brings together practitioners and academics from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. For more details about my international research project and my other research on language and gender, please click here.

Publications

Books

2024. Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language. A Multilingual Perspective. [Edited volume]. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. (Language and Social Life 31). 417 pages. ISBN 978-3-11-120125-2.

2019. Der Verein ‚Muttersprache‘ Wien unter Vorsitz von Karl Tekusch und Erwin Mehl (1949–1984). [Monograph]. Heidelberg: Winter. 581 pages. ISBN 978-3-8253-6935-4.

2016. Karl Tekusch als Sprachpfleger. Seine Rolle in Wiener Sprachvereinen des 20. Jahrhunderts. [Monograph]. Bremen: Hempen. (Greifswalder Beiträge zur Linguistik 10). 224 pages. ISBN 978-3-944312-33-0.

2009. Englischer Sprachkontakt in den Varietäten des Deutschen / English Language in Contact with Varieties of German. [Edited volume]. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Lang. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart 12). 248 pages. ISBN 978-3-631-58132-2. Publication substantially supported by the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture.

2008. Anglo-German Linguistic Relations [Co-edited volume, with Felicity Rash]. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Lang. (Jahrbuch für Internationale Germanistik, Reihe A, Band 98). 184 pages. ISBN 978-3-03911-656-0.

2006. Neopurismus in Deutschland nach der Wende. [Monograph]. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Lang. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart 6). 350 pages. ISBN 978-3-631-54854-7. Publication fully funded by the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture.

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles and Book Chapters

“Introduction and Findings: Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language – A Multilingual Perspective”. In: Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language. A Multilingual Perspective. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2023. (Language and Social Life 31), pp. 1–20. ISBN 978-3-11-120125-2.

“Attitudes of the purist association Verein Deutsche Sprache (VDS) towards gender-inclusive use of German. A conceptual expansion of the term linguistic purism”. In: Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language. A Multilingual Perspective. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2023. (Language and Social Life 31), pp. 183–207. ISBN 978-3-11-120125-2.

"Widerstand gegen die Verwendung geschlechtergerechter Sprache als neue Facette des Sprachpurismus. Eine Untersuchung der Positionen des Vereins Deutsche Sprache (VDS)". In: Muttersprache. Vierteljahresschrift zur deutschen Sprache, pp. 1–18. ISSN 0027-514X.

"Sociolinguistics in the German language area". In: Martin J. Ball & Rajend Mesthrie & Chiara Meluzzi (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Around the World. Second edition. London: Routledge, 2023. (Routledge Handbooks in Linguistics), pp. 435-444. ISBN 978-1-032-05612-8.

"Der Germanische Sprachverein (Wien 1933–1948)". In: Muttersprache. Vierteljahresschrift zur deutschen Sprache 132:2/2022, pp. 97–122. ISSN 0027-514X.

"Karl Tekusch (1890–1977), his concept of Sprachechtheit, and the purism movement in Austria". In: Historiographia Linguistica 48:1/2021, pp. 60-82. ISSN 0302-5160.

"'Anglisierung' und 'Globalisierung': Aktuelle Diskurse zu Entlehnungen und moderner Sprachpurismus". In: Gerd Antos, Thomas Niehr & Jürgen Spitzmüller (eds.). Handbuch Sprache im Urteil der Öffentlichkeit / Handbook of Language Evaluation in the Public Sphere. Berlin / New York: de Gruyter, 2019. (Handbücher Sprachwissen / Handbooks of Linguistic Knowledge 10), pp. 291-308. ISBN 978-3-11-029615-0.

"Diskurse zum Mauerfall und zur deutschen Wiedervereinigung in englischen Geschichtsbüchern für allgemeinbildende Schulen". In: Matthes, Eva & Schütze, Sylvia (eds.). ,1989‘ und Bildungsmedien / ,1989‘ and Educational Media. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt, 2016 (Beiträge zur historischen und systematischen Schulbuchforschung), pp. 219–237. ISBN 978-3-7815-2085-1.

"Zur Situation der deutschen Sprachwissenschaft in Großbritannien und Nordirland". In: IDS Sprachreport 1/2016, pp. 10–16. ISSN 0178-644X.

"Zur Korpusdefinition in der Schulbuchforschung". In: Jana Kiesendahl & Christine Ott (eds.). Linguistik und Schulbuchforschung. Göttingen: v&r unipress 2015 (Eckert. Die Schriftenreihe 137), pp. 39–52. ISBN 978-3-8471-0515-2.

"Sprachwissenschaft und Sprachkritik in der britischen Hochschulgermanistik". In: Thomas Niehr (ed.). Sprachwissenschaft und Sprachkritik - Perspektiven ihrer Vermittlung. Bremen: Hempen, 2014 (Greifswalder Beiträge zur Linguistik 8), pp. 163–171. ISBN 978-3-944312-17-0.

"Anglizismen als Thema der Sprachwissenschaft und Sprachkritik". Aptum. Zeitschrift für Sprachkritik und Sprachkultur 2/2011, pp 160–176. ISSN 1614-905X.

"Ausländer, Fremde(s) und Minderheiten in deutschen Fibeln 1933–1945". Muttersprache 3/2011, pp. 161–192. ISSN 0027-514X.

"Linguistic Purism in the History of the German Language". In: Geraldine Horan, Nils Langer & Sheila Watts (eds). Landmarks in the History of the German Language. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Brüssel, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2009. (British and Irish Studies in German Language and Literature Vol. 52), pp. 137–168. ISBN 978-3-039-11890-8.

"Sprachpurismus und Globalisierung". In: Pfalzgraf, Falco (ed.). Englischer Sprachkontakt in den Varietäten des Deutschen / English Language in Contact with Varieties of German. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Brüssel, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2009. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart Band 12), pp. 215–225. ISBN 978-3-631-58132-2.

"Bestrebungen zur Einführung eines Sprachschutzgesetzes seit der Deutschen Vereinigung". German Life and Letters 61:4/2008, pp. 451–469.

"Einstellungen zu Fremdwörtern und Anglizismen. Anmerkungen zu einer Repräsentativerhebung des Instituts für Deutsche Sprache" (with Torsten Leuschner). Germanistische Mitteilungen 64/2006, pp. 85–107.

"Auffassungen von Laien zum Gebrauch von Anglizismen im Deutschen". Carol Fehringer & Holger Briel (eds.). Field Studies. German Language, Media and Culture. CUTG Proceedings, vol. 5. Oxford: Peter Lang 2005, pp. 29–49.

"Recent Developments Concerning Language Protection Organisations and Right-Wing Extremism". German Life and Letters 56:4/2003, pp. 398–409.

"Fremdwortdiskussion und Rechtsextremismus". German Life and Letters 56:1/2003, pp. 102–116.

Reviews

"Lesen lernen im Nationalsozialismus. Theoriekonzepte - Kindheitsbilder - Bildungspolitik, Kristin Straube-Heinze, Carsten Heinze, Bielefeld, transcript, 2021" Book review accepted for Paedagogica Historica. ISSN 0030-9230.

"Göttert, Karl-Heinz. Die Sprachreiniger. Der Kampf gegen Fremdwörter und der deutsche Nationalismus. Berlin: Propyläen, 2019." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 46/2020, pp. 273–278. ISSN 0771-3703.

"Trabant, Jürgen. Globalesisch, oder was? Ein Plädoyer für Europas Sprachen. München: C.H. Beck, 2014." Book review. Zielsprache Deutsch 2:41/2014, pp. 80–85. ISSN 0341-5864.

"Stricker, Stefanie / Bergmann, Rolf / Wich-Reif, Claudia. Sprachhistorisches Arbeitsbuch zur deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Heidelberg: Winter, 2012." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 39.1/2013, pp. 110–112. ISSN 0771-3703. 

"Wegera, Klaus-Peter / Schultz-Balluff, Simone / Bartsch, Nina. Mittelhochdeutsch als fremde Sprache: Eine Einführung für das Studium der germanistischen Mediävistik. Berlin: Erich Schmidt, 2011." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 38.1/2012, pp. 97–99. ISSN 0771-3703.

"Sommerfeldt, Karl-Ernst. Was ist dem Bürger zuzumuten? Sprachpflege im 21. Jahrhundert. (Sprache – System und Tätigkeit.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009." Book review. Zielsprache Deutsch 2:38/2011, pp. 92–98. ISSN 0341-5864. 

"Schröter, Melani / Carius, Björn. Vom politischen Gebrauch der Sprache – Wort, Text, Diskurs. (= Leipziger Skripten – Einführungs- und Übungsbücher.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 72/2010, pp. 136–138. ISSN 0771-3703.

"James, Peter / Kaufman, David. Studying and working in Germany. A student guide. Manchester: MUP, 2002". Review. Deutsch: Lehren und Lernen 26/2002, p. 32. ISSN 0953-4822.

Other

Perspectives on The “Great” War. Selected papers from the World War One International Conference Held at Queen Mary, University of London August 1st – 4th 2014. Edited by Felicity Rash & Falco Pfalzgraf. 112 pages. Available online at <https://archive.org/details/perspectives-on-the-great-war-2014-selected-papers>.

"Deutsch lehren und lernen mit dem Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations". Deutsch: Lehren und Lernen Online 47/2013. ISSN 1461-9245.

"Deutsch lehren und lernen mit der Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache". Deutsch: Lehren und Lernen 45/2012, pp. 23–24 ISSN 1461-9245.

"Antisemitismus in Fibeln der Nazizeit". Eckert. Das Bulletin 08/2010, p. 42. ISSN 1865-7907.

"Vorwort". Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Englischer Sprachkontakt in den Varietäten des Deutschen / English Language in Contact with Varieties of German. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2009. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart Vol. 12), pp. 9–12. ISBN 978-3-631-58132-2.

Imagination in Romanen von Tim O'Brien. Staatsexamen (MA equiv.) Thesis. Norderstedt: BoD, 2009. 104 pages. ISBN 978-3-8370-9220-2.

"Introduction" (with Felicity Rash). In: Pfalzgraf, Falco & Rash, Felicity (eds.). Anglo-German Linguistic Relations. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2008. (Jahrbuch für Internationale Germanistik, Reihe A, Band 98), pp. 9–11. ISBN 978-3-03911-656-0.

Public Engagement

Dr. Pfalzgraf holds the Chair of the UK/London branch of the esteemed Association for the German Language/Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS). Since its inauguration in March 2010, in the presence of Queen Mary’s Principal, Professor Simon Gaskell, and the German Ambassador to the UK, Georg Boomgaarden, the UK branch of the GfdS has been based at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

The GfdS is Germany’s most prominent government-supported language society, politically independent and dedicated to the study, cultivation, and promotion of the German language. Its mission is to deepen public understanding of the German language and to highlight its role within a global context. To support these goals, the GfdS London branch organises up to two annual lectures on German linguistics, typically delivered in German, free of charge, and open to the public.

In this role, Dr. Pfalzgraf is also a member of the “Round Table of Cultural Organisations,” held bi-annually by the German Embassy in London, and serves on the panel awarding the German Teaching Prize for German Saturday Schools (Samstagsschulen) across the UK.

AFFILIATIONS 

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Member of the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed journal Germanistische Mitteilungen 
  • Member of the Advisory Board of The Institute for Cultural Relations Policy, Budapest
  • Member of the panel for the award of the German Teaching Prize for all German Saturday Schools (Samstagsschulen) in the UK.
  • Member of the "Round Table of Cultural Organisations", held bi-annually by the German Embassy in London.
  • Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations (CAGCR); Convenor for Language & Linguistics
  • Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS); Chair of the London/UK branch 
  • Research Fellow Alumni at the Georg-Eckert-Institute, Braunschweig

 

  • External Examiner at Queen's University Belfast (since 2020)
  • External Examiner at the University of Cambridge, Language Centre (2013-2016)
  • External Examiner for German at the University of Greenwich (2008-2012)

 

  • The Philological Society 
  • Gesellschaft für Angewandte Linguistik (GAL)
  • Arbeitskreis Linguistische Sprachkritik
  • Arbeitsgemeinschaft Linguistische Pragmatik
  • Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS)
  • The Forum for Germanic Language Studies (FGLS)
  • Association for German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland (AGS, formerly CUTG)
  • The Association for the Study of Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN)
  • European Association for Language Testing and Assessment (EALTA)
  • International Society for Research on Textbooks and Educational Media
  • Fördermitglied, Wikimedia Deutschland
Back to top