Dorothea Hoffmann
Address: School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
email: dorothea.hoffmann@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
PhD Title: Descriptions of Motion and Travel in Jaminjung and Kriol
The PhD project provides an in-depth analysis of motion event descriptions of two Australian indigenous languages.
Jaminjung is a highly endangered non Pama-Nyungan language with approximately 50 remaining speakers. Kriol, an English-lexified Creole, is spoken by about 20.000 people in different varieties across northern Australia. While the languages are typologically very different, occupancy of the same linguistic and cultural area provides an intriguing opportunity to investigate the effects of culture and language contact on conceptual components and distribution patterns in discourse. This investigation also applies and tests a number of existing frameworks and typologies regarding the linguistic encoding of motion and space in general.
The major aim of the thesis is to identify the semantic components of motion events and their encoded distribution in discourse and thus to provide a thorough analysis of all the different facets of motion event descriptions in the above mentioned languages. Moreover, the thesis aims to contribute to current discussions on typological classifications of languages according to their encoding of motion events. Furthermore, an investigation of motion events in discourse and narrative looks at the degree of granularity in journey descriptions, variations in manner and path and an 'abstracted' concept of motion that is used as a structuring device in narratives."
Supervisors: Prof. Eva Schultze-Berndt and Dr. Andrew Koontz-Garboden
Main Discipline Areas
Semantics, Language Contact, Australian Aboriginal Languages, Typology
Research Interests
Australian Indigenous Languages, Semantics, Functional Grammar, Morpho-Syntax, Language and Cognition, Typology, Language Contact
Presentations and publications
Jan 2012
"Society of Pidgin and Creole Linguistics Meeting in Conjunction with the 86th Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)": 'Imin go kamat la hil – Asymmetrical Serial Verb Constructions in Kriol of Northern Australia'
Nov 2011
"3rd Language Documentation and Linguistic Theory Conference (LDLT3)" at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, UK: 'The many ways of falling down a cliff: Culture- and language-specific ways of expressing path in Jaminjung and Kriol':
Sep 2010
"19th International Postgraduate Linguistics Conference (PLC19)" at the Universities of Manchester and Salford, UK: 'The way to go. On the Distribution of Path in Motion Descriptions in Jaminjung and Kriol'
Jul 2010
"Australian Linguistic Society Annual Conference (ALS 2010)", University of Queensland, Australia: 'Where to, from and through? On the distribution of Path in Motion descriptions in Jaminjung and Kriol'
Apr 2010:
"Space and Time across Languages, Disciplines and Cultures (STALDAC 2010)", University of Cambridge, UK: 'Path Salience in Jaminjung'
Nov 2009:
"5th European Australianist Workshop" in Leuven, Belgium: 'Strategies of Ground Descriptions: The Case of Jaminjung'
Nov 2009
"2nd Language Documentation and Linguistic Theory Conference" at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, UK: "Orientation or Location? A Case-Study of Jaminjung and Kriol":
Jul 2009
"Student Conference on Language Documentation and Description" as part of the "2nd 3L International Summer School on Language Documentation and Description" at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, UK (22/06 -03/07/2009): 'Motion Event Segmentation. An analysis of Jaminjung'
Jun 2009
"4th Language at the University of Essex Postgraduate Conference' [LangUE]" at The University of Essex, UK: 'Frames of Reference in Jaminjung and Kriol'
Dec 2008
"4th European Australianist Workshop" in Manchester, UK: 'Motion Event Segmentation in Jaminjung and Kriol'
Membership of Professional Organisations
- Linguistic Association of Great Britain (LAGB)
- Philological Society Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
- Australian Linguistic Society (ALS)
- The Society of Pidgin and Creole Linguistics (SPCL Society)
Teaching Areas
- Principles of Linguistics, Linguistic Change, Semantics
Professional biography
- Faculty of Humanities, University of Manchester, PGR Training: September 2008 - ongoing
- M.A. in German and English Literature and Linguistics, University of Konstanz, Germany, matriculation: 01/10/2002, final degree: 31/05/2008 (passed with distinction (1.2))
- Certificate in Teaching German as a Foreign Language, University of Konstanz, Germany, matriculation: 01/04/2006, final degree: 20/08/2008 (passed with distinction (1.0))
- University Teaching Position for German as a Foreign Language at Konstanz University of Applied Sciences: October 2007 - July 2008
- Work as mentor for Department of Linguistics at Konstanz University: October 2006 - June 2008
- University Teaching Position for German as a Foreign Language at Konstanz University: March 2008
- Tutor for Introduction to Linguistics at Konstanz University: October 2007 - February 2008
Other information
- Main student organiser for the 19th Manchester International Postgraduate Linguistics Conference on 'Language Variation and Change' on 16/17 September 2010 in collaboration with Salford University
- Member of the organising committee for the 18th Manchester International Postgraduate Linguistics Conference on 6 May 2009
- PGR representative for English Language and Linguistics, School of Languages, Linguistics and Cultures, University of Manchester (October 2008-May 2009)