Dr Bettina Beinhoff

Bettina is a Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics and English Language, and Course Leader for ARU's MA Intercultural Communication.

Bettina's research looks at how language contributes to how we relate to people and interact with them; she is particularly interested in intercultural communication and developments related to globalisation. She is Co-Director of the Anglia Ruskin Research Centre for Intercultural and Multilingual Studies (ARRCIMS) and of the Centre for Science Fiction and Fantasy (CSFF).

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Background

Bettina's main research interests are at the crossroads of sociolinguistics and second language acquisition, and specifically in the areas of attitudes towards language and the negotiation of identities in cross-cultural and intercultural settings.

She is currently working in two main areas; one in which she looks at social implications of intelligibility in second language accents in English. Her other projects investigate the complex connections between language and identity at the individual and social level.

Bettina also does research on constructed languages (or 'conlangs', such as Esperanto, Lojban, Na'vi, Dothraki or Klingon) as a cultural, artistic and linguistic phenomenon.

Research interests

• Attitudes, stereotypes and identity in language
• Second language speech development
• Sociolinguistics aspects of constructed languages
• Intercultural, transcultural and cross-cultural communication

Areas of research supervision

Bettina is happy to supervise students in any of her areas of research interest, and is currently supervising PhD students in the following areas:

• Language maintenance and language attitudes in migrant communities
• Identity and self in second language acquisition
• Social implications of second language accents
• Behavioural mirroring in intercultural encounters

Qualifications

• PhD Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge
• MPhil English and Applied Linguistics, University of Cambridge
• PGCert Teaching at Higher Education Level

Memberships, editorial boards

• Member of the executive committee, British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL)
• Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy
• Member, EuroSLA
• Member, Philological Society
• Individual affiliate, Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Bettina has just completed the project "Comprehension in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Mapping perceptive abilities to proficiency levels" which was supported by a research grant from the British Academy.

She is also advising start-up companies; at the moment she is particularly involved with Algodynamix.

Bettina is part of the Interstellar Foundation and is developing extra-planetary messages in one of their core teams. The most recent message will be sent to the moon in 2024.

Selected recent publications

Beinhoff, B., 2023. Design intentions and actual perception of fictional languages: Quenya, Sindarin and Na’vi. In: P. Stockwell, J. Norledge and I.A. Noletto, eds. 2023, Reading Fictional Languages. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp.76-92.

Beinhoff, B. with Joanna Błaszczak and Marzena Źygis (2020). What influences our attitudes? A survey study on attitudes of Polish university students towards German people. Studia Linguistica XXXIX, 27-57.

Beinhoff, B., 2019. How to build a 'perfect' language. The Conversation.

Wagner, M., Beinhoff, B., Outhwaite, B. (eds.), 2017. Merchants of Innovation (Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter).

Beinhoff, B., Rasinger, S., 2016. The future of identity research: Impact and new developments in sociolinguistics. In Preece, S. (ed.), 2016. The Routledge Handbook of Language and Identity (London: Routledge), pp. 572-585.

Beinhoff, B., 2015. Why are Alien Languages Inherently Human? Foundation: The International Review of Science Fiction, 122,pp. 5-19.

Beinhoff, B., 2014. What is acceptable? The role of acceptability in English non-native speech. In Solly, M. and Esch, E. (eds.), 2014. Sociolinguistic Issues in Language Education (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing), pp. 155-174.

Beinhoff, B., 2014. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: A European framework for foreign language speech development? Language Value, 6(1), pp. 51-73.

Beinhoff, B., 2014. Perceiving intelligibility and accentedness in non-native speech: A look at proficiency levels. Concordia Papers in Applied Linguistics (COPAL), 5, pp. 58-72.

Beinhoff, B., 2013. Perceiving Identity through Accent – Attitudes towards Non-Native Speakers and their Accents in English (Oxford: Peter Lang).

Outhwaite, B., Wagner, M. and Beinhoff, B. (eds.), 2013. Scribes as Agents of Language Change (Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter).

Beinhoff, B., 2008. Looking for the 'real' native speaker: The perception of native and non-native English accents by non-native speakers of English. In Waniek-Klimczak, E. (ed.), 2008. Issues of Accents in English (Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing), pp. 120-139.

Recent presentations and conferences

Recent keynotes

“Sounds and meaning in constructed languages”. Invited keynote talk presented at the Linguistic Association of Great Britain (LAGB) conference in August 2023 at Anglia Ruskin University, UK.

“Exploring constructed languages: From Science Fiction & Fantasy to ‘real-life’ applications”. 02 May 2023. Invited talk at the Humanities Society, Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK.

“A linguist's guide to constructed languages”. Invited lecture at the Linguistic Student Society at the University of Kent in November 2018 in Canterbury, UK.

“‘And then he hacked the hedgehog’: Intelligibility and comprehension between L2 speakers of English”. Guest lecture at the University of Kent in November 2018 in Canterbury, UK.

“Inventing languages for fictional characters”. Invited talk at Waterstone’s bookshop in Cambridge to mark the publication of the next ‘Game of Thrones’ novel in November 2018.

“How to speak like an alien?”. Talk at the Festival of Change, Magdalene College, Cambridge, 10 February 2018.

“How to make aliens talk?”. June 2015. Keynote lecture at the alumni event of the Boehringer-Ingelheim funds, Castle Gracht, Germany.

“Attitudes towards accents”. December 2013. Keynote lecture at the Exhibition Lexicon-Leksikon on regional bilingualism, Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

Selected recent conference presentations

“Social evaluations of unknown languages: a cross-cultural approach”. Paper presented at the Approaches to Migration, Language and Identity (AMLI) conference in August 2023 at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.

“Sound symbolism and social evaluations of unknown languages”. Paper presented at the Sociolinguistic Symposium 24 in July 2022 at the University of Ghent, Belgium.

“Does Quenya sound ‘specially pleasant’? Design intentions and actual perception of fictional languages”. Paper presented at the Reading Fictional Languages conference in March 2022 at the University of Nottingham, UK.

“Attitudes towards new and unsettling languages”. Paper presented at the Sociolinguistic Symposium 23 in June 2021 at the University of Hong Kong, SAR China.

“Challenging Humankind: opportunities for Imagined Communities”. Paper co-presented with Dr. Sebastian Rasinger at the Sociolinguistic Symposium 23 in June 2021 at the University of Hong Kong, SAR China.

“Intelligibility and comprehensibility between foreign language speakers of English: Investigating proficiency levels” Paper presented at the EPIP6 conference (English Pronunciation Issues and Practice) in May 2019 in Skopje, North Macedonia.

“Comprehension in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Mapping Perceptive Abilities to Proficiency Levels” Paper presented at the Humboldt Colloquium in March 2018 in Oxford, UK.

“A challenging innovation: Second language speech within the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages” Paper presented at the AILA 18th World Congress of Applied Linguistics in July 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“Comparing L2-speech perception across different L1-backgrounds: Intelligibility and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)” Paper presented at the ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) 6th International Conference in May 2017 in Bologna, Italy.

“Exploring the design and the perception of constructed languages” Paper presented at the “Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA)” annual conference in June 2016 at the University of Liverpool, UK.

“’Sounds familiar, but I’m not sure I know the language’: Attitudes and prestige in familiar and unfamiliar-sounding languages” Paper presented at the “Sociolinguistic Symposium 21” in June 2016 at the University of Murcia, Spain.

“The CEFR: a European Framework in Asia?” Paper presented at the Faces of English conference in June 2015 at the University of Hong Kong, China.

“Attitudes towards conlangs and natlangs - a comparison" Paper presented at the 6th Language Creation Conference (LCC6) of the Language Creation Society in April 2015 in Horsham, UK.

“Global encounters: Languages, attitudes and the impact of linguistic research on public debate” Paper presented at the iMean4 conference in April 2015 at the University of Warwick, UK.

“Second language speech perception and the Common European Framework for Languages” Paper presented at the BAAL 2014 conference in September 2014 at the University of Warwick, UK.

“Why are alien languages inherently human? An experiment” Paper presented at the ‘Diversity in speculative fiction’ academic programme at the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (Loncon 3) in August 2014 in London, UK.

“Intelligibility in non-native accents of English: The role of L1-influence and listeners’ proficiency levels” Paper presented at the BAAL 2013 conference in September 2013 in Edinburgh, UK.

“Perceiving intelligibility and accentedness in non-native accents of English: A look at proficiency levels” Paper presented at the “New Sounds 2013” conference in May 2013 in Montreal, Canada.

“Perceived intelligibility and accentedness in spontaneous non-native English speech” Paper presented at “Experimental Approaches to Perception and Production of Language Variation (ExAPP)” in March 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

“Attitudes and perceived variation in non-native speaker accents of English”. Paper presented at “EuroSLA 21” in September 2011 at Stockholm University, Sweden.

“How to sound intelligent? Accent variation and attitudes towards non-native speakers of English”. Paper presented at the “Sociolinguistic Symposium 18” in September 2010, University of Southampton, UK.