Dr. Anne-Christine Gardner joined the project as senior researcher on 1 September 2020.
As a historical linguist I am particularly interested in making the voices heard of those who are not part of the traditional philological canon. In this project I investigate how the language of the pauper petitions compares to reflections of lower-class language (spoken and written) in contemporary literature and depositions. I will also take into account meta-linguistic comments on dialect, accent and colloquialisms found in pronunciation grammars and other contemporary manuals (see project description).
In previous post-doctoral research I investigated the linguistic choices, identity construction and the negotiation of social relationships of Mary Hamilton (1756–1816) and her social network. A one-time governess at the royal court and member of the Bluestocking circle, Hamilton belongs to the opposite end of the societal spectrum from the labouring poor. Nevertheless she is also an ‘unheard’, female voice in that her personal writings, unlike those of others in her network, were never intended for publication.
After completing my M.A. studies in English linguistics and musicology in 2006 at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg and Newcastle University, I received my doctorate degree at the University of Zurich in 2013 with a dissertation on Derivation in Middle English: Regional and Text Type Variation. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, I examined the diachronic variation of abstract noun forming suffixes of Germanic and Romance origin (for instance in words such as falseness and falsity). A particular focus was placed on determining the impact of translations, text type and other text-inherent factors on lexical choices and the creation of new words.
I have taught on a wide range of topics (both synchronic and diachronic linguistics) at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich, and the University of Zurich.