German Linguistics - Pragmatics

Team

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Fuchs

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Fuchs

Junior Professor

Germanistische Linguistik - Pragmatik (JP)
Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum
Beethovenstraße 15, Room 1404
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97 - 37362

Anton Gerasimovich

Anton Gerasimovich

Research Fellow

Germanistische Linguistik - Pragmatik (JP)
Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum
Beethovenstraße 15, Room 1413
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97 - 37372

Office hours
nach Vereinbarung

Research

Pragmatics is a branch of linguistics that deals with the use of language for the purposes of social interaction. Acquiring pragmatic abilities means being able to produce and understand utterances adequately in context in order to communicate effectively with others.

The working group brings together expertise on pragmatic development in German-speaking children. The members are in close professional exchange and work together on research projects.

Members

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Fuchs
Anton Gerasimovich
Dr. Cornelia Schulze

Projects

PragIro – Acquisition of pragmatics in German. Child irony comprehension revisited

Understanding irony presents a challenging pragmatic ability, as it involves conveying a meaning opposite or at least substantially different to the literal words used. Irony plays an important role in everyday communication and impairments in irony comprehension can have negative consequences in social interaction.

PragIro systematically investigates children’s irony comprehension in German using the innovative research method LEIRO (Leipzig Kit for Testing Irony Comprehension), which we developed specifically for this project. LEIRO combines eye-tracking (eye movements and pupillometry) with child-friendly object choice tasks.

Across two sub-projects, we will examine the developmental trajectory of irony acquisition from initial, implicit comprehension to fully-developed, explicit irony comprehension in German. In addition, the relevant individual socio-cognitive and environmental factors in irony comprehension at different ages will be investigated.

  • Subproject A focuses on typical acquisition, putting the widely accepted thesis of very late irony comprehension to the test. 
  • Subproject B addresses irony comprehension in children with ADHD. Initial findings from previous studies indicate that children with ADHD show impairments in irony comprehension, although questions regarding the exact circumstances (delayed acquisition or completely deviant acquisition) and their potential causes are still unresolved.

Another research focus is on theoretical and empirical aspects of Easy Language. In this context, Julia Fuchs, together with Emmanuelle Canut and Juliette Delahaie of the Université de Lille and with Magali Husianycia, has founded the "Communication without Borders" Franco-German research group on Easy Language in the context of linguistic integration. Further information can be found on the research group's website.

Communication without borders

enlarge the image: The research group „Communication without Borders” in Leipzig in October 2023. Photo: Anton Gerasimovich
The research group „Communication without Borders” in Leipzig in October 2023. Photo: Anton Gerasimovich

Another research object is hate speech, which Julia Fuchs examines from a linguistic perspective. Currently, she is particularly interested in those statements that appear to be worthy of punishment, but which cannot be prosecuted under criminal law. In this context, I cooperate with Hannah Heuser, who works as a research assistant at the Chair of German and Foreign Criminal Law, Criminal Procedural Law, Economic Criminal Law and Media Criminal Law at Leipzig University.

Julia Fuchs is a member of the International Pragmatics Association and the German Linguistic Society.

Julia Fuchs has been a reviewer for the journals

  • Autism & Developmental Language Impairments
  • Autism Research
  • Disabilities
  • Frontiers in Communication
  • Journal of Language and Social Psychology
  • Nordic Journal of Linguistics
  • PLOS ONE
  • Pragmatics & Cognition
  • Swiss Science Foundation / Schweizerischer Nationalfonds
  • Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik.

Transfer

We transfer our knowledge from research and teaching to society.

In 2023, Julia Fuchs received one of Leipzig University's two transfer prizes. The prizes are € 15,000 each.

enlarge the image: Julia Fuchs received one of Leipzig University's two transfer prizes in 2023. Photo: J. E. Mathias
enlarge the image: Award ceremony of the two transfer prizes of Leipzig University on 04.12.2023. Photo: J. E. Mathias

As part of the project „From Science to Society: Student podcasts about linguistics” and the seminar „Destructive Linguistic Communication: Hate Speech” (Summer Term 2023), a popular science podcast on hate speech from a linguistic perspective has been created in cooperation with radio mephisto 97.6.

Article on the project in the Uni-Magazin

Podcast on Spotify

In the context of the call for proposals „Élysée-Vertrag – Zusammen den Blick in die Zukunft richten”, the Franco-German University (FGU) funded the project „Let's keep it simple! Participatory workshops on Easy Language in France (Lille) and Germany (Leipzig)”. Together with professors Emmanuelle Canut and Juliette Delahaie from the Université de Lille and Magali Husianycia from the Association AsFoRel in Nancy, Julia Fuchs organised participatory transfer workshops in Leipzig (9 October 2023) and in Lille (20 October 2023) for  professionals from the field.

enlarge the image: Participatory workshop with practioners from the field in Leipzig. Photo: Cedric Jürgensen
enlarge the image: Linguists and practioners excange ideas on Easy language. Photo: Cedric Jürgensen

At the conference on communication organised by the „Werkstätten für behinderte Menschen Sachsen” on 20.06.2023, Julia Fuchs gave a workshop on Easy Language for target groups of this form of barrier-free communication.

enlarge the image: Workshop on Easy Language at the „Fachtag Kommunikation” in Dresden in Junge 2023. Photo: Emma Kärgling
Workshop on Easy Language at the „Fachtag Kommunikation” in Dresden in Junge 2023. Photo: Emma Kärgling

As part of the „Seniorenakademie”, Julia Fuchs will give a lecture on 14.12.2023 on the topic of „Easy Language – from the perspective of (psycho-)linguistics”.

Julia Fuchs also advises the University of Leipzig's Equal Opportunities, Diversity and Family Office on Easy Language.

As part of the Leipzig Children’s University, Julia Fuchs will give a lecture on 23 June 2023 on the topic „Irony. How can you say something and mean something completely different at the same time?”.

You can register here.

contact information and route

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Fuchs

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Julia Fuchs

Junior Professor

Germanistische Linguistik - Pragmatik (JP)
Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum
Beethovenstraße 15, Room 1404
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97 - 37362

follow Julia Fuchs on Twitter