Kate Burridge
Encyclopedia
Professor Kate Burridge, BA (Hons) (UWA
), PhD (London
), FAHA, is a prominent Australia
n linguist
specialising in the Germanic languages
. Burridge currently occupies the Chair of Linguistics in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University
.
Burridge completed her undergraduate training in Linguistics and German at the University of Western Australia
. This was followed by three years postgraduate study at the University of London
. Kate completed her PhD
in 1983 on syntactic change in medieval Dutch. She also taught at the Polytechnic of Central London
before joining the Department of Linguistics at La Trobe University
in 1984. In February 2003 she took up the Chair of Linguistics in the Linguistics Program in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University.
Burridge's work has mainly focused on Pennsylvania German-speaking communities in the United States
, grammatical change in Germanic languages, the nature of euphemism
and dysphemism
, linguistic taboo
, and on English grammatical structure
in general. She is currently co-editor of the Australian Journal of Linguistics.
Burridge is a regular presenter of language segments on ABC
Radio. She appears weekly as a panellist on ABC TV's Can We Help?
, and has also appeared on The Einstein Factor
.
She plays the hurdy-gurdy with the medieval music group, Carnevale, and does readings of Old English.
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
), PhD (London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
), FAHA, is a prominent Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
specialising in the Germanic languages
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
. Burridge currently occupies the Chair of Linguistics in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
.
Burridge completed her undergraduate training in Linguistics and German at the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
. This was followed by three years postgraduate study at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. Kate completed her PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in 1983 on syntactic change in medieval Dutch. She also taught at the Polytechnic of Central London
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
before joining the Department of Linguistics at La Trobe University
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a multi-campus university in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 1964 by an Act of Parliament to become the third oldest university in the state of Victoria. The main campus of La Trobe is located in the Melbourne suburb of Bundoora; two other major campuses are...
in 1984. In February 2003 she took up the Chair of Linguistics in the Linguistics Program in the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at Monash University.
Burridge's work has mainly focused on Pennsylvania German-speaking communities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, grammatical change in Germanic languages, the nature of euphemism
Euphemism
A euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
and dysphemism
Dysphemism
In language, dysphemism, malphemism, and cacophemism refer to the usage of an intentionally harsh, rather than polite, word or expression; roughly the opposite of euphemism...
, linguistic taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
, and on English grammatical structure
English grammar
English grammar is the body of rules that describe the structure of expressions in the English language. This includes the structure of words, phrases, clauses and sentences...
in general. She is currently co-editor of the Australian Journal of Linguistics.
Burridge is a regular presenter of language segments on ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Radio. She appears weekly as a panellist on ABC TV's Can We Help?
Can We Help?
Can We Help? is a factual Australian television series hosted by Peter Rowsthorn.It is in its sixth season in 2011 and is broadcast on ABC1 at 6.00pm on Saturdays. The program is driven by viewer questions and requests for help in regards to a wide range of subjects...
, and has also appeared on The Einstein Factor
The Einstein Factor
The Einstein Factor is an Australian television quiz show that was broadcast on ABC1. The show's host is comedian and broadcaster Peter Berner. It was first broadcast in 2004 and in 2009 the show commenced its sixth and final season, with the ABC announcing the program would not be renewed in 2010....
.
She plays the hurdy-gurdy with the medieval music group, Carnevale, and does readings of Old English.
Publications
- "A Localized Study of Pennsylvania German Dialect in Waterloo County, Ontario" (1989, The Pennsylvania Folklore Society of Ontario).
- "Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language Used as Shield and Weapon" (1991, Oxford Uni Press) - co-authored with Keith Allan.
- "Diachronic Studies on the Languages of the Anabaptists" (1992, Universittsverlag Brockmeyer) - co-edited with Werner Enninger.
- "Syntactic Change in Germanic" (1993, John Benjamins).
- "Canada – Australia: Towards a Centenary of Partnership" (1997, Carlton Uni Press) - co-edited with Lois Foster and Gerry Turcotte.
- "English in Australia and New Zealand - An Introduction to its Structure, History and Use" (1998, Oxford Uni Press) - co-authored with Jean Mulder.
- "Introducing English Grammar" (2000, Edward Arnold) - co-authored with Kersti Brjars.
- "Blooming English: Observations on the roots, cultivation and hybrids of the English Language" (2004, Cambridge University Press; published 2002 by ABC Books).
- "Weeds in the Garden of Words: further observations on the tangled history of the English language" (2005, Cambridge University Press; published 2004 by ABC Books).
- "Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language" (2006, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) - co-authored with Keith Allan.