Stefan Semmelmann

Research Interests

• Variation linguistics
• Minority language research (with a sociolinguistic focus on standardisation and revitalisation processes)
• Graphematics and orthography

Research stays

Doctoral project

Working title of the dissertation project: Writing systems and writing ideologies of Alpine German minority languages in Friuli-Venezia Giulia - (Metalinguistic) positioning and discursive negotiation

Abstract: The dissertation analyses the writing of Alpine German minority languages in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Sappada/Plodn, Sauris/Zahre, Timau/Tischlbong) as a contact linguistic and ideological-discursive negotiation process in which writing systems are not merely functional representations of spoken language, but act as semiotic means of meta-linguistic positioning. The focus is on the question of how linguistic affiliation, autonomy and authenticity are constructed and negotiated through graphemic decisions - especially in the area of phoneme-grapheme correspondences and through orientation towards or distancing oneself from established contact orthographies. Based on the reconstruction and comparison of historical and recent writing systems, the study combines a system-graphematic analysis with a sociographical approach to the ideological-discursive negotiation of writing norms.

Memberships

Member of the (German) Language Minority Research Network (external link, opens in a new window)

Member of the International Society for Dialectology of German (IGDD) (external link, opens in a new window)

Awards and scholarships

Recognition award for the best academic work in the field of language minority research, De zahre reidet (nou)! Language planning measures for the standardisation and (re)vitalisation of an Alpine minority language (written thesis), awarded by the Association for the Study of Language and Names in Austria (VESNA) (external link, opens in a new window), 7 September 2023, Hermagor.

Scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation (03/2021 to 03/2023)

Scholarship holder of the Max Weber Programme Bavaria (04/2021 to 03/2023)

Essays

(i. Dr.): "Language preservation as a question of status. Language planning measures of Alpine German minorities in Friuli-Venezia Giulia between symbolic representation and transmission. In: European Journal for Minority Issues 19, 2026/1-2, 93-135.

(2024): "De Zahre reidet (nou)! Language planning measures for the standardisation and (re)vitalisation of an Alpine minority language." In: Wildfeuer, Alfred & Sebastian Franz (eds.): Standardisierung und (Re-)Vitalisierung von kleinen Sprachen - Standardisation and (re-)vitalization of small languages (external link, opens in a new window) (= Germanistische Linguistik 1/2024). Baden-Baden: Olms/Nomos, 101-131.

Lectures

01/2026
"Der orthographische Diskurs in einer alpindeutschen Sprachminderheit - Schriftsysteme und Schrift-Ideologien in Sappada / Plodn, Linguistics Colloquium (external link, opens in a new window), University of Regensburg.

12/2025
"Schriftsysteme deutschbasierter Minderheitensprachen in den Alpen - Rekonstruktion und metasprachliche Positionierung", research colloquium & Oberseminar Romanische Sprachwissenschaft in the winter semester 2025/26 (external link, opens in a new window) (Prof. Dr Evelyn Wiesinger): Romance languages and literature meets Slavic languages and literature, University of Regensburg.

10/2025
"The negotiation of an own writing system as a (codificatory) emancipation process using the example of a German-based language minority in Italy", Arqus workshop on '(Romance) minority, regional languages and dialects inside and outside Italy. Between multilingualism, language policy, revitalisation and standardisation (external link, opens in a new window)', University of Graz.

05/2025
"How pure is an Alpine minority written language? Normative networks and graphical ideologies in a German-based minority language in Friuli-Venezia Giulia" (Sappada/Plodn), International Conference "Purity in Minoritised Languages" (external link, opens in a new window), Europa-Universität Flensburg.

11/2023
"Standard und Standardisierung im (alpinen) Minderheitensprachenkontext", presentation of the dissertation project at the 12th workshop of the network 'Sprachwissenschaftliche Doktorand:innen der Wiener German language and literature and friends', Hofburg Vienna.

06/2023
"Zur Kodifizierung der zahrar sproche - Perspektiven auf die Standardisierung einer Minderheitensprache", colloquium of the network (German) language minority research, online.

05/2023
"Variation in the codification of the zahrar sproche and its acceptance", as part of the presentation of the Zahrar Grammatik Learn de zahrar sproche/Grammatica della lingua saurana of the Sprachinselverein Wien, University of Vienna.

Poster

10/2023
"Taitc, taič oder taitsch ? Varianz in der Kodifizierung der zahrar sproche und deren Akzeptanz", German Abroad 5 - Extraterritoriale Varietäten des Deutschen weltweit, Universität Eichstätt/Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.

Winter term 2026/27
Foreign structures in German (thematic exercise with linguistic reference) [compact course]

Summer semester 2026
Alpine German minority languages (thematic exercise)

Winter term 2025/26
Fremdwort - Lehnwort - Erbwort (thematic exercise with reference to linguistics)

Summer term 2025
(Inflectional) morphology of word types diachronically (thematic exercise with reference to linguistics)

Winter semester 2024/25
Syntax diachronically (thematic exercise with reference to linguistics)

Summer semester 2024
Standardisation and codification (thematic exercise with reference to linguistics)