Dr. Bettina Beinhoff is a Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and works in applied linguistics; her main research areas are how language contributes to establishing identity and the social implications of bilingual accents. A few years ago, she started a project on constructed languages (like Klingon, Dothraki and Tolkien’s many languages) which led to a general interest in how constructed languages are designed and used in Science Fiction and Fantasy films, series and literature. Being a linguist, Bettina is also interested in how constructed languages from Science Fiction and Fantasy are used by the fans, specifically as a means of creating alternative identities. Her current project investigates how constructed languages are perceived across cultures.
Bettina is also the host of the eighth Language Creation Conference (LCC8), held at Anglia Ruskin University in June 2019: https://conlang.org/language-creation-conference/lcc8/
Selected recent publications
Beinhoff, B. and Rasinger, S., 2016. The future of identity research: Impact and new developments in sociolinguistics. In: Preece, S. (Ed.) 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.). 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.). Issues of Accents in English. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 120-139.