Kathryn "Kate" Burridge is a prominent Australian

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...

specialising in the

Germanic languages The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people mainly in Europe, North America, Oceania and Southern Africa. The most widely spoken Germanic language, ...

. Burridge currently occupies the Chair of Linguistics in the School of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

. Burridge's work has mainly focused on

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-sp ...

-speaking communities in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...

, grammatical change in Germanic languages, the nature of

euphemism A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...

and

dysphemism A dysphemism is an expression with connotations that are derogatory either about the subject matter or to the audience. Dysphemisms contrast with neutral or euphemistic expressions. Dysphemism may be motivated by fear, distaste, hatred, contempt ...

, linguistic

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

, 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 appeared weekly as a panellist on ABC TV's '' Can We Help?'', and has also appeared on '' The Einstein Factor''. She was elected a Fellow of the

Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities was established by Royal Charter in 1969 to advance scholarship and public interest in the humanities in Australia. It operates as an independent not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the Australia ...

in 1998 and Fellow of the

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) is an independent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the social sciences. It has its origins in the Social Science Research Council of Austr ...

in 2020.

Bibliography

Monographs

* * "Euphemism and Dysphemism: Language Used as Shield and Weapon" (1991, Oxford University 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 University Press) - co-authored with Jean Mulder. *"Introducing English Grammar" (2000, Edward Arnold) - co-authored with Kersti Börjars. *"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.

Book reviews

References

External links

Monash University Staff Page
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Academics of the University of Westminster Alumni of the University of London Australian Book Review people Australian non-fiction writers Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of the Humanities La Trobe University faculty Linguists from Australia Linguists from Germany Monash University faculty Sociolinguists University of Western Australia alumni Women linguists {{Australia-linguist-stub