Svendborg
Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,616 (1 January 2025), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.) is a Danish
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
and
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
of
applied linguistics
Applied linguistics is an interdisciplinary field which identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. Some of the academic fields related to applied linguistics are education, psychology, Communication stu ...
at the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University.
...
. She has contributed significantly to the description of
Danish Sign Language
Danish Sign Language (, DTS) is the sign language used in Denmark.
Classification
Henri Wittmann (1991)
assigned DSL to the French Sign Language family because of similarities in vocabulary. Peter Atke Castberg studied deaf education in Europe ...
and was the only
sign language
Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...
linguist in Denmark from 1978 to 2004. She is considered an important figure in the development of Danish functional linguistics, and has also studied
autism
Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...
and the relation between
language
Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...
and
cognition
Cognition is the "mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...
semantics
Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...
and
pragmatics
In linguistics and the philosophy of language, pragmatics is the study of how Context (linguistics), context contributes to meaning. The field of study evaluates how human language is utilized in social interactions, as well as the relationship ...
. She is the sister of Troels Engberg-Pedersen.
In the media, she has participated in discussions of the use of
cochlear implants
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech unde ...
in deaf children and its effect on the status of Danish Sign Language, arguing that the removal of support for Danish Sign Language and resources associated with it has negative consequences.
Career
Elisabeth Engberg-Pedersen has a cand.mag. degree in linguistics and Danish from 1979 and was employed at the University of Copenhagen from 1983–1985 after which she was
assistant professor
Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea.
Overview
This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...
of the psychology of language 1984–1989. In 1989–1992 she was a research consultant at ''Døves Center for Total Kommunikation'' (Deaf People's Center for Total Communication). She was then employed at the University of Copenhagen again in 1992–1993 and received the dr.phil. degree ("higher doctorate") for her dissertation ''Space in Danish Sign Language'' in 1993, and was then associate professor in linguistics from 1994 to 2009 where she became full professor in applied linguistics.
In 2012, a special issue of the Linguistic Circle of Copenhagen's journal '' Acta Linguistica Hafniensia'' was published dedicated to Elisabeth Engberg-Pedersen on the occasion of her 60th birthday. She retired in November 2022.
Memberships, organizations and prizes
Several institutions focused on Danish Sign Language has had boards or representations including her. The Danish Sign Language Council within the Danish Language Council had her as chair from its inception in 2015 until 2021, and she was chair of the committee for the bachelor's degree in sign language interpreting and board member at the ''Center for Tegnsprog og Tegnstøttet Kommunikation – KC'' (Center for sign language and sign-supported communication - KC). In 1994, she received the Castberg prize (named after Peter Atke Castberg, one of the first to acknowledge and support Danish Sign Language) for her work on Danish Sign Language. In 2023, she received Einar Hansen's Honorary Award.
She is also included in the
Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters ({{Langx, da, Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab or ''Videnskabernes Selskab'') is a Danish academy of science. The Royal Danish Academy was established on 13 November 1742, and was create ...
(since 2011) and Krak's Blue Book.
As part of her academic work, she is a member of the editorial group of the journal ''Acta Linguistica Hafniensia'' and is chair of ''Martin Levys Mindelegat'' (Martin Levy's Memorial Grant).
Grants
Elisabeth Engberg-Pedersen has received a number of grants for research projects with her as the principal investigator:
* ''Language and cognition - perspectives from impairment'' (LaCPI), 2011-2014 - financed by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.
* ''Speaker(un)certainty in sign language'', 2016-2017 - financed by the Oticon Foundation (now known as the William Demant Foundation).
* ''Danish Sign Language and SignGram Blueprint'', 2018-2019 - financed by
Augustinus Fonden
Augustinus Fonden (English language, English: The Augustinus Foundation) is a Danish foundation based in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was created in 1942 by the owners of Chr. Augustinus Fabrikker, one of the three predecessor companies of Scandinavian ...
, ''Direktør Alfred Jacobsens Fond'' (Director Alfred Jacobsen's Foundation) and
Schwab Charitable Fund
The Charles Schwab Corporation is an American multinational financial services company. It offers banking, commercial banking, investing and related services including consulting, and wealth management advisory services to both retail and ins ...