Prof. Dr. Anne Barron

21335 Lüneburg, Universitätsallee 1, C1.122
Fon +49.4131.677-2662, anne.barron@leuphana.de
Professor, Professorship of English Linguistics
Associated member, Center for Methods
Associated member, Institute of Philosophy and Art History

Table of contents for this page

Vita

 
Employment and Positions

  • since 2011: Professor of English Linguistics (W3) at the Leuphana University Lüneburg
  • 2011-2015: Academic Director of the Language Center, Leuphana University Lüneburg
  • 2010-2011: Professor of English Linguistics (W2) at the University of Bayreuth 
  • 2001-2009:Assistant Professor (akademische Rätin/ wissenschaftliche Assistentin) for Applied English Linguistics at the University of Bonn 
  • 2006-2007: Visiting Professor (Vertretungsprofessorin) of English Linguistics at the University of Frankfurt a.M.
  • 1998-2000: Research Assistant (wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin) for Applied English Linguistics at the University of Bonn
  • 1997-1998: Part-time lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown, Belfast
  • 1995-1997: Part-time linguistics tutor at University College Dublin
  • 1995: Translator/ English trainer at EVS Translation (Vick Sprachen), Offenbach a.M.

 Education and Degrees

  • 2010: Habilitation (post-doctoral thesis) in English Linguistics. University of Bonn
  • 2001: Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics. University of Hamburg
  • 1996: MA in German (Linguistics). University College Dublin
  • 1994: BComm in International Commerce and German. University College Dublin

International advisory work

 

Research Interests

Prof. Dr. Anne Bar­ron is Pro­fes­sor of Eng­lish Lin­gu­is­tics at the In­sti­tu­te of Eng­lish Stu­dies at the Leu­pha­na Uni­ver­si­ty of Lüne­burg. Her fiel­ds of in­te­rest are in­ter­lan­gua­ge prag­ma­tics (in par­ti­cu­lar ac­qui­si­tio­nal prag­ma­tics), se­cond lan­gua­ge ac­qui­si­ti­on, cross-cul­tu­ral prag­ma­tics, va­ria­tio­nal prag­ma­tics (es­pe­cial­ly the prag­ma­tics of Irish Eng­lish), so­cio­lin­gu­is­tics, dialec­to­lo­gy, dis­cour­se ana­ly­sis and con­tras­ti­ve gen­re ana­ly­sis (par­ti­cu­lar­ly pro­mo­tio­nal gen­res).

Projects

  1. Workshop “Exploring the Nexus of Social Justice, Intercultural Communication, and Sustainability: Perspectives from Lower Saxony and Scotland” at the Joint Forum Scotland x Lower Saxony, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 27.-28.11.2025
    Anne Barron (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Scientific event

  2. Georg Forster - Forschungsstipendium für Postdoktoranden
    Anne Barron (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Individual grant

  3. Georg Forster-Forschungsstipendium für Postdoktoranden (gefödert durch Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung)
    Anne Barron (Project manager, academic) , (Project staff)
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    Project: Research

  4. Georg Forster-Forschungsstipendium für Postdoktoranden
    Anne Barron (Project manager, academic)
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    Project: Research

  5. DigiTaL - Teilprojekt 10: DigiCLIL-Exchange: Vermittlung fremdsprachlicher, interkultureller und fachlicher Kompetenzen zur Vorbereitung und Begleitung studienrelevanter Auslandsaufenthalte im Blended-Learning-Format
    Anne Barron (Project manager, academic) , Torben Schmidt (Project manager, academic) , Nora Benitt (Project staff) , Jodie Birdman (Project staff) , Irina Pandarova (Project staff) , Onur Çiçek (Project staff)
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    Project: Teaching

View all projects

Publications

Books and anthologies

  1. Corpus Linguistics for Sociolinguistics: A guide for research
    Joan O'Sullivan (Author) , Carolina P. Amador-Moreno (Author) , Anne Barron (Author) , 2025 Abingdon , 283 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Monographs › Research › peer-review

  2. Special Section: Pragmatic Development and Stay Abroad
    Anne Barron (Editor) , 2019 Amsterdam , 120 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Research

  3. The Routledge Handbook of Pragmatics
    Anne Barron (Editor) , Y. Gu (Editor) , G. Steen (Editor) , 2017 Abingdon /New York , 580 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Book › Research

  4. Special Issue: A variational pragmatic approach to regional variation in language: Celebrating the work of Klaus P. Schneider
    Anne Barron (Editor) , 2015 Berlin [u.a.] , 174 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Research

  5. Pragmatics of Discourse
    Klaus Peter Schneider (Editor) , Anne Barron (Editor) , 2014 Berlin / New York , 400 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologies › Collected editions and anthologies › Research

View all publications

Journal contributions

  1. “I don’t feel like much of a gentleman (.) if I don’t pay (.) you know”: A Metapragmatic Perspective on Constructing Gender Identities in First Dates Ireland
    Anne Barron (Author) , Solvejg Wolfers-Pommerenke (Author) , 01.04.2026 , in: TEANGA (The Journal of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics), 13, 13 , p. 125–151 , 27 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  2. Payment offers, suggestions to share expenses and payment negotiation sequences on initial dates in Germany and the United Kingdom
    Anne Barron (Author) , 01.04.2025 , in: Journal of Pragmatics, 239 , p. 56-76 , 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  3. “I'll get it”: Payment offers, payment offer sequences and gender on First Dates
    Anne Barron (Author) , 01.01.2025 , in: Journal of Pragmatics, 235 , p. 4-25 , 22 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  4. Irish English and Irish Studies: exploring language use and identity through fictional constructions of laddism
    Cassandra S. Tully (Author) , Anne Barron (Author) , Carolina P. Amador-Moreno (Author) , 28.11.2023 , in: Irish Studies Review, 31, 4 , p. 555-570 , 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

  5. Responses to Thanks in Ireland, England and Canada: A Variational Pragmatic Perspective
    Anne Barron (Author) , 01.06.2022 , in: Corpus Pragmatics, 6, 2 , p. 127-153 , 27 p.

    Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review

View all publications

Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

  1. Variational Pragmatics and World Englishes
    Anne Barron (Author) , 26.03.2026 2nd Edition ed. Oxford

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  2. Connecting sustainability and culture: Building competencies through virtual exchange
    Jodie Birdman (Author) , Handan Çelik (Author) , Irina Pandarova (Author) , Anne Barron (Author) , Nora Benitt (Author) , Torben Schmidt (Author) , 08.04.2025 Cham , p. 729-747 , 19 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Chapter › Research › peer-review

  3. US English and Pragmatic Norms
    Anne Barron (Author) , 01.01.2025 Hoboken , p. 3937-3947 , 11 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  4. Directives in ELF Peer Feedback
    Ilka Flöck (Author) , Onur Çiçek (Author) , Anne Barron (Author) , 01.01.2025 Bern/New York , p. 205-238 , 34 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review

  5. Irish English and Variational Pragmatics
    Anne Barron (Author) , 01.01.2024 Oxford , p. 400-425 , 26 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Chapter › Research › peer-review

View all publications

Activities

  1. „Openings and greeting norms in initial dates in Ireland and the United Kingdom“
    Anne Barron (Speaker)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  2. “To burn but not to burn out: Emojis as affective signifiers in organizing for societal change”
    Hannah Trittin-Ulbrich (Speaker) , Anne Barron (Coauthor) , Sarah Glozer (Coauthor) , Karina Frick (Coauthor)

    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  3. Saying it kindly, saying It well: Teaching pragmatics for SUSTAINABILITY and GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
    Anne Barron (Speaker) , Onur Çiçek (Speaker) , Jodie Birdman (Coauthor) , Torben Schmidt (Coauthor)
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    Activity: talk or presentation in privat or public events › Transfer

  4. Corpus Linguistics meets Pragmatics: Developments, Trends, Challenges
    Anne Barron (Keynote Speaker)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

  5. "Don't worry, I will take care of this": First date payment negotiation sequences and gender in Nigeria.
    Anne Barron (Speaker) , Ezekiel Opeyemi Olajimbiti (Coauthor) , Ayo Osisanwo (Coauthor) , Akin Odebunmi (Coauthor)
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    Activity: Conference Presentations › Research

View all activities

Press / Media

  1. Review in Discourse Studies by Chaoqun Xie (2019): The Routledge Handbook of Pragmatics
    1 Media contribution

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  2. Ich will Signorina bleiben
    Interviewed once

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  3. Rezension erstellt von Xin Li, Shanghai International Studies University, zu "The Routledge Handbook of Pragmatics"
    2 times cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  4. Reviews in Discourse Studies by Annelie Ädel and Kari Dahle-Huff (2016): Pragmatics of Discourse. Handbook of Pragmatics III.
    2 times cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

  5. Review in Discourse Studies by Jixian Pang, School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China (2015): Public Information Messages: A Contrastive Genre Analysis of State–Citizen Communication
    1 time cited

    Press/Media: Press/Media

View all press/media coverage

Courses

Contrastive linguistics: Contrasting languages in context
Anne Barron
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This seminar introduces students to the field of contrastive linguistics, and in particular to contrastive pragmatics with a particular focus on its relevance for language teaching. While grammar and vocabulary are central to language learning, successful communication also depends on pragmatic competence—the ability to use language appropriately in context. Speech acts such as requests, apologies, compliments, refusals, and complaints are realized differently across languages and cultures, and these differences can lead to misunderstanding even when grammatical forms are correct.

Drawing on cross-linguistic data, we will explore how speech acts are structured and modified in different languages, how politeness and indirectness are encoded, and how social variables such as power, distance, and imposition shape linguistic choices. We will analyse data and consult empirical studies in contrastive pragmatics to understand where learners may experience pragmatic transfer from their first language.

A central aim of the seminar is to connect theory with classroom practice. Students will learn how to identify pragmatically relevant features in teaching materials, how to critically assess textbook representations and how to design classroom activities that foster pragmatic awareness.

By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to:
-reflect on the role of pragmatic competence in communicative language teaching
-explain key concepts in pragmatics and speech act theory
- analyze and compare speech act realizations across languages
- identify potential areas of cross-linguistic pragmatic transfer
- develop pedagogical tasks to teach speech acts explicitly and implicitly

Students will be expected to engage in empirical research, i.e. to collect and analyse data in groups. This empirical work will form the basis of the module assessment (cf. below)

The course is conducted through the medium of English.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-05-04 at 14:15
Room: C 1.312 Seminarraum
Language, Attitudes and Power
Anne Barron
⌄
The status of English as well as uses of English around the world have changed over the history of the English language. English is today an important language in communication around the globe, and Standard English a standardised subject, a desirable comodity and a source of power. The realities of the English language in today's globalised world, however, go beyond Standard English. There exist numerous varieties of English, from Malaysian English, to New Zealand English, to Chinese English, to British English. In addition, English is also used extensively as a lingua franca in native and non-native communication. In this seminar, we investigate the impact which colonisation, among other factors, had on the development of the English language, we explore the different uses and varieties of English from a linguistic perspective and we examine the power dimensions associated with Standard English and investigate attitudes towards different uses and varieties of English. Finally, we also look at the role which policies and educational contexts play in reproducing linguistic power dimensions.
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-05-04 at 10:15
Room: C 1.209 Seminarraum
Second Language Pragmatics
Anne Barron
⌄
In linguistics, the saying "Actions speak louder than words" conceals the fact that in using language, in producing words, we act and change the world. A request uttered by a friend has to be responded to; an apology changes the way we feel about someone. Second language pragmatics investigates how such abilities develop, what challenges learners face, and how instruction can support pragmatic development.

In this course, we look at how native speakers of different cultures "do things with words" (Austin 1962) and "how learners come to know how-to-say-what-to-whom-when.” (Bardovi-Harlig 2013:68-69). We also discuss how pragmatic competence, an important component of communicative competence, can be taught and we examine how well EFL textbooks are suited to the challenge of equiping learners for communicating in the foreign language.

By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to:

- explain central concepts and research methods in second language pragmatics
- analyze learner production of speech acts and identify developmental patterns
- recognize instances of pragmatic transfer and pragmatic failure
- design instructional activities to support the acquisition of speech acts
- critically reflect on the role of pragmatic competence in language education

Students will be expected to engage in empirical research, i.e. to collect and analyse data in groups. This empirical work will form the basis of the module assessment (cf. below)

The course is conducted through the medium of English.
Next appointment:
Tuesday, 2026-05-05 at 08:15
Room: C 1.312 Seminarraum
Sociolinguistic Variation: Theories, Methods and Applications
Anne Barron
⌄
This course deals with the relationship between language and society. We focus on the diversity found in language use in society and how this relates to the language classroom. Our focus will be on gender. We investigate how sexism is expressed and transmitted through language, how men and women use language differently in constructing their social identities and how gender is portrayed in children's literature and in the public arena.

Students will be expected to engage in empirical research, i.e. to collect and analyse data in groups. This empirical work will form the basis of the module assessment (cf. below)
Next appointment:
Monday, 2026-05-04 at 08:15
Room: C 1.209 Seminarraum