Profile

Simon Oppermann

Simon Oppermann

Research Fellow

German Linguistics, Variationist Sociolinguistics
Geisteswissenschaftliches Zentrum
Beethovenstraße 15, Room 1407
04107 Leipzig

Phone: +49 341 97 - 37363

Send email

Abstract

For my PhD project, I am researching individual variation across the lifespan, i.e. whether, and if so, how individuals change their use of dialectal speech variants throughout their lives. Here, the focus is on linguistic (in-)stability in East-Central German. I am particularly interested in combining acoustic and quantitative approaches with more traditional variational methods of variation linguistics/dialectology.


As my corpus consists of speech data from the zoo docusoap "Elefant, Tiger & Co.", I have recently started to research animal-directed speech, mainly focusing on its (astonishingly underinvestigated) dialectal aspects.


My work is part of the IVaL-project, which aims to investigate individual variation across the lifespan and is funded by the DFG: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/549020991?language=en

Professional career

  • since 10/2024
    Research fellow in the DFG project "Individual Variation across the Lifespan (IVaL)", Project number 383554615, German Linguistics/Variational Linguistics (Prof. Dr. Beat Siebenhaar), Leipzig University
  • since 10/2021
    Research fellow, German Linguistics/Variational Linguistics (Prof. Dr. Beat Siebenhaar), Leipzig University
  • since 10/2022
    Course guidance (M.A. German Language and Literature), Leipzig University
  • 10/2022 - 03/2023
    Research fellow, German Linguistics/Grammar (Prof. Dr. Barbara Schlücker), Leipzig University
  • 10/2021 - 03/2022
    Research fellow, Historical Linguistics of German (JProf. Dr. Jessica Nowak), Leipzig University
  • 06/2018 - 03/2021
    Research assistant in the DFG project "Speech tempo and phonetic reduction in German". Project number 383554615
  • 06/2018 - 03/2021
    Research assistant, German Linguistics/Variational Linguistics (Prof. Dr. Beat Siebenhaar), Leipzig University

Education

  • since 02/2021
    Individual doctorate in German Linguistics/Variational Linguistics, Leipzig University, Supervision: Prof. Dr Beat Siebenhaar
  • 10/2017 - 09/2020
    M.A. German Language and Literature (Leipzig University)
  • 10/2014 - 07/2017
    B.A. German Language and Literature (Leipzig University)

Vorträge:

  • "Lifespan (In-)Stability of East Central German Lenition", P&P20, Halle/Saale, DE, 02.10.2024
  • "Animal-directed dialect? How zookeepers talk to their animals", ICLaVE12, Vienna, AT, 11.07.2024 (Zus. m. H. Bähr)
  • "Insights Into East Central German Lifespan Variation", ICLaVE12, Vienna, AT, 09.07.2024 (Zus. m. B. Siebenhaar)
  • "Individual Variation across the lifespan (IVAL): Insights from East Central Germany", CLARe6, Tübingen, DE, 11.04.2024 (zus. m. B. Siebenhaar)
  • "Lifespan change: Sprachliche (In-)Stabilität von Individuen im ostmitteldeutschen Raum", Dahlem Lectures in Linguistics, FU Berlin, DE, 07.11.2023 (zus. m. B. Siebenhaar)
  • "What’s that phthong? Automated classification of dialectal mono- and standard diphthongs", 20th ICPhS, Prag, CZ. 09.08.2023 (zus. m. B. Siebenhaar)
  • "Das Alter(n) als soziolinguistische Variable", Linguistik an der Philologischen Fakultät, Universität Leipzig, DE, 24.10.2022
  • „Lifespan change im Ostmitteldeutschen“, 7. Kongress der IGDD, Salzburg, AT, 07.07.2022 (zus. m. B. Siebenhaar)
  • „Lifespan change – insights from a panel study in East Middle German”, ICLaVE11, Vienna, AT (Online), 14.04.2020 (zus. m. B. Siebenhaar)


Poster:

  • "Tracing coronalisation across the lifespan", P&P 19, Bern. 07.10.2023 (zus. m. B. Siebenhaar)

  • Individual variation across the lifespan
    Siebenhaar, Beat
    Duration: 08/2024 – 09/2027
    Funded by: DFG Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
    Involved organisational units of Leipzig University: Germanistische Linguistik/Varietätenlinguistik
    show details

more projects

  • Oppermann, S.; Siebenhaar, B.
    What’s that phthong? Automated classification of dialectal mono- and standard diphthongs
    In: Skarnitzl, R.; Volín, J. (Eds.)
    Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Prague 2023. Prague, Czech Rebublic: Guarant International. 2023. pp. 3637–3642.
    ISBN: 978-80-908 114-2-3
    show details

more publications

  • Andere Ehrungen: Posterpreis des Digital Humanities Day Leipzig 2024 (2. Platz)
    Oppermann, Simon (Germanistische Linguistik/Varietätenlinguistik)
    awarded in 2024 by Prof. Dr. Manuel Burghardt (Computational Humanities, Universität Leipzig).
    show details

more awards

Supervised theses:

  • Vogel, Swantje (2024): Das sächsische Dialektmerkmal der Zentralisierung von o-Lauten in Animal-directed Speech: Eine quantitative Untersuchung anhand von Sprachdaten der TV-Sendung "Elefant, Tiger & Co." (BA)
  • Golbs, Sarah (2024): Gamersprache im Steam Workshop: Unterscheidung Genrespezifischer Ausdrücke in den Videospiel Genres Shooter und RPG anhand der Kommentare in den Steam Rezensionen (BA)
  • Bloßfeld, Sophie (2024): Registerkompetenz im Ostmitteldeutschen: Phonetische Analyse eines Sprechers in verschiedenen Fernsehformaten (BA)
  • Burkardt, Rosa Bella Cosima (2023): Verschwörung in der politischen Rede – (Sprachliche) Merkmale der Verschwörungserzählung, des Extremismus und des Populismus bei den Freien Sachsen (BA)
  • Bähr, Hanna (2023): Löwe, Erdmännchen & Co.: Animal-directed speech von Jörg Gräser (BA)


  • Instrumental phonetic analyses of the regional variation spectrum in Saxony (Summer semester 2025)

  • "Richtik" or "falch"? Standardisation and variation of German pronunciation (Summer semester 2024)

  • Regional Language / Regiolect and Dialects in Saxony: Collaboration with the Saxon Language Atlas (Summer semester 2023)

    Website: https://dsa.info/sachsen/ueber_uns

  • Phonetics and Phonology (Winter semester 2022/23)

  • Instrumental Phonetic Analyses of Linguistic Variation (Summer semester 2022)

  • Introduction to Historical Linguistics of German (Winter semester 2021/22)