Dr. Kathryn Burridge

Biography

Kathryn Burridge is a Professor of Linguistics at Monash University and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. She completed her undergraduate studies in Linguistics and German at the University of Western Australia and earned her PhD in 1983, focusing on syntactic change in medieval Dutch. In 1984, she joined the Department of Linguistics at La Trobe University and took up a Chair in Linguistics at Monash University in 2003, leading the Linguistics Program in the School of Languages, Cultures, and Linguistics. Her research primarily investigates language change, particularly vocabulary and grammar alterations, taboo and euphemism, and the socio-linguistic implications of these changes within Germanic languages, with a current emphasis on English historical structures. Kathleen is the author or editor of over 20 books on various aspects of language. Some of her notable publications include 'Forbidden Words: Taboo Censoring Language,' 'Gift Gob: Morsels of English Language History,' and 'Understanding Language Change.' Additionally, she is a frequent presenter on language-related segments on ABC radio and has appeared as a panellist on ABC TV's 'Can Help.' Kathryn has given a TEDx talk focusing on euphemism and taboo. Her expertise is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the context of communication regarding mental health and societal perceptions of language.

Research Interests

Experience