To content
Department of Cultural Studies
Empirical and experimental German Linguistics: Psycholinguistics

Univ.Prof. Dr. Barbara Mertins

Porträt Prof. Dr. Barbara Mertins © Roland Baege

Emil-Figge-Str. 50
Room 3.109

Secretariat: (+49)231 755 5873
Office: (+49)231 755 2916

E-Mail

Office hours: Please contact Johannes Hochmann if you have any student concerns, such as making an appointment or questions in connection with certificates.

Main areas of work and research

BMBF-Project: BeeMEHR
Project management

Current conference:
From science to practice - multilingualism in everyday education
24.06.2025, 09:00-16:00 at the International Meeting Center (IBZ) of the TU Dortmund University

Project information:
BeeMEHR – Warum Mehrsprachigkeit einfach mehr ist

psycholinguistics laboratories

Psycholinguistics

  • Language and cognition
  • Psycholinguistic foundations of learning (memory, conceptual preferences)
  • Language pathology
  • First & second language acquisition   
  • Bilingualism (esp. cognitive advantages, code-switching)
  • Intellectual giftedness
  • Spatial cognition

Methods of Experimental Linguistic

  • Eye-tracking
  • Experimental designs & methods

Contemporary linguistics

  • Temporality research (esp. aspect & tense)
  • Definiteness and specificity
  • Lexicon

Current Announcements

  • If you need a certificate of achievement, please contact Johannes Hochmann. (Email: johannes.hochmann@tu-dortmund.de)
  • Since winter semester 2018/19, a new, joint MA course in Empirical Multilingualism Research has been offered at TU Dortmund University and RUB. For information see EMF website.

 

Next office hours

Consultation hours take place digitally and by appointment only!

Scientific practices and academic career


Since Nov. 2014 to present
Chair
of Empirical and Experimental Linguistics of German - Psycholinguistics at TU Dortmund University, Faculty 15

Sept. 2014
Rejection of call to the University of Marburg: W2 professorship for DaF/DaZ

Dec. 2012
Habilitation with the thesis “Investigation on language and cognition using the example of event conceptualization and text coherence in German and Czech at the Faculty of Modern Languages ​​at the Ruprecht-Karls University of Heidelberg. Venia legendi for the subject German Linguistics with special emphasis on Psycholinguistics

Nov. 2004
PhD in psycholinguistics with the PhD thesis completed concurrently with the topic of “The expression of simultaneity in learner varieties” at Max-Planck-Institut für Psycholinguistics & Radboud University Nijmegen

Dec. 1998
Master in linguistics, philosophy, and the recent German literature at Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg in Breisgau with the research on “Context, Search Perspectives, and linguistic association activity”. An empirical work on the connection between schizophrenia and language processing.

Sept. 1993
- July 1998

Bachelor in German Studies ( specialization in neuro-linguistics), philosophy, the recent German literature at Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg in Breisgau

Oct. 1992
- June 1993

Education in the German Studies and the Bohemian studies at Charles University in Prague


Awards/ Prizes / Scholarships

2023
Gerda Henkel Fellowship, Guest professor in the Visiting Professor Series in German Studies; Stanford University

2019
Nomination through the students of German studies of faculty 15 for the Ars-Legendi-Prize for the excellent and research-based lecturer

2017
IDE Award for outstanding inclusion teaching

2014
Erasmus-Mundus research scholarship for the university of Haifa, Israel

2010-2011
Annual research scholarship; Center of Advanced Study, Oslo

2010
Nomination through IDF student council for the Ars-Legendi Prize for excellent university teaching

2009 & 2010
Each is a one-week residency scholarship from Charles University Prague.

2008-2009
Participation in the management program on the way to a professorship in the Excellence Initiative at Heidelberg University

2007
Klaus-Georg und Sigrid Hengstberger-Prize for the promotion of the best young scientists at Heidelberg University  

1999-2004
MPG PhD scholarship at Max-Planck-Institute for Psycholinguistics

1995-1996
DAAD-Scholarship at the Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg

The website of the psycholinguistics laboratories under the direction of Prof. Dr. Mertins can be found here:

div.kuwi.tu-dortmund.de/forschung/psycholinguistics-laboratories/

Linguistic relativity

  • bilingual first language acquisition of conceptual preferences
  • grammatical gender
  • movement events

Space and cognition

  • Differences in spatial cognition between experts and non-experts (together with Chair of Building Construction, Faculty 10)
  • The role of gender in spatial cognition
  • The role of language-specific differences in spatial cognition

Speech pathology

  • Language processing in Alzheimer's dementia
  • Language and space in WBS and Down syndrome

Further projects

The project "Wrestling with Language" approaches the topic of language and multilingualism in a new interdisciplinary context. Three forms of expression meet here: Science, dance and choreography as well as the visual arts. The aim is to enable participants to express their thoughts, knowledge and feelings on the subject in an artistic/performative way. The resulting video can be found at the following link:

Wrestling with Language

 

Guidelines on the procedure for BLS examinations

Download the handout on BLS examinations

 

BA- and MA Dissertations

Suggested topics for BA- and MA Dissertations

Please discuss the selected or planned topics of your dissertations during my consultation hours. I aim to integrate all the BA- and MA dissertations into my current research projects.

From now on, students who are writing an empirically based qualification dissertation with Prof. Dr. Mertins have access to various recording devices (video and audio) and microphones.

Download the BA- und MA-Topics

 

Information on the written and oral concept as module completion in MLS 1, MLS 2 and ASL

Information on these module examinations can be found in the following documents:

MLS
Information on the oral concept

Information on the written concept

ASL
Information on the final module

 

Professional internship in German studies

Information about the professional internship

Editor (together with Tanja Rinker and Sung-Eun Lee) of COGNITIO: Cognitive and Neuroscientific Contributions to Natural Language Processing (published by Peter Lang Verlag).

Since 2023 Prof. Mertins has been co-editor of the magazine Schnittstelle Germanistik.

Since 2023 Prof. Mertins has been associate editor of the magazine Psychology of Language and Communication.

Since 2020 Prof. Mertins has been part of the editorial board of the journal Open Slavic Linguistics.

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

  • Behrens, B., Mertins, B., Fabricius-Hansen, C., Hemforth, B. Understanding coordinate clauses in Czech, English, German, and Norwegian. In Hemforth, B., Mertins, B., Fabricius-Hansen, C.(eds.) Studies in theoretical psycholinguistics, Cham u.a.: Springer Verlag, 1-22.
  • Borthen, K., Hemforth, B., Mertins, B., Behrens, B., Fabricius-Hansen, C. Referring expressions in speech reports. In Hemforth, B., Mertins, B., Fabricius-Hansen, C.(eds.) Studies in theoretical psycholinguistics, Cham u.a.: Springer Verlag, 111-142.
  • Hemforth, B., Mertins, B., Fabricius-Hansen, C.(eds.) Psycholinguistic approaches to meaning and understanding across language. Cham u.a.: Springer Verlag.

2013

2012

  • Schmiedtová, B. Fünf Einträge für den Bereich kognitive Linguistik (Aspekt, telisch, atelisch, perfektiv, imperfektiv). In H.B. Wiegand & S. Schierholz (eds.) Wörterbücher zur Sprach- und Kommunikationswissenschaft.
  • Schmiedtová, B. Das tschechische enzyklopädische Wörterbuch – zwei Einträge: Methoden der Psycholinguistik; Zweitspracherwerb.

2011

2010

2008

2007

2006

  • Schmiedtová, V. & Schmiedtová, B. Určení jazykové základovosti barev v Českém národním korpusu. In Korpusová lingvistika: stav a modelové přístupy. F. Čermák & R. Blatná (eds.), Lidové noviny, Praha, 285-313.

2004

  • Schmiedtová, B. At the same time: The Expression of simultaneity in learner varieties. Berlin, Mouton de Gruyter. 

Here you can find all information about the BeeMEHR project

https://beemehr.kuwi.tu-dortmund.de/
 

Multilingualism is a human right - a manifesto in 4 chapters:
Youtube: Multilingualism is a human right
 

The importance of linguistic input for language acquisition in early childhood:
The importance of linguistic input
 

Methods in the Babylab - The head-turn preference method
The head-turn preference method
 

Podcast: ZEIT Wissen. Woher weißt du das? Wie Fremdsprachen dich verändern.
Podcast
 

Arte: 42. Die Antwort auf fast alles. Wie stark prägt die Muttersprache?
Zur Sendung
 

The link to the YouTube channel of psycholinguistics laboratories with videos on multilingualism and more:
YouTube channel of the psycholinguistics laboratories
 

The Instagram Account of the psycholinguistic laboratories
psycholinguistics_laboratories
 

The X Channel of the psycholinguistics laboratories
@pl_laboratories
 

Language as gravitation - Trailer of the psycholinguistics laboratories - TU Dortmund University
Trailer der psycholinguistics laboratories auf YouTube
 

Wrestling with language- an interdisciplinary project about multilingualism
Wrestling with language on YouTube
 

Inaugural lecture on January 15, 2016
Inaugural lecture of Prof. Dr. Barbara Mertins at TU Dortmund University on January 16, 2016, on YouTube

Teaching

Introduction to the methods and approaches of linguistics
Lecture

This lecture will provide an initial insight into the various methods of empirical and experimental linguistics. In addition, principles of good scientific practice will be explained and repeatedly addressed in the course of the lecture and their relevance will be illustrated using examples from research. Qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis as well as typical approaches to language production and reception research will be discussed. The focus of the lecture will be on psycho- and neurolinguistic methods.

 

Taking a closer look at multilingualism
Seminar

The aim of this lecture is to convey important findings from current research on multilingualism. To this end, basic terminology will be clarified and key questions from the field of bi-/multilingual language processing will be addressed and answered on the basis of empirical findings. In addition, the course will draw parallels to the social relevance of multilingualism at many points. It is therefore aimed at anyone who wants to dispel the still widespread prejudices, misconceptions, and myths and replace them with sound knowledge.

 

Research colloquium: think outside the box
Seminar

The research colloquium aims to bring together advanced students interested in new insights into a discussion space where the latest research topics are discussed from multiple perspectives. This semester, the colloquium once again offers participants the opportunity to look beyond their own horizons, with colleagues from both neighboring and very distant disciplines enriching the round with lectures and subsequent discussions. The format of the colloquium is thus a mixture of intensive text work on selected psycholinguistic topics and guest lectures by invited experts from various disciplines.

Introduction to the methods and approaches of linguistics
Lecture

This lecture will provide an initial insight into the various methods of empirical and experimental linguistics. In addition, principles of good scientific practice will be explained and repeatedly addressed in the course of the lecture and their relevance will be illustrated using examples from research. Qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis as well as typical approaches to language production and reception research will be discussed. The focus of the lecture will be on psycho- and neurolinguistic methods.

 

The so-called migration background (BA)
Seminar

This seminar will take a critical look at the construct of the so-called migration background.Data and essays will be discussed which show that this construct is no longer tenable and should not be used as an explanatory variable for studies such as PISA or IGLU.In addition, study results are presented and discussed that prove the stigmatizing and educationally detrimental consequences of using this construct.

 

The so-called migration background (MA)
Seminar

This seminar will take a critical look at the construct of the so-called migration background. Data and essays will be discussed which show that this construct is no longer tenable and should not be used as an explanatory variable for studies such as PISA or IGLU. In addition, study results will be presented and discussed that prove the stigmatizing and educationally detrimental consequences of using this construct.

 

The power of language
Seminar

This seminar will focus on the use and application of language in different media, nationally and internationally, in relation to the climate crisis.Together we will review many sources and data and examine how language is used and abused to steer and spread political and economic ideologies.

 

Research colloquium
Seminar

The research colloquium aims to bring together advanced students interested in new insights into a discussion space where the latest research topics are discussed from multiple perspectives. This semester, the colloquium once again offers participants the opportunity to look beyond their own horizons, with colleagues from both neighboring and very distant disciplines enriching the round with lectures and subsequent discussions. The format of the colloquium is thus a mixture of intensive text work on selected psycholinguistic topics and guest lectures by invited experts from various disciplines.