Dr Falco Pfalzgraf, StEx (Kassel), MA (Kassel), PhD (Manchester)

Profile

Dr Falco Pfalzgraf is a Reader (Associate Professor) in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature (MLCL), School of the Arts (STA), at Queen Mary University of London. He is a specialist in sociolinguistics. His main research interests include gender-inclusive language across languages, linguistic purism and resistance to language change, discourse analysis, and the relationships between politics, language, and culture. He has also worked on textbook and schoolbook discourse analysis.

He is the founder and leader of the International Research Network Language and Gender: Academic Research and Practical Implementation, which brings together academics and practitioners from a wide range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds (see “Research”). Much of his recent research has focused on gender-inclusive language from a comparative and cross-linguistic perspective, including public attitudes, conceptual and terminological questions, practical implementation, and resistance to gender-inclusive language.

Dr Pfalzgraf's research on Austrian and German language-protection organisations has attracted international media attention. His work has been discussed in The Economist, The Guardian, Stern, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, and other print and online publications.

He has taught at university level for over 25 years, and his teaching is closely informed by his research. He has consistently received very positive student feedback and has been repeatedly nominated for teaching prizes. He currently teaches German Linguistics, English Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics at undergraduate level, as well as Applied Linguistics and General Linguistics at postgraduate level. He also (co-)supervises doctoral students in the UK and Germany, in areas within and beyond his main research interests and welcomes enquiries and proposals from prospective doctoral researchers.

Dr Falco Pfalzgraf is the co-founder and Programme Director of the MA Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) on which he also teaches a compulsory module.

He is Acting Director of the Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations (CAGCR), where he also convenes the research section Language & Linguistics. He has chaired the UK/London branch of the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS) since its foundation in 2010.

Dr Pfalzgraf also contributes to the wider academic community through a range of leadership and administrative roles. Within QMUL, he currently serves as:

– Chair of the School of the Arts Postgraduate Taught (MA/MSc) Exam Board
– Research Excellence Framework (REF) Impact Lead for the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures (UoA 26B)
– Careers and Employability Lead for the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures

 

Research

Research Interests:

My primary research interest is in gender-inclusive language across different languages. In particular, I am interested in attitudes towards gender-inclusive language, its practical implementation, and resistance to its use.

One strand of my research examines individuals and organisations that criticise gender-inclusive language in Europe and beyond. Although the linguistic and national contexts differ, the arguments used against gender-inclusive language are often strikingly similar. My research shows that many of these arguments also resemble those used in earlier instances of resistance to language change. I therefore examine opposition to gender-inclusive language in the context of linguistic purism and, more recently, the growing backlash against gender-inclusive language in a number of countries.

A second strand of my research is comparative and cross-linguistic. I am interested in the current state of research on gender-inclusive language in different languages, but also in questions of terminology and conceptual clarity. This includes, for example, the relationship between terms such as gender-fair, gender-neutral, and gender-inclusive language, and their equivalents in languages other than English.

Another important aspect of my work is the relationship between academic research and practical language policy. I am particularly interested in bringing together academics and practitioners from different countries and linguistic backgrounds, so that they can exchange findings and experience and identify areas in which their work overlaps.

To address these questions, I founded and lead the International Research Network “Language and Gender: Academic Research and Practical Implementation”. The network brings together academics and practitioners from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Since 2022, I have organised a series of international conferences and workshops on public attitudes towards gender-inclusive language, conceptual and terminological questions, research desiderata, practical implementation, and resistance to gender-inclusive language.

This work has also resulted in a number of edited volumes and other academic and public-facing outputs.

More information about the network and my other research on language and gender is available here.

Publications

Books

Currently in preparation: Resistance to Gender-Inclusive Language across Nine Languages: Discourses, Institutions, and Ideologies. [Edited volume].

2026. Gender-inclusive language. Findings from 14 languages and open research questions. [Edited volume]. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. (Trends in Applied Linguistics 47). 364 pages. ISBN 978-3-11-914921-1.

2025. Karl Tekusch als Sprachkritiker. Seine Rolle in Wiener Sprachvereinen des 20. Jahrhunderts. [Monograph]. Hamburg: Buske. (Greifswalder Beiträge zur Linguistik 10). 224 pages. Unaltered print-on-demand reprint of the first edition (Hempen 2016), now published by Buske. ISBN 978-3-69110-011-2.

2025. Gender-neutral, Gender-fair, Gender-inclusive. Towards Conceptual Clarity across European Languages. [Edited volume]. London: Palgrave Macmillan. (Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality). 265 pages. ISBN 978-3-031-91230-6.

2024. Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language. A Multilingual Perspective. [Edited volume]. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. (Language and Social Life 31). 417 pages. ISBN 978-3-11-120125-2.

2019. Der Verein ‚Muttersprache‘ Wien unter Vorsitz von Karl Tekusch und Erwin Mehl (1949–1984). [Monograph]. Heidelberg: Winter. 581 pages. ISBN 978-3-8253-6935-4.

2016. Karl Tekusch als Sprachpfleger. Seine Rolle in Wiener Sprachvereinen des 20. Jahrhunderts. [Monograph]. Bremen: Hempen. (Greifswalder Beiträge zur Linguistik 10). 224 pages. ISBN 978-3-944312-33-0.

2009. Englischer Sprachkontakt in den Varietäten des Deutschen / English Language in Contact with Varieties of German. [Edited volume]. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Lang. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart 12). 248 pages. ISBN 978-3-631-58132-2. Publication substantially supported by the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture.

2008. Anglo-German Linguistic Relations [Co-edited volume, with Felicity Rash]. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Lang. (Jahrbuch für Internationale Germanistik, Reihe A, Band 98). 184 pages. ISBN 978-3-03911-656-0.

2006. Neopurismus in Deutschland nach der Wende. [Monograph]. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Lang. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart 6). 350 pages. ISBN 978-3-631-54854-7. Publication fully funded by the Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture.

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles and Book Chapters

“Introduction and findings: Gender- inclusive language – Research and desiderata“. In: Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Gender-inclusive language. Findings from 14 languages and open research questions. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2026. (Trends in Applied Linguistics 47), pp. 1–20. DOI:10.1515/9783111701608-001.

“Introduction: Gender-neutral, Gender-fair, Gender-inclusive. Towards Conceptual Clarity across European Languages”. In: Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Gender-neutral, Gender-fair, Gender-inclusive. Towards Conceptual Clarity across European Languages. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2025. (Palgrave Studies in Language, Gender and Sexuality). pp. 1–23. DOI:10.1007/978-3-031-91231-3_1.

“Introduction and Findings: Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language – A Multilingual Perspective”. In: Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language. A Multilingual Perspective. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2024. (Language and Social Life 31), pp. 1–20. DOI:10.1515/9783111202280-001.

“Attitudes of the purist association Verein Deutsche Sprache (VDS) towards gender-inclusive use of German. A conceptual expansion of the term linguistic purism”. In: Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Public Attitudes Towards Gender-Inclusive Language. A Multilingual Perspective. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2024. (Language and Social Life 31), pp. 183–208. DOI:10.1515/9783111202280-008.

"Widerstand gegen die Verwendung geschlechtergerechter Sprache als neue Facette des Sprachpurismus. Eine Untersuchung der Positionen des Vereins Deutsche Sprache (VDS)". In: Muttersprache. Vierteljahresschrift zur deutschen Sprache 134:1/2024, pp. 1–18. ISSN 0027-514X.

"Der Germanische Sprachverein (Wien 1933–1948)". In: Muttersprache. Vierteljahresschrift zur deutschen Sprache 132:2/2022, pp. 97–122. ISSN 0027-514X.

"Karl Tekusch (1890–1977), his concept of Sprachechtheit, and the purism movement in Austria". In: Historiographia Linguistica 48:1/2021, pp. 60-82. ISSN 0302-5160.

"'Anglisierung' und 'Globalisierung': Aktuelle Diskurse zu Entlehnungen und moderner Sprachpurismus". In: Gerd Antos, Thomas Niehr & Jürgen Spitzmüller (eds.). Handbuch Sprache im Urteil der Öffentlichkeit / Handbook of Language Evaluation in the Public Sphere. Berlin, New York: de Gruyter, 2019. (Handbücher Sprachwissen / Handbooks of Linguistic Knowledge 10), pp. 291-308. ISBN 978-3-11-029615-0.

"Diskurse zum Mauerfall und zur deutschen Wiedervereinigung in englischen Geschichtsbüchern für allgemeinbildende Schulen". In: Matthes, Eva & Schütze, Sylvia (eds.). ,1989‘ und Bildungsmedien / ,1989‘ and Educational Media. Bad Heilbrunn: Klinkhardt, 2016 (Beiträge zur historischen und systematischen Schulbuchforschung), pp. 219–237. ISBN 978-3-7815-2085-1.

"Zur Situation der deutschen Sprachwissenschaft in Großbritannien und Nordirland". In: IDS Sprachreport 1/2016, pp. 10–16. ISSN 0178-644X.

"Zur Korpusdefinition in der Schulbuchforschung". In: Jana Kiesendahl & Christine Ott (eds.). Linguistik und Schulbuchforschung. Göttingen: v&r unipress 2015 (Eckert. Die Schriftenreihe 137), pp. 39–52. ISBN 978-3-8471-0515-2.

"Sprachwissenschaft und Sprachkritik in der britischen Hochschulgermanistik". In: Thomas Niehr (ed.). Sprachwissenschaft und Sprachkritik - Perspektiven ihrer Vermittlung. Bremen: Hempen, 2014 (Greifswalder Beiträge zur Linguistik 8), pp. 163–171. ISBN 978-3-944312-17-0.

"Anglizismen als Thema der Sprachwissenschaft und Sprachkritik". Aptum. Zeitschrift für Sprachkritik und Sprachkultur 2/2011, pp 160–176. ISSN 1614-905X.

"Ausländer, Fremde(s) und Minderheiten in deutschen Fibeln 1933–1945". Muttersprache 3/2011, pp. 161–192. ISSN 0027-514X.

"Linguistic Purism in the History of the German Language". In: Geraldine Horan, Nils Langer & Sheila Watts (eds). Landmarks in the History of the German Language. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Brüssel, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2009. (British and Irish Studies in German Language and Literature Vol. 52), pp. 137–168. ISBN 978-3-039-11890-8.

"Sprachpurismus und Globalisierung". In: Pfalzgraf, Falco (ed.). Englischer Sprachkontakt in den Varietäten des Deutschen / English Language in Contact with Varieties of German. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Brüssel, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2009. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart Band 12), pp. 215–225. ISBN 978-3-631-58132-2.

"Bestrebungen zur Einführung eines Sprachschutzgesetzes seit der Deutschen Vereinigung". German Life and Letters 61:4/2008, pp. 451–469.

"Einstellungen zu Fremdwörtern und Anglizismen. Anmerkungen zu einer Repräsentativerhebung des Instituts für Deutsche Sprache" (with Torsten Leuschner). Germanistische Mitteilungen 64/2006, pp. 85–107.

"Auffassungen von Laien zum Gebrauch von Anglizismen im Deutschen". Carol Fehringer & Holger Briel (eds.). Field Studies. German Language, Media and Culture. CUTG Proceedings, vol. 5. Oxford: Peter Lang 2005, pp. 29–49.

"Recent Developments Concerning Language Protection Organisations and Right-Wing Extremism". German Life and Letters 56:4/2003, pp. 398–409.

"Fremdwortdiskussion und Rechtsextremismus". German Life and Letters 56:1/2003, pp. 102–116.

Reviews

"Andrea-Eva Ewels & Damaris Nübling (Hgs.). Geschlechterbewusste Sprache – Argumente, Positionen, Perspektiven. Baden-Baden: Olms, 2024." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen. Zeitschrift für deutsche Sprache, Literatur und Kultur 51/2025, pp. 221–227. ISSN 0771–3703.

"Lesen lernen im Nationalsozialismus. Theoriekonzepte - Kindheitsbilder - Bildungspolitik, Kristin Straube-Heinze, Carsten Heinze, Bielefeld, transcript, 2021" Book review. Paedagogica Historica 57/6/2021, pp. 752–755. ISSN 0030-9230.

"Göttert, Karl-Heinz. Die Sprachreiniger. Der Kampf gegen Fremdwörter und der deutsche Nationalismus. Berlin: Propyläen, 2019." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 46/2020, pp. 273–278. ISSN 0771-3703.

"Trabant, Jürgen. Globalesisch, oder was? Ein Plädoyer für Europas Sprachen. München: C.H. Beck, 2014." Book review. Zielsprache Deutsch 2:41/2014, pp. 80–85. ISSN 0341-5864.

"Stricker, Stefanie / Bergmann, Rolf / Wich-Reif, Claudia. Sprachhistorisches Arbeitsbuch zur deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Heidelberg: Winter, 2012." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 39.1/2013, pp. 110–112. ISSN 0771-3703. 

"Wegera, Klaus-Peter / Schultz-Balluff, Simone / Bartsch, Nina. Mittelhochdeutsch als fremde Sprache: Eine Einführung für das Studium der germanistischen Mediävistik. Berlin: Erich Schmidt, 2011." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 38.1/2012, pp. 97–99. ISSN 0771-3703.

"Sommerfeldt, Karl-Ernst. Was ist dem Bürger zuzumuten? Sprachpflege im 21. Jahrhundert. (Sprache – System und Tätigkeit.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009." Book review. Zielsprache Deutsch 2:38/2011, pp. 92–98. ISSN 0341-5864. 

"Schröter, Melani / Carius, Björn. Vom politischen Gebrauch der Sprache – Wort, Text, Diskurs. (= Leipziger Skripten – Einführungs- und Übungsbücher.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2009." Book review. Germanistische Mitteilungen 72/2010, pp. 136–138. ISSN 0771-3703.

"James, Peter / Kaufman, David. Studying and working in Germany. A student guide. Manchester: MUP, 2002". Review. Deutsch: Lehren und Lernen 26/2002, p. 32. ISSN 0953-4822.

Other

Perspectives on The “Great” War. Selected papers from the World War One International Conference Held at Queen Mary, University of London August 1st – 4th 2014. Edited by Felicity Rash & Falco Pfalzgraf. 112 pages. Available online at <https://archive.org/details/perspectives-on-the-great-war-2014-selected-papers>.

"Deutsch lehren und lernen mit dem Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations". Deutsch: Lehren und Lernen Online 47/2013. ISSN 1461-9245.

"Deutsch lehren und lernen mit der Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache". Deutsch: Lehren und Lernen 45/2012, pp. 23–24 ISSN 1461-9245.

"Antisemitismus in Fibeln der Nazizeit". Eckert. Das Bulletin 08/2010, p. 42. ISSN 1865-7907.

"Vorwort". Falco Pfalzgraf (ed.). Englischer Sprachkontakt in den Varietäten des Deutschen / English Language in Contact with Varieties of German. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2009. (Österreichisches Deutsch. Sprache der Gegenwart Vol. 12), pp. 9–12. ISBN 978-3-631-58132-2.

Imagination in Romanen von Tim O'Brien. Staatsexamen (MA equiv.) Thesis. Norderstedt: BoD, 2009. 104 pages. ISBN 978-3-8370-9220-2.

"Introduction" (with Felicity Rash). In: Pfalzgraf, Falco & Rash, Felicity (eds.). Anglo-German Linguistic Relations. Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien: Peter Lang, 2008. (Jahrbuch für Internationale Germanistik, Reihe A, Band 98), pp. 9–11. ISBN 978-3-03911-656-0.

Public Engagement

Affiliations

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Member of the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed journal Germanistische Mitteilungen (GM)
• Member of the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed journal German as a Foreign Language (GFL)
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Cultural Relations Policy, Budapest
• Member of the panel for the Teaching Prize for German Saturday Schools (Samstagsschulen) in the UK
• Member of the Round Table of Cultural Organisations, convened twice yearly by the German Embassy in London
• Centre for Anglo-German Cultural Relations (CAGCR); Acting Director and Convenor for Language & Linguistics
• Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS); Chair of the UK/London branch
• Former Research Fellow at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute, Braunschweig (alumnus)
• Fördermitglied, Wikimedia Deutschland

Former External Examiner Roles

• External Examiner at Queen's University Belfast (2020–2025)
• External Examiner at the University of Cambridge Language Centre (2013–2016)
• External Examiner for German at the University of Greenwich (2008–2012)

Academic Societies and Associations: Current Membership

• The Philological Society (PhilSoc), since 2002
• British Association for Applied Linguistics (BAAL), since 2023
• Gesellschaft für Angewandte Linguistik (GAL), since 2021
• Forum for Germanic Language Studies (FGLS), since 2006
• Arbeitskreis Linguistische Sprachkritik (ALS), since 2012
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft Linguistische Pragmatik (ALP), since 2011