Lijun Li

Dr. Lijun Li

Postdoctoral Researcher

English Linguistics | Chair of Prof. Kortmann

Dr. Lijun Li is a postdoctoral researcher at the English Seminar of the University of Freiburg. Her research lies at the intersection of contact linguistics, World Englishes, and multilingualism, with a particular focus on Chinese substrates and translation-related phenomena in English varieties.

She is currently principal investigator of a DFG-funded research project investigating the re-enactment of grammaticalization processes in Asian Englishes, drawing on evidence from earlier stages of British English.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Contact linguistics; World Englishes; Chinese substrates; multilingualism; translation studies; historical sociolinguistics; grammaticalization.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

DFG Project LI 4123/1

The Historical Evolution of Singapore and Hong Kong Englishes: Archival Evidence for Contact-Induced Grammaticalization
(Principal Investigator)

This project investigates the role of the model language in processes of contact-induced grammaticalization, focusing on Singapore English and Hong Kong English. It examines whether the model language corresponds to speakers’ first languages (substrates) or to the language of replication (lexifier), and analyzes how grammaticalization processes may re-enact earlier stages of development. Drawing on archival data, the project identifies the factors shaping model language selection and evaluates the role of recapitulation in contact-induced change.

ACADEMIC CAREER

Since 2026
Postdoctoral Researcher, English Seminar, University of Freiburg

2021–2025
Research Associate, English Department, University of Kiel

2015–2021
Research Associate & Doctoral Researcher, University of Hamburg

EDUCATION

PhD in English Linguistics, University of Hamburg, Germany 2021
M.A. Multilingual Educational Linguistics, University of Hamburg, 2015
B.A. English and American Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, 2011