Theoretical and Applied Linguistics
The research conducted by the scholars active in the field of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics covers a wide range of areas, within which several common threads can be identified:
- A theoretical and empirical focus on multilingualism and cross-linguistic comparison in synchronic, diachronic, applied, and language-teaching perspectives;
- The interaction between different areas of grammar (syntax, lexicon, semantics, pragmatics, phonetics, and phonology);
- Translation studies, including interlinguistic, intralinguistic, audiovisual, and accessible translation;
- The design and use of linguistic resources—corpora, lexicons, databases, software, and AI models—for both theoretical and applied research.
Since 2003, the Section of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics has hosted the Master’s Degree in Theoretical, Applied, and Modern Languages Linguistics. Visit the Master's Program webpage.
Our research is structured across several specialized domains:
- Historical and Typological Linguistics: Silvia Luraghi, Elisa Roma, Simone Mattiola, Chiara Zanchi, Erica Biagetti, Luca Brigada Villa, Lucrezia Carnesale, Martina Giuliani
- Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, and Discourse Analysis: Maria Pavesi, Ilaria Fiorentini, Maicol Formentelli, Silvia Monti, Elisa Perego, Chiara Zanchi, Claudia Roberta Combei, Serena Coschignano
- General and Theoretical Linguistics (phonetics, phonology, lexicon, semantics, cognitive linguistics): Silvia Luraghi, Elisabetta Jezek, Chiara Zanchi, Claudia Roberta Combei, Erica Biagetti, Lucrezia Carnesale, Martina Giuliani, Costanza Marini
- Applied Linguistics (language acquisition, language teaching, psycholinguistics, usability and accessibility): Maria Pavesi, Elisa Perego, Stefano Rastelli, Serena Coschignano, Camilla De Riso
- Computational Linguistics, Digital Humanities, Language Resources: Silvia Luraghi, Maria Pavesi, Ilaria Fiorentini, Maicol Formentelli, Elisabetta Jezek, Elisa Perego, Chiara Zanchi, Claudia Roberta Combei, Erica Biagetti, Luca Brigada Villa, Lucrezia Carnesale, Serena Coschignano, Martina Giuliani, Costanza Marini
- English Linguistics, Translation, and Media Communication and Accessibility, English L2 Acquisition and Pedagogy: Maria Pavesi, Maicol Formentelli, Silvia Monti, Elisa Perego, Camilla De Riso
PhD Program coordinator: Silvia Luraghi, University of Pavia
Starting from the 2023–2024 academic year, the Section of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics hosts the PhD Program in Linguistics. Previously, as a department (until 2011), it hosted a PhD Program in Linguistics, which reached its 28th cycle, in collaboration with partner universities in Bergamo, Cagliari, Turin, Milan-Bicocca, and Bolzano. From the 2013–2014 to the 2022–2023 academic year, a PhD Program in Language Sciences PhD Program in Language Sciences was offered in partnership with the University of Bergamo.
Research topics: Language Typology, Historical and Indo-European Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Pragmatics, Applied Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics, Corpus Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, Language Acquisition and Teaching, Modern Languages Linguistics, English Linguistics, Translation Studies, Media Communication and Accessibility.
The Section is actively involved in numerous national and international research projects, collaborating with universities and research centers worldwide.
Explore our research projects here!
Students and researchers have access to specialized laboratories that support both theoretical and applied studies:
- Laboratory of Language Analysis and Resources (LARL)
- Laboratory of Exprimental Phonetics
- Experimental Linguistics and Language Teaching Laboratory (LLeGS)
Founded in 1990, Materiali Linguistici is a peer-reviewed book series edited by the Section of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics. The series publishes studies on the description and historical evolution of natural languages, embracing diverse theoretical and methodological approaches.
Key areas include:
- Language system description
- Language typology
- Sociolinguistics
- Semantics
- Pragmatics
- Language acquisition and learning
General Editors: Anna Giacalone Ramat, Elisa Roma
Editorial Board
Università di Pavia
Ilaria Fiorentini
Maicol Formentelli
Elisabetta Jezek
Silvia Luraghi
Gianguido Manzelli
Maria Pavesi
Chiara Zanchi
Cecilia Andorno, Università di Torino
Annalisa Baicchi, Università di Genova
Giuliano Bernini, Università di Bergamo
C. Roberta Combei, Università di Roma Tor Vergata
Sonia Cristofaro, Sorbonne Université
Pierluigi Cuzzolin, Università di Bergamo
Maria Freddi, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
Guglielmo Inglese, Università di Torino
Caterina Mauri, Università di Bologna
Vito Pirrelli, CNR Pisa
Michele Prandi, Università di Genova
Irina Prodanof, CNR Pisa
Paolo Ramat, IUSS Pavia
Andrea Sansò, Università di Salerno
Massimo Vedovelli, Università di Siena
Editorial Assistant
Ilaria Fiorentini (Università di Pavia)
Dipartimento di Studi umanistici – Sezione di Linguistica
Palazzo San Tommaso
Piazza del Lino 2, I-27100 Pavia; tel. 0382984484.