Skip navigation

Svetoslava Antonova-Baumann

PhD

Svetoslava Antonova -Baumann , Northumbria UniversityHaving always been interested in languages, I jumped at the opportunity to study for an undergraduate degree in a language different from my native Bulgarian, in a foreign country – Germany. In 2008 I was awarded a Scholarship from the University of Mannheim for the best grades in my course. A Master’s degree later, I was honoured to receive a fully-funded PhD studentship at Northumbria University in 2011.

My research interests include Cognitive Linguistics (more specifically, the relationship between language and cognition) and bilingualism.

Qualifications

BA in English and American Studies with a focus on Linguistics, Mannheim University, Germany – 2009
MA in English Linguistics, Stockholm University, Sweden - 2011

Thesis

Title: Word formation and cognition: A cross-linguistic study of the effects of compounds and nominal phrases on cognition

My research project aims at exploring the implications of different native languages — English, Swedish, German and Bulgarian — on cognition in the form of domain associations invoked by compound words and nominal phrases, as well as memory for ‘wholes’ versus ‘parts’. The project investigates the relationship between the use of nominal phrases and compounds on the one hand, and conceptualisation, on the other. Some languages, such as German or Swedish, tend to express concepts by using compounds instead of phrases. By contrast, other languages, for example Bulgarian, have a preference for nominal phrases rather than compounds. English seems to occupy an intermediate position, utilising both compounds and phrases. The crucial question is whether these formal differences outlined above have any bearing on cognition. Exploring different types of word formation and their relation to conceptualisation will add a further dimension to the debate on language and thought, especially in the realm of thinking for speaking, i.e. online thought processes recruited prior to language production and comprehension.

Contact

Faculty of Arts, Design & Social Sciences
Northumbria University
The Glenamara Centre
Lipman Building, room 127
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST
svetoslava.antonova-baumann@northumbria.ac.uk

Supervisors

Prof Ewa Dabrowska (Primary)
Dr James Street (Secondary)


a sign in front of a crowd
+

Northumbria Open Days

Open Days are a great way for you to get a feel of the University, the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the course(s) you are interested in.

a person sitting at a table using a laptop
+
NU World Virtual Tours
+

Virtual Tour

Get an insight into life at Northumbria at the click of a button! Come and explore our videos and 360 panoramas to immerse yourself in our campuses and get a feel for what it is like studying here using our interactive virtual tour.

Latest News and Features

On World Mental Health Day, 10 October, a study involving experts from Northumbria University and led by Professor of Substance Use Research Elizabeth Hughes, from Glasgow Caledonian University, was published by funders the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
CCE1 generic
The 2024 International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) conference was hosted by Northumbria University.
the logo for Sounds Good Audiobooks
A person going into an MRI scanner
Community Practitioners in Belfast
More news

Back to top