Bjarne Simmelkjær Sandgaard Hansen

Current research

From 1/11-2017 to 31/10-2019 I occupy myself with a postdoc project on morphosyntactic changes in Middle Danish which is a subproject of the research project The Middle Danish language in the light of a modern theory of grammaticalisation funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark and managed by Professor Lars Heltoft.

Primary fields of research

Germanic and Nordic (incl. Danish) language history:
- Phonology
- Grammar, particularly nominal derivation and inflection as well as morphosyntactics
- Linguistic palaeontology (lexicon and semantics)

Teaching

GENERAL INFORMATION

Main fields of teaching and supervision:
- History of the Germanic languages
- History of the Nordic languages
- History of the Danish language
- History of the Swedish language and literature
- Gothic language, incl. language history

EXECUTED AND PLANNED TEACHING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN

* = guest lecturing only

- 2019                    Germanic language history (BA-level in Linguistics with Indo-European)
- 2018                    Supervision of MA thesis (MA-level in Indo-European Studies)
- 2018                    Supervision of BA thesis (BA-level in Danish)
- 2018-2019 (x2)    Norwegian and Swedish (Swedish part) (elective MA-course in Danish)
- 2018-2019 (x2)    Language 4 (Swedish part) (BA-level of Danish/Danish OU) 
- 2015                    Indo-European topics (MA-level in Indo-European Studies)*
- 2015                    Indo-European phonology (BA-level in Indo-European Studies)
- 2015                    Proto-Norse (BA/MA-level in Indo-European Studies + Danish)
- 2014-2015 (x2)    Roots of Europe (elective BA-level course + BA/MA-level summer course)⁽*⁾
- 2014                    Indo-European phonology (MA-level in Indo-European Studies)*
- 2014-2015 (x5)    Supervision of BA thesis (BA-level in Indo-European Studies)
- 2013-2015 (x2)    Indo-European morphology (MA-level in Indo-European Studies)*
- 2012-2013 (x2)    Language 1(BA-level in Danish)*
- 2011-2016 (x4)    Pre-Semester Danish Language Course (for exchange students)*
- 2010-2014 (x3)    History of the Gothic language (BA-level in Indo-European Studies)
- 2010                    Seminar on Germanic language history (MA-level in Indo-European Studies)
- 2009-2015 (x7)    Methodology and terminology (BA-level in Indo-European Studies +Finnish)*

MISCELLANEOUS TEACHING

- 2016-2017           Danish for foreigners, NSI Sprog- og Integratíonscenter (Næstved, Denmark)
- 2007-                  Freelance Danish teaching, with Swedes constituting the greatest number of course attendants, for the Swedish company Aktivt Språk (Malmö, Sweden)

CV

VOCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Postdoctoral fellow
Nov. 2017 - Oct. 2019
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Subproject of The Middle Danish language in the light of a modern theory of grammaticalisation dealing with morphosyntactic changes in Middle Danish.

Teacher of Danish for foreigners
Jun. 2016 - Oct. 2017
NSI Sprog- og Integrationscenter, Næstved, Denmark
Assignments: Teaching Danish to foreigners, testing, developping new teaching materials, leading projects on online and blended learning etc.

Postdoctoral fellow
Jul. 2014 - Jun. 2016
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Project title: Gender, kinship and life phases in Old Germanic society (subproject of Individual, kin and family in prehistoric Europe - what words can tell).

External lecturer
Mar. 2014 - Jun. 2014
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Assignments: Teaching a course on Gothic.

Ph.D. fellow
Sep. 2010 - Mar. 2014
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Project title: Archaisms and innovations: four interconnected studies on Germanic historical phonology and morphology.

Research assistant
Jul. 2009 - Aug. 2010
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Assignments: Research, dissemination, and administration at the research centre Roots of Europe - Language, Culture, and Migrations.

Student assistant
Jul. 2008 - Jun. 2009
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Assignments: Project secretary of the research centre Roots of Europe - Language, Culture, and Migrations.

Tourist guide and ticket vendor 
Mar. 2008 - Jun. 2008
DFDS Canal Tours A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark
Assignments: Tourist guiding in Danish, English, German, French, and Swedish at the Copenhagen harbour and canal tours; administrative database tasks in addition.

Secretary of SPS (special paedagogical support)
Sep. 2007 - Jun. 2008
Bruger- og hjælperformidlingen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Assignments: Special tuition of a student of Indo-European Linguistics with special needs.

Freelance teacher of Danish
Jan. 2007 -
Aktivt Språk, Malmö, Sweden
Assignments: Teaching Danish language and culture, with Swedes and Germans constituting the greatest number of course attendants; lessons for individuals as well as for groups.

Student assistant
Jan. 2007 - Feb. 2008
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Assignments: Digitalisation of the book stock at the former Library of Linguistics, University of Copenhagen.

Tutor
Aug. 2004 - Jun. 2005
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Assignments: General, introductory, and professional guidance of first-year students of General and Indo-European Linguistics at the University of Copenhagen.


EDUCATION

Ph.D. programme at the Faculty of Humanities
Sep. 2010 - Apr. 2014
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Academic degree: Ph.D. (Jun. 2014).

Indo-European Linguistics
Sep. 2003 - Jun. 2009
University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Academic degrees: Mag.art./MA (Jun. 2009) and BA (Jul. 2006). 

Swedish and Icelandic
Sep. 2005 - Jun. 2006
Lund University, Lund, Sweden
Description: Degree courses of 60 ECTS points altogether in Icelandic and in Swedish for international students; these courses constitute the mandatory elective element of my Danish bachelor's degree programme.


OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

Nomination for 'Årets Harald'
Jun. 2015
Description: Nominated for the prize for the best lteacher of the year at the University of Copenhagen.

University of Copenhagen's gold medal for price dissertation
Nov. 2007
Description: Entry of a price dissertation issued by the University of Copenhagen on the subject of Proto-Germanic phonology (Nov. 2005 - Jan. 2007). The entry was awarded with the university's gold medal.
Title of the price dissertation: Protoindoeuropæiske laryngaler i germansk - en oversigt over laryngalernes udvikling fra protoindoeuropæisk til protogermansk.

Fields of interest

History of the Germanic and Nordic languages, incl. Danish:
- Phonology (Umlaut and Auslaut processes in particular)
- Grammar, escpecially morphosyntactics
- Lexicon/etymology
- Internal grouping/branching of the Germanic languages

Languages/dialects of particular interest:
- The early Runic language of Scandinavia (~ "Proto Norse")
- Old West Norse
- Elfdalian (Övdalska)
- Gothic, incl. Crimean Gothic

Indo-European historical and comparative linguistics:
- Phonology
- Grammar
- Lexicon/etymology
- Morphonology and internal reconstruction

Genetic kinship and classification of languages, incl. long-range comparison

Linguistic variation:
- Dialectology
- Sociolinguistics

Norse mythology

Indo-European and other types of prehistoric culture

Molecular anthropology (genetics)

The applicabilty of knowledge on the history of languages to society

Knowledge of languages

Danish
- Mother tongue

English
- Fluent, orally as well as in reading/writing

German
- Almost fluent, orally as well as in reading/writing

French
- Decent proficiency in reading and writing; oral proficiency only rudimentary

Swedish
- Fluent, orally as well as in reading/writing

Norwegian
- Decent receptive proficiency, orally as well as in reading

Icelandic
- Decent proficiency in reading and writing; oral proficiency only rudimentary

Elfdalian
- Decent proficiency in reading and writing

Ancient Indo-European languages (Latin, Ancient Greek, Gothic, Old Norse, Old High German, Old Saxon, Old English, Old Frisian, Sanskrit/Old Indic, Avestan/Old Iranian, Old Irish, Hittite etc.)
- Decent proficiency in reading