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Josh Brown

Italian Studies

The University of Western Australia

I am a historical sociolinguist based at The University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia. My main research interests include the history of the Italian language, especially forms of language contact in the history of Italy.

 

My research makes use of digital humanities for exploring different topics in language history. My latest book is an edited collection entitled Languages of Renaissance Italy, published by Brepols in 2023. I also launched an online database for research into Mediterranean Lingua Franca, and co-hosted a conference on Digital Approaches to Multilingual Text Analysis (the recordings from the talks are now available).

 

My PhD investigated the process of Tuscanisation in merchant texts of the 14th century. This has led to broader research interests focussing on supralocalisation, language contact, and the role of non-literary texts in the formation of standard languages

My overall research goal is to provide new insights into language history by using digital tools and the findings from the study of sociolinguistics.

You can hear more about me and my research here, here and here.

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