Background and activities

Academic interests:

  • Saami language
  • Semantics and pragmatics (linguistic meaning and meaning in context)
  • Pragmatic particles (e.g. jo 'after all/ as you know')
  • Metaphors
  • Language revitalization and language learning materials
  • Multilingualism
  • Research methods, linguistic fieldwork, (intercultural) research ethics
  • Inuit language; Alaskan Iñupiaq and Inuvialuktun
  • Relevance theory
  • Modality and evidentiality

Member of Språklig mangfold i skole og samfunn ('Linguistic diversity in school and society') and Indigenous Topics in Education

 

Teaching:

  • Teacher Education (current): Reading and writing in multilingual class rooms, rethoric, multilingualism, language attitudes, language change, semantics and pragmatics, metalinguistic awareness, Norwegian as a second language, Saami topics
  • Previous: EXFAC0017 - Introduction to the Humanities, Language and Literature studies, LING1114 - Pragmatikk (BA), LING 3309 - Pragmatics (MA), LING 1115 - Introduction to Phonology and General Linguistic Tools (morphology lectures), Mini Course in Semantic Field Methods, HUMSTART - Introduction to academic writing (seminars)

 

Projects:

► The Meaning and Function of Norwegian Tags 

Disciplines: Pragmatics, semantics, corpus linguistics
PI: Kaja Borten (NTNU) 
Funding: The Research Council of Norway (NFR)

 

► The Semantics and Pragmatics of Uummarmiutun Modals

PhD thesis defended December 11th, 2017. Available for download here
 
Main supervisor: Kaja Borthen (NTNU)
Co-supervisors: Kasper Boye (University of Copenhagen) and Alana Johns (University of Toronto).

The study is based on knowledge shared by Inuvialuit Elders Panigavluk, Mangilaluk, Kavakluk, Agnagullak, Suvvatchiaq and Mimirlina.  

The project was kindly supported by the Faculty of Humanities and the Department of Language and Literature at NTNU and by the Aurora Research Institute, and LingPhil
                              

► Uummarmiutun language learning materials

In collaboration with Panigavluk, Mangilaluk, Kavakłuk, Agnagullak, Suvvatchiaq and Mimirlina.
Funding: Aurora Research Institute and HF NTNU.
Download booklets here
Download pedagogical grammar explanations here

 

► The Semantics and Pragmatics of the North Slope Iñupiaq Postbase niq

MA Thesis (2012)
Available for download here
Popular scientific version available for download here 
Partially funded by Nordic Association of Linguists

 

► Relevance teory and/or authentic communication 

PI: Kaja Borthen
Funding: Department of Language and Communication studies (NTNU) 
Download publication here

 

Positions of trust:

  • Member of NOKUT's expert panel for quality assessment of Sámi Allaskuvla's PhD program in Sámi Language and Literautre.
  • Member of organizing committee Språkdagen ('The Language Day') at Dragvoll, 2015
  • Head of organizing committee Språkdagen ('The Language Day') at Dragvoll, 2014
  • Reviewer for Norsk lingvistisk tidsskrift (‘Norwegian Journal of Linguistics’), Color Language and Color Categorization, edited by Geda Paulsen, Mari Uusküla and Jonathan Brindle, and Contemporary Journal of African Studies

 

Grants:

 

Fieldwork:

  • Utqiagvik, 2011 (Alaska, USA)
  • Inuvik, 2014, 2015 (Northwest Territories, Canada)

 

Scientific, academic and artistic work

Displaying a selection of activities. See all publications in the database

Journal publications

Part of book/report

  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2017) Towards a Relevance-Theoretic Account of the Iñupiaq Hearsay Evidential Guuq. Applications of Relevance Theory From Discourse to Morphemes.

Report/dissertation

Others

  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2019) Metaforer og muligheter. Et bidrag fra teoretisk pragmatikk til undervisning i kreativ metaforbruk. NNMF 7: Morsmålsfaget som fag og forskningsfelt ; Trondheim. 2019-10-23 - 2019-10-24.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2019) Metaforisk mangfold i elevers skriving. Møte om norsk språk – MONS 18 ; Trondheim. 2019-11-27 - 2019-11-29.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2018) Norske småord. Signe Rix Berthelin, https://norskesmaaord.wixsite.com/lesdavel. 2018.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2018) Trusler mot språk. Temakveld: Er språket i forfall? . Linjeforeningen Gengangere; Ni muser. 2018-04-04 - 2018-04-04.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2017) Modal suffixes in Uummarmiutun – meanings and distinctions. Inuktitut Language and Linguistics Workshop . Department of Linguistics, University of Toronto; University of Toronto. 2017-05-30 - 2017-05-31.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2016) Modality in Relevance Theory - Papafragou’s (2000) model and Uummarmiutun modals. BETWEEN (STABLE) MEANINGS AND (UNSTABLE) INTERPRETATIONS . Department of Linguistic Pragmatics and Theory of Translatio; Krakow. 2016-09-15 - 2016-09-16.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2016) On two Inupiatun hearsay expressions. 19th Annual Workshop on Amarican Indigenous Languages . University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara. 2016-05-07 - 2016-05-08.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2016) Semantic and pragmatic fieldwork data and types of linguistic meaning. Language Documentation and Linguistic Theory 5 . School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; London. 2016-12-03 - 2016-12-04.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix; Steinar, Brandslet. (2016) Hvorfor forsvinner så mange av verdens språk?. Forskning.no [Internett]. 2016-04-07.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2015) How do you say 'must' in Inuvialuktun?. Public presentation. Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. . Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre; Yellowknife, NWT. 2015-12-10 - 2015-12-10.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2015) [Interview]. Trail's End. CBC North. Yellowknife, NWT Canada [Radio]. 2015-12-10.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2014) How do you say 'must' in Uummarmiutun?. Aurora Research Institute 50th Aniversary Speaker Series . Aurora Research Institute; Inuvik. 2014-11-10.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2014) On the modality of modal particles - the case of Norwegian 'jo'. Chronos 11 11th International Conference on Actionality, Tense, Aspect, Modality/Evidentiality . Scuola Normale Superiore; Pisa. 2014-06-16 - 2014-06-18.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2012) The epistemic postbase niq in North Slope Iñupiaq. 11th International Conference of Nordic and General Linguistics . Nordic Association of Linguists; Freiburg. 2012-04-18 - 2012-04-20.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2011) Evidentiality and Field methods. Lecture (Department of Linguistics/Alaska Native Language Center) . Alaska Native Language Center; University of Alaska, Fairbanks. 2011-11-21 - 2011-11-21.
  • Berthelin, Signe Rix. (2011) Linguistics – the Study of Language. Class visit at Barrow High School . Barrow Arctic Science Consortium; Barrow High School, Alaska. 2011-11-16.