Grammar – structure and uses:
- Develop typology of verbs in Portuguese, inc. some subclasses (verbs of movement, transfer
of possession, location, …);- Propose syntactic, semantic and discursive criteria for the characterisation and distinction
between conjunctions, connectives and discourse markers;- Evaluate relationship between theoretical specification of the segments and their prosodic
behaviour (syllabic weight and word stress);- Analyse aspects of L1 and L2 acquisition and processing in phonology, semantics and syntax;
- Further research on adaptation of braille system to the symbology used in formal semantics.
Historical Linguistics:
- Structural and textual forms in different discursive traditions;
- Grammaticalisation of connectives and modal operators in the history of Portuguese
(texts from the medieval and classical periods);- Grammatisation of linguistic notions and expressions and evolution of grammatical
terminology in Portuguese (16th—19th century);- Study of linguistic relations on the Iberian Peninsula — emphasis on presence of Spanish
in the metalinguistic tradition of Portuguese (16th—19th century);- Analysis of manuals and other materials for language teaching (19th—20th century).
Social Applications of Linguistics:
- Linguistics and Didactics: application of reading-writing continuum in teaching of
Portuguese (L1 and L2), both to children and adults; teaching of foreign languages as L2;- Translation and Interpreting: machine translation applied to (non)-literary texts; forensic
translation;- Forensic Linguistics: cybercrime detection, analysis and deterrence; investigation of
cybermalice; hate speech detection and analysis;- Computational Linguistics: Generative AI, LLMs, MLMs, machine language understanding;
learning and teaching language technology; augmentation of translation and interpreting
practices; (inter)cultural and linguistic analysis.
Discourse, Communication and Society:
- Linguistic and pragmatic aspects of interactional discourse: conversational discourse
markers from a contrastive perspective;- Organisation and functioning of argumentative discourse genres (political, courtroom,
academic discourse);- Argumentation strategies in natural and artificial language; specificities of technodiscourses;
- Discourse as a factor of inclusion, integration and equality;
- Applied studies to the teaching and learning of Portuguese around the world.