Personal Page UU

Manuela Pinto is assistant professor Italian Language and Linguistics at the department of Modern Languages. She received a MA degree in German Language and Literature from the Istituto Universitario di Lingue Moderne (Milano/Feltre) and a MA degree in General Linguistics from Utrecht University. In 1997 she received her PhD in Linguistics from Utrecht University on the project Licensing and Interpretation of Inverted Subjects in Italian.

She has a solid theoretical background in generative grammar, but her research interests go far beyond syntax and include semantics, discourse-pragmatics, and language development. Since her appointment at Utrecht University she has been developing and teaching a number of courses on both Italian language and (Italian) linguistics. Her expertise and her work experience range from formal linguistics (syntax/pragmatics/semantics interface, grammatical development in L1, L2 and 2L1) to applied linguistics, intercultural communication and language teaching. Her current research interests focus on grammatical development in L1 and 2L1, particularly with respect to the acquisition of reference and of discourse-tracking devices. She is also committed to making scientific knowledge accessible to common people: together with colleagues Sharon Unsworth and Ivana Brasileiro she offers workshop about raising children bilingually and she is creating a virtual information service for bilingual families and other people interested in raising children bilingually.

Education

1992-1997 Ph.D. Linguistics, UiL-OTS, Utrecht University
Ph.D. Thesis: Licensing and Interpretation of Inverted Subjects in Italian
http://www.library.uu.nl/digiarchief/dip/diss/01751455/inhoud.htm  defended June 19, 1997.

1987-1991 M.A. General Linguistics with specialization in generative syntax and Italian syntax, Utrecht University

1980-1986 M.A. German Language and Literature with minors in English Language and Literature and in History of Art, Istituto Universitario di Lingue Moderne, Feltre/Milano, Italy

1975-1980 Liceo Scientifico “Galileo Galilei”, Belluno, Italy


Academic Positions

2012 Feb.- July: Visiting scholar at Linguistics, University of Florida, Gainesville, (Fl), affiliation Language Development Lab at UF http://plaza.ufl.edu/jrothman/LDL/research.html 

2009 Oct.-Dec.: Visiting scholar at Linguistics, University of Florida, Gainesville (Fl)

2008 Aug.- Dec.: Visiting professor at Linguistics, University of Florida, Gainesville (Fl)

2002-present: Assistant professor Italian Linguistics and Italian language, Utrecht University

2001- present: Co-coordinator language curriculum, dept. of Italian language and culture, Utrecht University

2001-2002: Lecturer Italian linguistics, dept. of Italian language and culture, Utrecht University

2000-2001: Co-coordinator Typological Database System Project:
http://www-uilots.let.uu.nl/td/index.html , LOT, Utrecht University

1998-1999 Junior lecturer Italian language, Leiden University

1998-1999 Junior lecturer Italian language and linguistics, University of Groningen

1992-1997 Ph.D. student, UiL-OTS, Utrecht University

1992 Junior lecturer Italian language, Leiden University

1989-1991 Teaching assistant General Linguistics, Utrecht University


Academic Teaching Experience

2008 FALL Semester at University of Florida:
LIN 4930, First Language Acquisition
LIN 6622, Bilingualism

2001- present
BA curriculum Italian language and culture:
Introduction to Italian Linguistics
Language Variation in Italian
The Structure of Italian
Language Acquisition & Bilingualism
Language course Italian for beginners
Language course Italian for beginners for the Minor program
Language course Italian IV (intermediate level)
Language course Italian V (intermediate level)
Language course Italian VI (advanced level)
MA curriculum Italian Language and Culture:
Intercultural Communication Lab
Italy-Netherlands : Intercultural Perspectives
Discourse Pragmatics
Sociolinguistics of the Romance Languages
Linguistic Aspects of Intercultural Communication
Bilingualism
Tutorials on Bilingualism

1998-1999
University of Groningen
Introduction to Italian Linguistics
Introduction to Italian Semantics
Language course Italian for beginners

Leiden University
Italian Grammar for advanced
Language course Italian for beginners


Organization workshops, conferences, colloquia, etc.
- Going Romance 2011, 25th Symposium on Romance Linguistics, forthcoming
- ISB7, International Symposium on Bilingualism, July 8-11 2009
- The Romance Turn II, Workshop on the Acquisition of Romance Languages. Utrecht September 7-9 2006
- Going Romance 2005, 19th  Symposium on Romance Linguistics, Utrecht December 8-10 2005


Other Relevant (Work) Experience

2010 - present Growingupbilingual.org information service on raising children bilingually (workshops for bilingual families and for professionals working with young children) with S.Unsworth and I.Brasileiro

2002 – 2008 President cultural association Dante Alighieri, Utrecht, www.danteutrecht.nl  

1998 - 2001 Research librarian for Romance languages, Utrecht University Library

1998 – 1999 Research librarian for Linguistics, Utrecht University Library

1986 – present Self-employed language instructor (Italian)

1984 - 1986 Language instructor (Italian), Volkshochschule, Köln (Germany)


Language Skills

Italian
oral: mother tongue, written: mother tongue
Dutch
oral: fluent, written: fluent
English
oral: fluent; written: fluent
German
oral: good; written: good
French
oral: fluent; written: basic