Elizabeth Lanza

Professor Emerita of Linguistics
Image of Elizabeth Lanza
Phone +47 22 85 67 51
Mobile phone +47 47 27 87 61
Room HW 446
Available hours By appointment
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Visiting address ILN Henrik Wergelands hus 1. etasje (ekspedisjonen) Niels Henrik Abels vei 36 N-0313 OSLO
Postal address ILN Postboks 1102 Blindern N-0317 OSLO

Elizabeth Lanza is Professor Emerita of Linguistics at the University of Oslo and former Director of the Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan (MultiLing) from its establishment in 2013 until her retirement at the end of 2021. She is a member of MultiLing's Core Group. In the first semester of 2024, she is a Research Fellow at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in South Africa.

Research Interests

Bilingualism/ Multilingualism, Sociolinguistics, Family multilingualism, Family language policy, Discourse analysis and interactional analysis, Linguistic Landscapes, and Research methodology

Background

Elizabeth Lanza is Professor Emerita of Linguistics at the University of Oslo. From June 1, 2013 until her retirement on December 31, 2021, she was the Director of the Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan (MultiLing) (opened 2013), funded by the Research Council of Norway's Centre of Excellence scheme. For the period of January 2007 to March 2008, she was appointed Director of the French – Norwegian Centre for Research Collaboration in the Social Sciences and Humanities/Centre franco-norvégien en sciences sociales et humaines in Paris. Lanza is an elected member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Lanza received her PhD in Linguistics from Georgetown University in 1990 with a specialization in sociolinguistics. Her main field of interest and research is bilingualism/multilingualism. Her work is mainly sociolinguistically oriented, drawing specifically on perspectives from discourse analysis/conversation analysis.

She is on the Editorial Board of the journals International Journal of Bilingualism, Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, Linguistic Landscape, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices, Multilingual Margins and Journal of Postcolonial Linguistics. She is also on the editorial board of the online Journal of Home Language Research and the fully open access book series Current Issues in Bilingualism. Lanza was also on the board of the former book series IMPACT: Studies in Language and Society (John Benjamins).

Lanza is a member of: Scientific Committee of the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa; External Advisory Board of the Center for Multilingual and Intercultural Communication at Stony Brook University, USA; and Advisory Board of the AHRC funded (OWRI Open World Research Initiative) research project Language and Community in a Globalising World, Manchester University, UK (2016 - 2019). She was in the Steering Group of the 4-year (2014 - 2018) AHRC funded research project Translation and Translanguaging: Investigating Linguistic and Cultural Transformations in Superdiverse Wards in Four UK Cities; Advisory Committee for the British Academy funded Special Research Project on the Cognitive Benefits of Language Learning, University College London, UK (2016 - 2017); . She was also on the advisory board for a nationally funded research project on sociolinguistic variation in cities, including multilingualism (UPUS).

Lanza was the leader of the local organizing committee for the International Symposium on Bilingualism 8 ISB8 held in Oslo on June 15 - 18, 2011. At ISB8 she was elected Chair of the International Steering Committee of ISB for a four-year period (2011 - 2015). During her tenure as Chair, ISB9 was held in Singapore in June 2013 and ISB10 was held in New Jersey, USA in May 2015.

Ongoing research at MultiLing

Lanza’s most recent work focuses on issues of language, culture and identity in multilinguals, with a particular focus on family language policy and language socialization. She has been the leader of the research project MultiFam: Family language policy in multilingual transcultural families, funded by the Research Council of Norway (2015 - 2018). She was the leader of the interdisciplinary project Language, Culture and Identity in Migrant Narratives, also funded by the Research Council of Norway (2008 - 2013). She was a member of the NordForsk funded research network Identities in Motion: Multilingualism, Multiculturalism and Mobility - the 3M network, and served on the Steering Committee as Associate Director of the network (2009 - 2011). 

Lanza's research also encompasses language policy more generally. She was involved in a project on multilingualism in Ethiopia, funded by the Norwegian Council for Higher Education's Programme for Development Research and Education, in collaboration with Addis Ababa University. She continues to work on sociolinguistic issues in Ethiopia, particularly on the linguistic landscape and language ideologies.

Tags: Multilingualism, Migration, Language Socialization, Family Language Policy, Language Ideologies, Linguistic Landscapes, Interactional Sociolinguistics, Discourse Analysis

Publications

Books

Special issues edited

Articles (selection)

  • Gomes, Rafael Lomeu; Lanza, Elizabeth & Athari, Zahir (2023). (Nanny) State as family by proxy: Media discourses on refugee and asylum-seeking children in Norway. Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices (JMTP). ISSN 2632-4490. 4(2). doi: 10.1558/jmtp.26482.
  • Garcia Gonzalez, Elisabet; Liu, Liquan & Lanza, Elizabeth (2023). Language in multilingual families during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway: A survey of challenges and opportunities. Multilingua - Journal of Cross-cultural and Interlanguage Communiciation. ISSN 0167-8507. doi: 10.1515/multi-2023-0011. Full text in Research Archive
  • Lomeu Gomes, Rafael & Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Southern Approaches to Family Multilingualism, The Routledge Handbook of Language and the Global South/s. Routledge. ISSN 9780367440145. p. 285–296. doi: 10.4324/9781003007074-29.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Golden, Anne (2022). Wielding space and time in migrant narratives: Personal and professional identities in discourse . In Lane, Pia; Kjelsvik, Bjørghild & Myhr, Annika Bøstein (Ed.), Negotiating Identities in Nordic Migrant Narratives: Crossing Borders and Telling Lives. Palgrave Macmillan. ISSN 978-3-030-89108-4.
  • Purkarthofer, Judith; Lanza, Elizabeth & Berg, Mina Finstad (2021). Discourses between the Public and the Private: Transnational Families at the Crossroads. Applied Linguistics. ISSN 0142-6001. 43(3), p. 563–586. doi: 10.1093/applin/amab053. Full text in Research Archive
  • Røyneland, Unn & Lanza, Elizabeth (2020). Dialect Diversity and Migration: Disturbances and Dilemmas, Perspectives from Norway. In Brunn, Stanley D. & Kehrein, Roland (Ed.), Handbook of the Changing World Language Map. Springer. ISSN 978-3-319-73400-2. p. 1–19. doi: https:/doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73400-2_223-1.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2020). Digital storytelling:Multilingual parents’ blogs and vlogs as narratives of family language policy. In Kulbrandstad, Lars Anders & Steien, Guri Bordal (Ed.), Språkreiser : festskrift til Anne Golden på 70-årsdagen 14. juli 2020. Novus Forlag. ISSN 9788283900422. p. 177–192. Full text in Research Archive
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Lomeu Gomes, Rafael (2020). Family language policy: Foundations, theoretical perspectives and critical approaches. In Schalley, Andrea C. & Eisenchlas, Susana A. (Ed.), Handbook of Home Language Maintenance and Development. Social and Affective Factors . De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 978-1-5015-1689-4. p. 153–173. doi: 10.1515/9781501510175-008.
  • Golden, Anne & Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Language Learning and Literacy: The Multilingual Subject in Narratives of Older Immigrant Refugee Women. In Bagga-Gupta, Sangeeta; Golden, Anne; Holm, Lars; Laursen, Helle Pia & Pitkanen-huhta, Anne (Ed.), Reconceptualizing Connections between Language, Literacy and Learning. Springer Nature. ISSN 978-3-030-26993-7. p. 253–276. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-26994-4_13.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Lexander, Kristin Vold (2019). Family Language Practices in Multilingual Transcultural Families. In Montanari, Simona & Quay, Suzanne (Ed.), Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Multilingualism: The Fundamentals. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 978-1-5015-0798-4. p. 229–252. doi: 10.1515/9781501507984-011.
  • Fløgstad, Guro Nore & Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Language contact across the lifespan. In Darquennes, Jeroen; Salmons, Joseph C. & Vandenbussche, Wim (Ed.), Language Contact – An International Handbook. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 978-3-11-043325-8. p. 172–184. doi: 10.1515/9783110435351-015. Full text in Research Archive
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Urban multilingualism and family language policy. In Caliendo, Giuditta; Janssens, Rudi; Slembrouck, Stef & Van Avermaet, Piet (Ed.), Urban Multilingualism in Europe: Bridging the Gap between Language Policies and Language Practices. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 978-1-5015-0320-7. p. 121–139.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Multilingualism across the lifespan: The family as a space for language learning, and practices and policies. In Mesthrie, Rajend & Bradley, David (Ed.), The Dynamics of Language. Plenary and Focus Lectures from the 20th International Congress of Linguists. UCT Press. ISSN 978-1-77582-236-3. p. 257–263.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Family and multilingual development. Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning. ISSN 2096-1014. 2(6), p. 57–67.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Woldemariam, Hirut (2017). Linguistic Landscape of Ethiopia. In Aronoff, Mark (Eds.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780199384655. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.013.230.

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  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2023). Accessing Children's Imaginative Worlds Through Language. Psychologytoday.com.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2023). How Love Through Language Forges Family Bonds. Psychologytoday.com.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2023). Heritage Language Maintenance in Transnational Families in the 21st Century: Complexity and Globalisation.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2023). Family multilingualism in the 21st century.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Gomes, Rafael Lomeu (2023). Decolonial and Southern Approaches to Multilingualism: An Introduction. Journal of Multilingual Theories and Practices (JMTP). ISSN 2632-4490. 4(2).
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Judith, Purkarthofer; Lexander, Kristin Vold; Objoska, Maria & Gomes, Rafael Lomeu (2023). Family matters - Northern and Southern perspectives.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Granfeldt, Jonas (2022). Interview about research on language acquisition and multilingualism. [Internet]. LAMiNATE.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Expanding the LL: Familyscapes, multilingualism, and family language policy.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Mirvahedi, Seyed Hadi (2022). Translanguaging Matters in Multilingual Families.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Multilingual families at the crossroads of private and public discourses.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Transnational migration and multilingual families in the 21st century: Policies and practices.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Transnational migration and multilingual families: Policies and practices.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Family multilingualism in the 21st century.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Multilingual families in the 21st century: Practices and policies.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Children’s learning of more than one language in the family: Policies and practices, input and experience.
  • Røyneland, Unn & Lanza, Elizabeth (2022). Sterke forskingsmiljø tar lang tid å bygge opp og kort tid å rive ned. Khrono.no. ISSN 1894-8995.
  • Golden, Anne & Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Metaphors in migrant narratives.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Language and Communication in Transcultural Families: Discussion/Commentary.
  • García González, Elisabet ; Liu, Liquan & Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Multilingual Families during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Parental beliefs, practices and opportunities for increased minority language use.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Transnational families and lived experiences: Multilingualism, policies and practices.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Røyneland, Unn & Svennevig, Jan (2021). Språk og identitet i Etiopia.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Multilingual families at the crossroads of  private and public discourses.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Digital communication in the family.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Transnationalism and family language policy in an era of global mobility: Discussion.
  • Lomeu Gomes, Rafael; Lanza, Elizabeth & Athari, Zahir (2021). Nanny State? Integration, kinship and identity among refugee and asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). How Grandparents Impact Languages in the Family. Psychology Today. ISSN 0033-3107.
  • García González, Elisabet & Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Languages in Lockdown.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Liemacher-Riebold, Ute; Rosenback, Rita & Yung, Tetsu (2021). Raising Multilinguals Live: Family Language Policies and Practices. [Internet]. Raising Multilinguals Live.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2021). Family Language Policies: Do We Need Them? Psychology Today. ISSN 0033-3107.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Liu, Liquan; Gonzalez, Elisabet; Sevinc, Yesim; Simonsen, Hanne Gram & Norvik, Monica I. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2020). The MultiLingual Mind Across the Lifespan.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Sverre, Holm-Nilsen; Mjaaland, Ola & Jørstad, Runar Henriksen (2020). Politiet henter inn nye forskere – jakter på avslørende tabber i trusselbrev. [Internet]. NRK.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Hardach, Sophie & García González, Elisabet (2020). In Quarantine, Kids Pick Up Parents’ Mother Tongues. [Internet]. The New York Times.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Keilman, Thomas (2020). Forskningssenter knuser myter om flerspråklighet. [Internet]. Norges Forskningsråd.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2020). Transnational families and family language policy in the 21st Century.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Multilingualism and vulnerabilities in Norway: Introduction .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Multilingual parenting: Family language policy in online blogging and vlogging .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Multilingual parenting: Family language policy in online blogging and vlogging .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). MultiFam: Family language policy in multilingual transcultural families in Norway .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Caliendo, Giuditta; Janssens, Rudi; Slembrouck, Stef & Van Avermaet, Piet (2019). Conclusion: Urban multilingualism in Europe: Policies and practices at the crossroads. In Caliendo, Giuditta; Janssens, Rudi; Slembrouck, Stef & Van Avermaet, Piet (Ed.), Urban Multilingualism in Europe: Bridging the Gap between Language Policies and Language Practices. De Gruyter Mouton. ISSN 978-1-5015-0320-7. p. 217–225.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Transnational Families as Public Spaces: An Interview with Dr. Elizabeth Lanza. [Internet]. Stony Brook University / Multilingual and Intercultural Comm.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). The Multilingual Family as a Space:Ideology and Identity Online.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Transnational families as public spaces: Multilingualism, ideologies and identity online .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Multilingual families as public space: Language learning, ideologies and identity online .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Røyneland, Unn (2019). Place and mobility: Contemporary globalization and the linguistic landscape of Ethiopia .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Place and mobility: Contemporary globalization and the linguistic landscape in Ethiopia – with a focus on Addis Ababa and Mekelle.
  • Røyneland, Unn & Lanza, Elizabeth (2019). Dialect Diversity and Migration: Disturbances and Dilemmas - Perspectives from the North.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Place and Mobility: The Linguistic Landscape in Contemporary Globalization.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Multilingualism across the lifespan: Competence, practices and policies.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Raising children multilingually: Family language policies and online blogging .
  • Goncalves, Kellie & Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Narratives of Motherhood: An introduction (academic panel).
  • Goncalves, Kellie; Lanza, Elizabeth & Lexander, Kristin Vold (2018). From migrant grocery store to Espresso House: understanding urban change in the conspicuous cultural consumption of Grünerløkka Oslo, Norway .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Multilingualism and diversity in contemporary Norway.
  • Curd-Christiansen, Xiao Lan & Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). How to conduct family language policy research.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Family matters for the multilingual child: Input, practices and policies.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Raising children multilingually: Family as a space for language learning and use.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan (2018). Multilingual families: aspirations and challenges. International Journal of Multilingualism. ISSN 1479-0718. 15(3), p. 231–232. doi: 10.1080/14790718.2018.1477091.
  • Goncalves, Kellie; Lanza, Elizabeth & Lexander, Kristin Vold (2018). From Antlers to Esspresso House: X-scape and escape to Scandinavia's trendiest neighborhood.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Diversifying the ‘family’ in family language policy: Discussion.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). The Family as a Space for Language/Languaging.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Place and Mobility: The Linguistic Landscape in Contemporary Globalization.
  • Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao Lan & Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Language management in multilingual families: Efforts, measures and challenges. Multilingua - Journal of Cross-cultural and Interlanguage Communiciation. ISSN 0167-8507. 37(2), p. 123–130. doi: 10.1515/multi-2017-0132. Full text in Research Archive
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Challenges for transnational parents in contemporary globalized society.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2018). Transnational families as public spaces: Multilingualism, ideologies and identity online .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Wigglesworth, Gillian (2017). The complexities of family language policy across multilingual settings.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Bergstrøm, Ida (2017). Langt mellom de kvinnelige SFF-lederne. [Newspaper]. Uniforum.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Raising children multilingually: Family language policies and online blogging.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Serratrice, Ludovice (2017). Language policy in multilingual families Interview for Bilingualism Matters@Reading: http://www.bilingualism-matters.ppls.ed.ac.uk/. [Internet]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5wRy34pmzA.
  • Purkarthofer, Judith & Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Transnational families, the media and the Norwegian Barnevernet: Discourses between the public and the private.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Purkarthofer, Judith (2017). Transnational families, the media and the Norwegian Barnevernet: Discourses between the public and the private.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Multilingualism and family language policy.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Family matters. Multilingual practices and policies .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Curdt-Christiansen, Xiao-Laan (2017). Multilingual families. Aspirations and challenges.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Multilingual transcultural families in Europe: A view from Norway .
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). The multilingual child and the family: Input, practices and policies .
  • Espeland , Tordis Marie & Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Språksamarbeid gjev nye perspektiv. [Internet]. SIUs nettsted.
  • King, Kendall & Lanza, Elizabeth (2017). Ideology, agency, and imagination in multilingual families: An introduction. International Journal of Bilingualism. ISSN 1367-0069. p. 1–7. doi: 10.1177/1367006916684907.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2016). Multilingualism in Norway and MultiLing: Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2016). Discussant: Heteroglossic mismatches: A focus on the multilingual family.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth & Røyneland, Unn (2016). Multilingualism as an individual and societal phenomenon: Perspectives from Norway.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth; Røyneland, Unn & Lane, Pia (2016). MultiLing. Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan: A Center of Excellence in Norway. Sociolinguistica : Internationales Jahrbuch fuer Europaeische Soziolinguistik. ISSN 0933-1883. p. 223–231.
  • Woldemariam, Hirut & Lanza, Elizabeth (2016). Beijing in Africa: A new dimension in the LL of Addis Ababa.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2016). All in the family? The complexities of urban multilingualism.
  • Lanza, Elizabeth (2016). (Oslo as a) Superdiverse City.
  • Lane, Pia; Lanza, Elizabeth & Pennycook, Alastair (2019). Family multilingualism: Language practices and ideologies of Brazilian-Norwegian families in Norway. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive

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Published Dec. 14, 2010 3:13 PM - Last modified Feb. 23, 2024 1:02 PM