Overview
Background
I'm a Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the University of Queensland, where I use computational methods and large text and speech corpora to study how English is actually used — in everyday conversation, across social groups, and by learners.
My research focuses on features that traditional grammars overlook but that shape real communication: discourse markers (like, you know), general extenders, terms of address, vulgarity, and adjective amplification. I also work in corpus phonetics, particularly vowel production and voice-onset timing in first- and second-language English speakers.
Alongside my research, I hold several roles focused on language research infrastructure:
- Director of Research, School of Languages and Cultures, UQ
- Director of the Language Technology and Data Analysis Laboratory (LADAL), a free open-access hub for language data science (https://ladal.edu.au/)
- Chief Investigator on the Language Data Commons of Australia (LDaCA), a national research infrastructure project (https://www.ldaca.edu.au/)
I'm also an advocate for reproducibility and open science in the humanities and social sciences, and I develop tools and workflows that make text and speech analysis more transparent and rigorous.
Research areas: applied linguistics, corpus linguistics, computational linguistics, sociolinguistics, language variation and change, learner corpus research, corpus pragmatics, reproducibility, digital humanities.
Availability
- Dr Martin Schweinberger is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Universität Hamburg
Research interests
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Vulgarity and Swearing
I investigate how swear words and taboo language are used in everyday speech and online discourse. Contrary to popular belief, vulgar language follows systematic social and linguistic rules. My research uncovers how such expressions function in communication and what they reveal about speakers’ identities, emotions, and group memberships.
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Discourse Markers and Filler Words
I study words like like, you know, and well—terms often dismissed as meaningless. Using computational analysis, I show how these elements structure conversations and convey nuanced meanings. My work demonstrates that such "filler" words play important roles in signaling attitudes, managing interactions, and guiding listener expectations.
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Open Science and Research Transparency
I actively promote reproducible, open research practices in the humanities and social sciences. I provide practical training and resources to help language researchers adopt transparent workflows. My advocacy supports greater academic rigor and long-term trust in empirical research.
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Text Analytics and Computational Linguistics
I apply computational methods—like machine learning and statistical modelling—to large corpora to uncover hidden linguistic patterns. These tools help quantify language use in a way that supports replicable, empirical research. My work is at the intersection of computer science and linguistics, making it especially relevant in the digital age.
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Digital Infrastructure and Research Tools
As Director of LADAL and a lead in LDaCA, I am building accessible digital platforms that support large-scale language analysis. These initiatives democratize access to language data and computational tools for researchers, students, and educators alike. My infrastructure work enhances the capacity for advanced language research in Australia and beyond.
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Language Variation and Change
I explore how language evolves over time and across different social settings. By analyzing large-scale linguistic datasets, I identify subtle patterns of variation in how people speak, particularly in informal and digital contexts. This research helps reveal how social norms and technology influence the way we communicate.
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Learner Language and Second Language Acquisition
I analyze how learners of English produce sounds, manage fluency, and develop pronunciation over time. This includes examining features like vowel quality, voice-onset time, pauses, and accent intelligibility. By comparing learner and native speaker data, my research informs language teaching and helps improve learner outcomes.
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Corpus Phonetics
I use corpus-based methods to investigate the phonetic characteristics of spoken language, including pronunciation patterns among both native and non-native speakers. I focus on measurable acoustic features such as vowel production and timing cues. This approach allows for the large-scale, data-driven analysis of speech in real-life settings.
Research impacts
Public reach through media
My research on vulgarity and variation in World Englishes has generated over 96 media reports internationally, with an estimated combined reach exceeding 205 million. In 2025, coverage included national television (Channel 10 News, The Project), ABC Radio interviews across Australia, and international press including The Guardian, CNN, Der Spiegel, Deutsche Welle, Popular Science, and Yahoo News. My co-authored article in The Conversation — "201 ways to say 'fuck': what 1.7 billion words of online text shows about how the world swears" (with Kate Burridge) — prompted follow-up coverage across more than 20 outlets in Australia, the UK, Europe, and North America.
Building Australia's language data infrastructure
As Chief Investigator and Steering Committee member on the Language Data Commons of Australia (LDaCA), I contribute to building Australia's first national infrastructure for language data — enabling researchers, cultural institutions, and Indigenous communities to preserve, access, and analyse language collections that would otherwise remain fragmented or inaccessible.
Free global training in language data science
As founder and Director of the Language Technology and Data Analysis Laboratory (LADAL), I have built one of the most widely used open-access hubs for language data science training. Since 2021, LADAL has reached over 500,000 users worldwide, providing free, reproducible resources that lower the barrier to computational methods for students, researchers, and practitioners across the humanities and social sciences.
Shaping the field
I serve as Vice-President Profession of the International Society for the Linguistics of English (ISLE), board member of ICAME, Associate Editor of the Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, and book series editor for Bloomsbury's Language, Data Science and Digital Humanities.
Works
Search Professor Martin Schweinberger’s works on UQ eSpace
2021
Journal Article
Analyzing Historical Changes in the Irish English Amplifier System
Schweinberger, M. (2021). Analyzing Historical Changes in the Irish English Amplifier System. Anglistik, 32 (1), 139-158. doi: 10.33675/angl/2021/1/11
2020
Journal Article
A corpus-based analysis of differences in the use of very for adjective amplification among native speakers and learners of English
Schweinberger, Martin (2020). A corpus-based analysis of differences in the use of very for adjective amplification among native speakers and learners of English. International Journal of Learner Corpus Research, 6 (2), 163-192. doi: 10.1075/ijlcr.20011.sch
2020
Journal Article
Less is more? The impact of written corrective feedback on corpus-assisted L2 error resolution
Crosthwaite, Peter, Storch, Neomy and Schweinberger, Martin (2020). Less is more? The impact of written corrective feedback on corpus-assisted L2 error resolution. Journal of Second Language Writing, 49 100729, 100729. doi: 10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100729
2020
Journal Article
How learner corpus-research can inform language learning and teaching
Schweinberger, Martin (2020). How learner corpus-research can inform language learning and teaching. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 43 (2), 195-217.
2020
Journal Article
How learner corpus research can inform language learning and teaching: an analysis of adjective amplification among L1 and L2 English speakers
Schweinberger, Martin (2020). How learner corpus research can inform language learning and teaching: an analysis of adjective amplification among L1 and L2 English speakers. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 43 (2), 196-218. doi: 10.1075/aral.00032.sch
2020
Journal Article
Speech-unit final like in Irish English
Schweinberger, Martin (2020). Speech-unit final like in Irish English. English World-Wide, 41 (1), 89-117. doi: 10.1075/eww.00041.sch
2020
Book Chapter
Analyzing change in the American English amplifier system in the fiction genre
Schweinberger, Martin (2020). Analyzing change in the American English amplifier system in the fiction genre. Corpora and the changing society: studies in the evolution of English. (pp. 223-249) edited by Paula Rautionaho, Arja Nurmi and Juhani Klemola. Amsterdam, Netherlands: John Benjamins Publishing Company. doi: 10.1075/scl.96.09sch
2020
Conference Publication
Using Semantic Vector Space Models to investigate lexical replacement – a corpus based study of ongoing changes in intensifier systems
Schweinberger, Martin (2020). Using Semantic Vector Space Models to investigate lexical replacement – a corpus based study of ongoing changes in intensifier systems. Methods in Dialectology XVI, Tachikawa, Japan, 7 - 11 August 2017. Berlin, Germany: Peter Lang. doi: 10.3726/b17102
2019
Journal Article
A sociolinguistic analysis of emotives
Schweinberger, Martin (2019). A sociolinguistic analysis of emotives. Corpus Pragmatics, 3 (4), 327-361. doi: 10.1007/s41701-019-00062-z
2019
Other Outputs
The Language Technology and Data Analysis Laboratory (LADAL)
Schweinberger, Martin (2019). The Language Technology and Data Analysis Laboratory (LADAL). Brisbane, QLD, Australia: The University of Queensland, School of Languages and Cultures.
2018
Conference Publication
A corpus-based analysis of the L1-acquisition of amplifiers in American English
Schweinberger, Martin (2018). A corpus-based analysis of the L1-acquisition of amplifiers in American English. 5th International Conference of the International Society for the Linguistics of English (ISLE 5), London, United Kingdom, 17-20 July 2018.
2018
Journal Article
The discourse particle eh in New Zealand English
Schweinberger, Martin (2018). The discourse particle eh in New Zealand English. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 38 (3), 395-420. doi: 10.1080/07268602.2018.1470458
2018
Journal Article
Swearing in Irish English: a corpus-based quantitative analysis of the sociolinguistics of swearing
Schweinberger, Martin (2018). Swearing in Irish English: a corpus-based quantitative analysis of the sociolinguistics of swearing. Lingua, 209, 1-20. doi: 10.1016/j.lingua.2018.03.008
2018
Conference Publication
Analyzing diachronic change in the American English amplifier system
Schweinberger, Martin (2018). Analyzing diachronic change in the American English amplifier system. ICAME 39 (39th Meeting of the International Computer Archive of Modern and Medieval English), Tampere, Finland, 30 May - 3 June 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
The sociolinguistics of emotional language - emotive use in Irish English
Schweinberger, Martin (2018). The sociolinguistics of emotional language - emotive use in Irish English. NPIE 5 (5th New Perspectives on Irish English meeting), Potsdam, Germany, 25-27 April 2018.
2018
Conference Publication
Methoden linguistischer Datenanalyse: quantitativ-statistische Modellierung sprachlicher Variation
Schweinberger, Martin (2018). Methoden linguistischer Datenanalyse: quantitativ-statistische Modellierung sprachlicher Variation. Ringvorlesung Empirieformate in der linguistischen Forschung, Hamburg, 16 January 2018.
2017
Conference Publication
Using intensifier-adjective collocations to determine mechanisms of change
Schweinberger, Martin (2017). Using intensifier-adjective collocations to determine mechanisms of change. ICAME 38 (38th meeting of the International Computer Archive of Modern and Medieval English), Prague, Czech Republic, 24-28 May 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Using semantic vector space models to investigate lexical replacement - a corpus based study of ongoing changes in intensifier systems
Schweinberger, Martin (2017). Using semantic vector space models to investigate lexical replacement - a corpus based study of ongoing changes in intensifier systems. 16th International Conference on Methods in Dialectology, Tokyo, Japan, 7-11 August 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
Assessing differences in the English vocalic systems of L1-German learners and native speakers of English
Schweinberger, Martin, Stedman, Nina, Buzuk, Jelena, Sarkodie-Gyan, Sabrina, Boye, Naomi and Gerspacher, Sandra (2017). Assessing differences in the English vocalic systems of L1-German learners and native speakers of English. CuTLi 2017 (Current Trends in Linguistics 2017), Hamburg, Germany, 21-22 January 2017.
2017
Conference Publication
VowelChartProject. Erstellung personalisierter Vokaltrapeze zur Verbesserung der Zielsprachennähe im Zweitspracherwerb bei Lehramtsstudierenden
Schweinberger, Martin, Stedman, Nina, Buzuk, Jelena, Sarkodie-Gyan, Sabrina, Boye, Naomi and Gerspacher, Sandra (2017). VowelChartProject. Erstellung personalisierter Vokaltrapeze zur Verbesserung der Zielsprachennähe im Zweitspracherwerb bei Lehramtsstudierenden. CuTLi 2017 (Current Trends in Linguistics 2017), Hamburg, Germany, 21-22 January 2017.
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Martin Schweinberger is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
A multifactorial study of morpho-syntactic errors across different L1 backgrounds and language proficiency levels
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Crosthwaite
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Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing Lexical Resources for Argumentative Essay Writing through Corpus Integration
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Crosthwaite
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Doctor Philosophy
Corpus-based investigation of three-minute thesis presentations: Register perspective
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Crosthwaite
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Doctor Philosophy
The Relationship Between Writing Tasks and Second Language Writers¿ Use of Metadiscourse
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Crosthwaite
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Doctor Philosophy
Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in TESOL: A Study on Personalised Learning and Impact on Student Engagement and Motivation in A Rural Indonesian University
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Crosthwaite
Completed supervision
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2025
Doctor Philosophy
A corpus-based analysis of conspiracy theory discourse on Reddit: Understanding conspiracy-fuelled anomie and moral panics during COVID-19
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Ryan Ko
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
The acquisition of number marking: The case of Indonesian as a second language
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Peter Crosthwaite
Media
Enquiries
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