32.2468, All: Obituary for Joanna Błaszczak, Part Three

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-32-2468. Mon Jul 26 2021. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 32.2468, All:  Obituary for Joanna Błaszczak, Part Three

Moderator: Malgorzata E. Cavar (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Student Moderator: Jeremy Coburn, Lauren Perkins
Managing Editor: Becca Morris
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Everett Green, Sarah Robinson, Nils Hjortnaes, Joshua Sims, Billy Dickson
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Sarah Robinson <srobinson at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2021 03:37:15
From: Małgorzata Cavar [linguist at linguistlist.org]
Subject: Obituary for Joanna Błaszczak, Part Three

 
In memory of Joanna Błaszczak, we are circulating a short memorial series. 

Her dedication to research, her amazing knowledge, determination, charisma
will remain an inspiration to her colleagues, students and friends. She will
be sorely missed by many.

Joanna’s website is available here: 
http://www.ifa.uni.wroc.pl/instytut/pracownicy/20/?lang=pl

Memories and condolences can be shared via
https://www.remembr.com/joanna.blaszczak

A colloquium in memory of Prof. Błaszczak will be organized by colleagues at
the University of Wroclaw, Zentrum für Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft, Berlin
and the University of Potsdam. More information will be available soon.

Bożena Rozwadowska:
I discovered the outstanding competences of Prof. Joanna Błaszczak when I was
invited to be a reviewer of her habilitation monograph and a member of the
habilitation committee in 2008. Joanna obtained her habilitation degree in
2008 at Potsdam University and soon after this, the University of Wrocław
offered her the position of an associate professor at the Institute of
English. On accepting the job, Joanna was very creative, full of new ideas and
brought fresh spirit to our linguistic community. The most amazing were her
successful applications for various grants in national and international
competitions. She was the principal investigator in three domestic and two
foreign grants, opening new opportunities for the young colleagues and
initiating joint work in numerous projects. In this framework, Joanna obtained
funds to create two experimental laboratories: the EEG lab and the
eye-tracking lab, which constitute the Center for Experimental Research on
Natural Language, directed by Joanna. She was the chief editor of the
publishing outlet Center for General and Comparative Linguistics, and since
2015 also the coordinator of the Master's program ''Empirical and Theoretical
Linguistics'' (ETHEL) at the University of Wrocław. In February 2021 Joanna
was awarded the title of the Professor in humanities by the President of
Poland on the basis of the monograph ''Be Future'' - Old and Modern Views on
FUTURE: Typological, Diachronic and Psycholinguistic Aspects published by the
Publishing House of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

Joanna, my colleague and friend, is the author or co-author of nearly 70
publications. Her works appeared in many renowned publishing houses (e.g.
Oxford University Press, Walter de Gruyter, The Chicago University Press, MIT
Press, Springer, Akademie-Verlag Berlin) and journals (e.g. Language,
Cognition and Neuroscience; Syntax: A Journal of Theoretical, Experimental and
Interdisciplinary; Glossa: a journal of general linguistics; Journal of Slavic
Linguistics; Slavic and East European Journal; Poznań Studies in Contemporary
Linguistics). She was the editor or co-editor of nine volumes published by the
likes of The Chicago University Press, Walter de Gruyter, and Springer. She
presented at dozens of workshops and key scientific conferences, many times as
a keynote speaker. 

Joanna’s scientific interests, reflected in publications, conference
presentations, or invited lectures, were extensive and covered three main
areas: (i) theoretical linguistics – syntax and semantics of natural language,
(ii) empirical linguistics – psycholinguistics, (iii) applied linguistics –
bilingualism and multilingualism. The theoretical issues which Joanna dealt
with include negation in natural language, the phenomenon of indefiniteness,
the theory of minimalist and phasal syntax, case and the relation of
agreement, constructions with the verb BE, temporality, mainly the category of
time and aspect. Psycholinguistic research concerned the processing of
expressions with negative polarity, processing of tense and aspect in natural
language, processing of semantic and morphological inconsistencies, aspectual
coercion, processing of noun and verb categories, especially nominalization
derived from verbs. Joanna conducted research into Polish-German bilingualism,
multilingualism and national identity, as well as perception and processing of
foreign accents. Her work has earned numerous citations and awards.

Joanna was admired by her colleagues, her students and friends. Her spirit
will revolve around us everywhere: in the labs at the University, in the
library, where her books are on the shelves, and in my house, where we spent a
lot of time together. Joasia left so much in this world. These traces lead to
immortality and eternal life. She died so young and yet left so much for us.
Joasiu, Rest In Peace.
 


Linguistic Field(s): Not Applicable



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

***************************    LINGUIST List Support    ***************************
 The 2020 Fund Drive is under way! Please visit https://funddrive.linguistlist.org
  to find out how to donate and check how your university, country or discipline
     ranks in the fund drive challenges. Or go directly to the donation site:
                   https://crowdfunding.iu.edu/the-linguist-list

                        Let's make this a short fund drive!
                Please feel free to share the link to our campaign:
                    https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/
 


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-32-2468	
----------------------------------------------------------