Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Gruber

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helmut Gruber

German Version

Curriculum Vitae

Academic Positions:

1984-1988
Research Fellow (Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter) at the Department of Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, and the Department of Linguistics, Humanities Faculty, University of Vienna

1987- 1997
Assistant Professor of Linguistics, University of Vienna

Oct, 26, 1996- Dec, 8,1996
Visiting Academic at the School of English, Linguistics and Media, Macquarie University, Sydney

Oct, 1,1997 - March,2019
Associate Professor of Linguistics, University of Vienna

since April, 1,2019
Professor of Linguistics, University of Vienna

University Degrees:

1986
Doctorate in Psychology, University of Vienna, (Minor field: educational science)

1988
M.A. in Applied Linguistics, University of Vienna, (Minor fields: language philosophy, psychoanalysis, and psychological methods)

1995
Habilitation (Postdoctoral Dissertation) in Applied Linguistics, University of Vienna

Research Interests

    Discourse pragmatics: discourse coherence (especially rhetorical and generic structures), genre theory, functional linguistics of German, analyses of conflict talk in various settings, pragmatic theory and conflict talk

    Scholarly communication: (students’) academic writing, impact and use of electronic communication in scholarly activities

    Computer-Mediated-Communication: Communication dynamics and linguistic characteristics of e-mail discussion list communication and communication on Twitter

    Language in Media and Politics: analysis of political discourse, linguistic aspects of political discourse in the mass media and in social media

Professional activities

  • Editor-in-chief of “Pragmatics” (since 2016)
  • Co-editor of “Pragmatics” (2002 - 2016)
  • Member of the editorial board of “Journal of Language and Politics” (since 2013)
  • Co-editor of the book series: “Kommunikation im Fokus” (Vienna University Press; since 2011)
  • President of the Austrian Society for Academic Writing (GEWISSS), 2009 - 2015
  • 2009-2012: Austrian representative and member of the management committee of COST action IS0307 "Learning to Write Effectively" (ERN-LWE)
  • Member of the IPRA (International Pragmatics Association) consultation board (since 2001)
  • Member of the managing board of VERBAL (Austrian Association of Applied Linguistics; since 1999)
  • Member of the scientific committees of the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, and 15th  International Pragmatics Conferences

 Professional Organisations

  • International Pragmatics Association (IPRA)
  • Societas Linguistica (SLE)
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Angewandte Linguistik (GAL [German Society of Applied Linguistics])
  • Österreichische Gesellschaft für Angewandte Linguistik (VERBAL [Austrian Society of Applied Linguistics])
  • Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftliches Schreiben (GEWISSS) [Society for Academic Writing]

Recent publications:

Language and Politics:

Gruber, H. (2024). Snyder and Habermas on the war in Ukraine: A critical discourse analysis of elite media discourse in Germany. Critical Discourse Studies. Vorzeitige Online-Publikation. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405904.2024.2331164

Gruber, H., Haugh, M., & Xie, C. (2023). Editorial: Recontextualization: Modes, media, and practices. Frontiers in Communication, 8, Artikel 1164897. doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1164897

Gruber, H. (2023). Political speeches: interactive and heteroglossic elements. In P. Cap (Hrsg.), Handbook of Political Discourse (S. 251-265). Edgar Elgar.

Gruber, H., Haugh, M. (Hrsg.), & Xie, C. (Hrsg.) (2023). Recontextualization: modes, media, and practices. Frontiers in Communication.

Gruber, H. (2022). “Secret Service Plot” or “Drunken Night”? Accounting Strategies in a Resignation Speech and Their Uptake in Media Reports in Three Countries. Contrastive Pragmatics, 3(3), 397–425. doi.org/10.1163/26660393-bja10047

Gruber, H. (2022). Studentisches Schreiben als Element der Wissenschaftssozialisation: Ein interdisziplinärer Zugang. In Reflexive Schreibwissenschaft: Disziplinäre und praktische Perspektiven (S. 67-73)

Gruber, H. (2022). When invoked voices blame real politicians: Confrontational blaming in a speech from Austria’s “commemorative year” 2018. Pragmatics and Society, 13(5), 793-816.

Gruber, H. (2021). Candidates’ use of Twitter during the 2016 Austrian presidential campaign. In C. Xie, F. Yus, & H. Haberland (Hrsg.), Approaches to Internet Pragmatics: Theory and Practice (S. 260-285)

Gruber, H. (2020). Die deutschsprachige Schreibwissenschaft unter interkultureller Perspektive: Vorschläge für ein Forschungsprogramm. In B. Huemer, U. Doleschal, R. Wiederkehr, K. Girgensohn, S. Dengscherz, M. Brinkschulte, & C. Mertlitsch (Hrsg.), Schreibwissenschaft - eine neue Disziplin: Diskursübergreifende Perspektiven (S. 65-85). Böhlau Verlag.

Spitzmüller, J., Gruber, H., & de Cillia, R. (2020). Einleitung. In H. Gruber, J. Spitzmüller, & R. de Cillia (Hrsg.), Institutionelle und organisationale Kommunikation: Theorie, Methodologie, Empirie und Kritik : Gedenkschrift für Florian Menz (S. 11-23). V&R unipress, Vienna University Press.

Gruber, H., Spitzmüller, J., & de Cillia, R. (Hrsg.) (2020). Institutionelle und organisationale Kommunikation: Theorie, Methodologie, Empirie und Kritik : Gedenkschrift für Florian Menz. V&R unipress, Vienna University Press. Kommunikation im Fokus: Arbeiten zur Angewandten Linguistik Band 9

Gruber, H. (2020). Streit. In E. Hess-Lüttich (Hrsg.), Handbuch Gesprächsrhetorik (S. 349-372). De Gruyter

Gruber, H. (2019). Are Austrian presidential candidates ordinary people? Results of an analysis of candidates’ self- presentation strategies on Twitter during the 2016 Austrian presidential campaign. In:
The construction of "ordinariness" across media genres. Fetzer, A. & Weizmann, E. (eds). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 21-50.

Gruber, H. (2019). Genres, media, and recontextualization practices. Re-considering basic concepts of genre theory in the age of social media. Internet Pragmatics 2(1), 54-82.

Gruber, H. (2019). Staged Conflicts in Parliamentary Debates. Language & Dialogue, 9 (1), 42-64

Gruber, H. (2018). Debating or displaying political position? MPs reactive statements during the "inaugural debates" in the Austrian parliament. Pragmatics and Society 9 (4), 571-597.

Gruber, H. (2018). Genres of political communication in Web 2.0. In R. Wodak, & B. Forchtner (Hrsg.), The Routledge Handbook of Language and Politics (S. 412-426). Routledge.

Gruber, H. (2017): Quoting and Retweeting as Communicative Practices in Computer Mediated Discourse. Discourse, Context & Media 20C (2017) pp. 1-9 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcm.2017.06.005.

(2015). Policy-oriented argumentation or ironic evaluation: A study of verbal quoting and positioning in Austrian politicians' parliamentary debate contributions . Discourse Studies: an interdisciplinary journal for the study of text and talk , 17 (6), 682-702. 10.1177/1461445615602377

(2015). Formen und rhetorisch-argumentative Bezugnahmen auf vorherige Äußerungen in den Debattenbeiträgen österreichischer Parlamentsabgeordneter . in Argumenta: Festschrift für Manfred Kienpointner zum 60. Geburtstag. (S. 125-139). Praesens Verlag.

(2015). Intertextual references in Austrian parliamentary debates: Between evaluation and argumentation . in E. Weizman, & A. Fetzer (Hrsg.), Follow-ups in Political Discourse: Explorations across contexts and discourse domains. (S. 25-57). John Benjamins.

List of publications

Monographs
Edited Volumes
Articles and Chapters
full list of publications (pdf)

Major Research Projects

Die Entwicklung eines Schreibkurses für Studierende (Supporting students' writing at Austrian universities). Project director: Helmut Gruber; research assistants: Birgit Huemer, Markus Rheindorf; duration: 2006-2008.

Genre, Habitus und wissenschaftliches Schreiben (Genre, habitus and students' academic writing). Project director: Helmut Gruber; research assistants: Christine Czinglar, Peter Muntigl, Markus Rheindorf, Martin Reisigl, Karin Wetschanow; duration: 2001-2004)

Inszenierte Konflikte. Zur Pragmatik von Konfliktkommunikation (Staged Conflicts. The pragmatics of conflict communication) Project Director and Investigator: Helmut Gruber funded by: Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Austrian Science Foundation) Transcriptions: Karin Wetschanow Duration: 1992-1994

Sprache und Vorurteil: Sozio- und textlinguistische Untersuchung zur Berichterstattung und Rezeption von Antisemitismus in den Medien. (Language and prejudice: Socio- and textlinguistic investigation of the reporting on and reception of antisemitism in the mass-media) Project Director: Dr.Johannes Hawlik funded by: Österreichische Nationalbank (Austrian National Bank) Co- Investigators: Prof. Ruth Wodak, Rudolf de Cillia, Helmut Gruber; Richard Mitten; Peter Nowak; Johanna Pelikan Duration: 1987 - 1989

Das Kind im Spannungsfeld von Elternhaus und Schule. (Children: strained between school and home) Project Directors: Univ. Prof. Dr. H. Strotzka, Ass.-Prof. Dr. Kitty Schmidt (Institut f. Tiefenpsychologie der Universität Wien) funded by: Austrian Ministry of Science Co-Investigators: Helmut Gruber, Lorenz Lassnigg Duration: 1984-1986

Die Sprache der Mächtigen und Ohnmächtigen. Der Fall Hainburg. Eine sozio- und textlinguistische Studie. (The language of the powerful and the language of the powerless. The case of Hainburg. A socio-and textlinguistic investigation) Project Director: Prof. R. Wodak Co- Investigators: Florian Menz; Benedikt Lutz; Helmut Gruber funded by: Österreichische Forschungsgemeinschaft Duration: March - September 1985

Extra-curricular activities

  • Workshops for journalists, teachers, and metal-worker trade union representatives on various aspects of interpersonal and political communication.
  • Academic writing course for new academic employees at the Vienna School of Business Communication