Dr. Billian Otundo

Vertretungsprofessorin für Englische Sprachwissenschaft

 

Englische Sprachwissenschaft

Raum 1.27

Institut für Anglistik und Amerikanistik
Ernst-Lohmeyer-Platz 3
17487 Greifswald

billian.otundouni-greifswaldde (ab 01.04.2026)

Sekretariat

Sprechzeit (SoSe 2026): Bitte per Email vereinbaren (ab 01.04.2026)!

Vita

Since 04/2026 Acting Professor “Vertretung der Professur”, Chair of English Linguistics, Institute of English and American Studies, University of Greifswald
Since 10/2022 Habilitation (Postdoctoral Teaching Qualification) in English Linguistics, University of Bayreuth
Since 01/2022 Postdoctoral Researcher, Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple, University of Bayreuth
09/2021 - 12/2021 Visiting Cooperation Scientist, Phonetics Laboratory, Department of Linguistics, University of Cologne
05/2019 - 12/2021 Lecturer and English Programme Coordinator, Department of Literature, Linguistics, Foreign Languages and Film Studies, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Moi University
10/2018 – 04/2019 Senior Administrative Assistant, Department of Extension and Outreach, AR&E Division, Moi University
01/2018 - 07/2019 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Development Studies, Radboud University
01/2016 - 04/2019 Part-Time Lecturer, Department of Literature, Linguistics, Foreign Languages and Film Studies, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Moi University
01/2016 – 09/2018 Senior Administrative Assistant, Department of Recruitment and Training, AR&E Division, Moi University
05/2016 - 09/2016 Part-Time Lecturer (collaborative teaching and training, Voluntary Role), School of Information Science, Kisii University
04/2011 - 11/2015 Doctor of Philosophy in English Linguistics, Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS), University of Bayreuth & Research Associate, Chair of English Linguistics, University of Bayreuth

Research Interests

•    Sociolinguistics, multilingual communication, and translanguaging
•    English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and English as a Second Language (ESL)
•    Language ideologies, discourse, and identity
•    Pragmatics, prosody, and sociophonetics
•    Educational linguistics, including language policy and practices in digital and analog spaces
•    Intercultural communication and multilingual learning environments
 

Current Projects

Drawing on research in multilingual education, applied linguistics, and African sociolinguistics, this project frames translanguaging as a dynamic, relational practice through which teachers and learners draw on their full linguistic repertoires to construct meaning, access knowledge, and negotiate identity in formal learning environments. Focusing on Kenya as a paradigmatic multilingual context, the study examines the country’s complex linguistic ecology, the evolution of its language-in-education policies, and the persistent gap between official prescriptions and classroom practices. The research demonstrates that Kenyan schools operate as de facto translanguaging spaces, where English, Swahili, and local languages are routinely interwoven despite monoglossic policy frameworks.

More information about the project can be accessed here.

This project originated from a collaborative visit to the Phonetic Laboratory at the University of Cologne, funded by the World Academy of Sciences and DFG. The research focuses on the analysis of Kenyan English and Swahili, with plans to extend to other languages among the more than 60 indigenous languages spoken in Kenya. The research explores how Kenyan English intonation and other prosodic features are shaped by the multilingual repertoires of speakers, shedding light on the interplay between language contact, phonetic variation, and sociolinguistic identity. Some insights can be found here. 

Awards and Third-Party Funding

Since 01/2022 Multilingual African Learning Spaces: Translanguaging Practices in Kenyan Schools – Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under the Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple, University of Bayreuth (Postdoctoral Researcher)
2024/2025 Postdoc Working Group: Rethinking Accelerated Learning in the Global South: Implications, Challenges, and Perspectives for Educational Development in Africa and Asia – DFG, Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple (Collaborative Project)
12/2024 International Workshop: Making Meaning, Shaping Knowledge – Perspectives and Practices in African and African Diasporic Multilingual Spaces – DFG, Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple
2023/2024 Postdoc Working Group: Digital Trans*formations in Africa – A Critical Space for Material and Intellectual Capital – DFG, Cluster of Excellence Africa Multiple (Collaborative Project)
2021/2022 Intonation in Kenyan English and Kiswahili – TWAS-DFG, Phonetic Laboratory, University of Cologne (Visiting Cooperation Scientist, ongoing)
2020/2021 Language Practices and Cultural Negotiation in Multilingual Contexts – DFG, Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies, University of Bayreuth (Research Fellow)
2018/2019 Public Narratives Used by Community-Based Organisations Advocating for Land Rights in Kenya – Science for Global Development NWO/WOTRO & Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Collaborative Project: Radboud University, Leiden University & Moi University (Postdoctoral Researcher)
04/2011 – 11/2015 Part-Time Lecturer, Department of Literature, Linguistics, Foreign Languages and Film Studies, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Moi University
01/2016 – 09/2018 Exploring Ethnically Marked Varieties of Kenyan English: Intonation and Associated Attitudes – Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) Partial Scholarship, German Research Foundation (DFG), University of Bayreuth (Doctoral Research)

Publications

Monographs

  • (Forthcoming) Otundo, B. K. Multilingual African Learning Spaces: Translanguaging Practices in Kenyan Schools. (Monograph based on the habilitation)
  • (2018) Otundo, B. K. Exploring Ethnically-Marked Varieties of Kenyan English: Intonation and Associated Attitudes. Berlin: LIT Verlag. Doctoral Dissertation.
  • (2014) Otundo, B. K. Attitudes toward Kenyan English: Ethnically-Marked Pronunciation. Saarbrücken, Germany: Akademiker Verlag.
  • (2011) Otundo, B. K. The Impact of Gender Attitudes on Writing Skills: A Study of English Language in Kenyan Secondary Schools. Saarbrücken, Germany: Akademiker Verlag. Master’s Dissertation.

(Co-)Edited Special Issue

  • (Accepted) Otundo, B. K., & Mühleisen, S. (eds.) Special Issue: Translanguaging, Meaning-Making, and Social Negotiation in African Multilingual Contexts.Society, Springer.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles and Book Chapters

  • (2026) Giannakou, A., Zampiaki, E., & Otundo, B. K. The Dual Role of English in Kenya: Exploring Language Ideologies in a Multilingual Context.Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Taylor & Francis.
  • (2025) Otundo, B. K. Noun Forms of Address Among Matatu Touts in Multilingual Kenya: Pragmatic Functions Beyond Politeness Theory.Pragmatics and Society, John Benjamins.
  • (2025) Otundo, B. K., & Wehrle, S. Intonation Style, Multilingualism and Code-Switching in Classroom Discourse. In: Grawunder, S., & Mousavi, N. (eds.), P&P20 – 2024: Tagungsband zum 20. Jahrestreffen Phonetik und Phonologie im deutschsprachigen Raum. Martin-Luther-Universität, Halle-Wittenberg, 127–135.
  • (In press) Otundo, B. K. Translanguaging and Advising in Multilingual African Contexts: Illustrations from a Radio Phone-In Programme in Kenya. In: Mühleisen, S. (ed.), Advice in African Multilingual Contexts. Brill.
  • (2025) Diallo, D., Oloruntoba-Oju, T., Otundo, B. K., van Pinxteren, B., & Yallew, A. Editorial: Five Paradigms About Language Use in Africa. Language Policy in Africa, 1(2). Bern Open Publishing, Universität Bern.
  • (2024) Otundo, B. K. Student Teachers’ Attitudes Toward Translanguaging in Formal Learning vis-à-vis Informal Interaction: A Survey of a University in Kenya. In: Mohr, S., & Fererra, L. (eds.), Learning Languages, Being Social: Informal Language Learning and Socialization in Additional Languages (Anthropological Linguistics, 7). Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 231–260.
  • (2024) Otundo, B. K., & Dodounou, T. Naming, Labelling and the Cultural Construction of the Identity of Persons with Albinism in East, Central, and West Africa.African Identities, Taylor & Francis, 1–16.
  • (2024) Otundo, B. K., & Sande, W. Linguistic Borrowing and Cultural Significance: Analysing the Impact of Dholuo Figures of Speech on Olusuba Folksongs and Abasuba Cultural Identity.University of Bayreuth African Studies Working Papers, 51.
  • (2023) Otundo, B. K. Communicating in Multilingual Learning Ecologies: Teacher Trainees’ Perceptions of Translanguaging in Lecture Rooms in Kenya.Journal of Linguistics, Literary and Communication Studies, 2(2), 24–34.
  • (2023) Otundo, B. K., & Doumbia, L. Exploring the Significance of Toponyms in the University Linguistics Curriculum: Insights from Kibera in Kenya and Sabalibougou in Mali.Curriculum Perspectives, 43 (Special Issue), 105–115. Springer Nature.
  • (2022) Otundo, B. K., & Grice, M. Intonation in Advice-Giving in Kenyan English and Kiswahili. Speech Prosody, 150–154.
  • (2022) Otundo, B. K., & Mühleisen, S. Code-Switching and Advising in Multilingual African Situations: An Analysis of Radio Phone-In Programmes in Kenya and Cameroon.Journal of the Language Association of Eastern Africa, 1(1), 1–15.
  • (2022) Otundo, B. K., & Nangulu, A. “They’re Plotting Against Us”: Public Narratives Utilised by Kenyan Community-Based Organisations Advocating for Land Rights.Journal of the Language Association of Eastern Africa, 1(1).
  • (2022) Otundo, B. K. Barriers to the Implementation of Education Article 24 of the CRPD in Kenya. In: Grischow & Mfoafo-M’Carthy (eds.), Disability Rights and Inclusiveness in Africa: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Challenges and Change. Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 103–130.
  • (2021) Dodounou, T., & Otundo, B. K. ‘Borrowed’ Languages in Africa: A Reflection on the Reader-Writer Imaginary. In: Woldegiorgis et al. (eds.), Decolonization of Higher Education in Africa: Perspectives from Hybrid Knowledge Production. London & New York: Routledge, 177–192.
  • (2020) Otundo, B. K. Manifestation of Mother Tongue in Intonation of English: Evidence from Lubukusu. International Mother Language Day Conference Proceedings, 2. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
  • (2019) Spierenburg, M., Matelski, M., Zijlstra, S., Dekker, M., Van Kempen, L., Nangulu, A., & Otundo, B. K. Civil Society Engagement with Land Rights Advocacy in Kenya: What Roles to Play? Interim Findings. African Studies Centre, Leiden.
  • (2018) Matelski, M., Otundo, B. K., Zijlstra, S., Dekker, M., Van Kempen, L., Nangulu, A., & Spierenburg, M. Civil Society Engagement with Land Rights Advocacy in Kenya: What Roles to Play? Literature Review. African Studies Centre, Leiden.
  • (Accepted) Otundo, B. K. Managing Meaning and Participation: The Role of Discourse Markers in Multilingual Kenyan Primary Schools. Translanguaging, Meaning-Making, and Social Negotiation in African Multilingual Contexts, Society, Springer.
  • (2017) Otundo, B. K. Intonation Variation of Declarative Questions by Kenyan Speakers of English. International Journal of Current Research, 9(10).
  • (2017) Otundo, B. K. Implicitation in the Translation of Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” into Lubukusu. In: Oyali, U. (ed.), Perspectives on Translation Studies in Africa, BIGSASWorks, 36–51.
  • (Accepted) Murey, E., & Otundo, B. K. Multilingual Communication and Meaning-Making in Urban Waste Management. In: Otundo & Mühleisen (eds.), Translanguaging, Meaning-Making, and Social Negotiation in African Multilingual Contexts.Society, Springer.
  • (Accepted) Otundo, B. K., & Mühleisen, S. An Introduction, Translanguaging, Meaning-Making, and Social Negotiation in African Multilingual Contexts.Society, Springer.

Submitted Journal Articles

  • Otundo, B. K., & Giannakou, A. Straddling Two Worlds: Linguistic and Cultural Practices of Kenyans in Germany in Negotiating Identity and Belonging.Comparative Migration Studies, Springer Nature.
  • Giannakou, A., Zampiaki, E., & Otundo, B. K. English in Kenya’s Linguistic Landscape: University Students’ Attitudes from a Post-Colonial Lens.International Journal of the Sociology of Language, De Gruyter & Brill.
  • Otundo, B. K. Translanguaging in Migration-Shaped Primary Classrooms: English-Medium Instruction in Kenya and Germany.Linguistics and Education, Elsevier.
  • Otundo, B. K., & Chiteri, B. Digital Platforms as Language Policy Actors: Multilingual Localisation and Linguistic Inclusion in Kenya.Language Policy, Springer Nature.

Academic Blogs, Posters & Documentaries

  • (2025) Dang, Q., Vollmer, M. T., Otundo, B. K., Tadese Woldegiorgis, E., & Johnson, E. Rethinking Accelerated Learning in Relation to Quality Goals.University World News Blog, 7 March 2025
  • (2025) Vollmer, M. T., Otundo, B. K., Dang, Q., Tadese Woldegiorgis, E., & Johnson, E. Need for Speed: Academic and Personal Experiences of African and Asian Students at the University of Bayreuth. Documentary.
  • (2024) Otundo, B. K., & Wehrle, S. Intonation Style and Multilingualism in Classroom Discourse. Poster, P&P20–2024, University of Halle-Wittenberg.
  • (2022) Otundo, B. K., & Grice, M. Intonation in Advice-Giving in Kenyan English and Kiswahili. Poster, Speech Prosody 2022, University of Lisbon.
  • (2019) Otundo, B. K. Why Grassroots Movements Addressing Displacement in Kenya Continue to Face Challenges. Blog on INCLUDE, 29 April 2019.

Policy and Technical Reports (Expert Consultancy Role)

  • (2020) County Government of Bungoma, Baseline Survey Report on Youth Mainstreaming. Department of Gender, Culture, Youth and Sports.
  • (2020) County Government of Bungoma, Consultative Stakeholders Forum Report for the Sports Mainstreaming Policy. Department of Gender, Culture, Youth and Sports.
  • (2020) County Government of Bungoma, Consultative Stakeholders Forum for Gender Mainstreaming Policy. Department of Gender, Culture, Youth and Sports.
  • (2020) County Government of Bungoma, Baseline Report/Policy Brief on Disability Mainstreaming. Department of Disability, Culture, Youth and Sports.
  • (2020) County Government of Bungoma, Consultative Stakeholders Forum Report on Culture, Heritage and Arts. Department of Gender, Culture, Youth and Sports.