Dr.Ina Biermann

Ina grew up in Potchefstroom, a university town in South Africa, where she completed her MA in English at the PU for CHE (founded on 29 November 1869, in 1994 renamed the North-West University). Her doctoral thesis in Stylistics was supervised by Geoffrey Leech, Lancaster University.

Teaching experience

She taught for several years at UNISA where she took part in the formation of a new Department of Theory of Literature out of the Department of Linguistics, after which she started teaching courses at UBC in the Department of English language and literatures on the structure of Modern English (including phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse), the early and later history of English, grammar and usage, stylistics, sociolinguistics and academic and technical writing. Her teaching experience further includes teaching both language and literature as a sessional lecturer at St. Mark’s College and other BC tertiary institutions.

Research field

Her research interests are the analysis and interpretation of literary and non-literary texts across various eras and styles, with an abiding interest in the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Teaching approach

The conviction that studying the language of any literary text is essential for reading and understanding a poem, narrative or drama informs all of Ina’s teaching. Similarly, she regards studying and describing the language use of any author as crucial for sustaining claims about an author's style, the characteristics of a particular era or a literary trend. She strives to guide students towards appreciating how much there is to gain from learning about language and stylistics both for those who are primarily interested in studying and teaching English language and linguistics and for those who are pursuing the study of literature.

Previous Appointments

UBC Department of English Language and Literatures: Sessional lecturer (2021-current) Lecturer (2013-2021) Sessional lecturer (prior to 2013)

St. Mark’s College: Sessional lecturer for ENGL310 (Sep-Dec 2023; 2021)

Various sessional appointments prior to 2013: UBC Linguistics; University of the Fraser Valley; Kwantlen; Trinity Western University

Professional Societies

PALA (Poetics and Linguistics Association)

Selected publications

Biermann, Ina (2024) https://www.litterm.co.za/2024/10/22/kognitiewe-literatuurstudie/ (”The cognitive study of literature”).

___ & Luna Bergh (2022) Stilistiek, in Carstens, W.A.M. & T.J. van Dyk, eds. (2022) Toegepaste Taalkunde in Afrikaans. (“Applied Linguistics in Afrikaans”.) J.L. van Schaik, pp. 657-680.

___ & Annette Combrink (eds.) (2001) Poetics, Linguistics and History: Discourses of War and Conflict: Proceedings of the 19th PALA Conference. PU for CHE: Potchefstroom.

___ & Hilton Hubbard (guest eds.) (1999) Introduction. Journal of Literary Studies/Tydskrif vir Literatuurwetenskap 15(3 4) Special double issue on Stylistics. R.

___ (1999) Sound repetition as characterisation technique in Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh, in Journal of Literary Studies / Tydskrif vir Literatuurwetenskap 15(3 4): 324-354. R. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02564719908530235

___ (1995) When metaphor counts: review article of Understanding Metaphor by Gerard Steen, in Language and Literature 6(1):57 68, February. R.

___ (1993) Intertextuality as parallelism in two South African poems. Language and Literature 2(3):197 220. R.

___ (1988) Sound in poetry: the role of phonetics in the study of poetic language as exemplified in the study of a sonnet by Gerard Manley Hopkins. SA Journal of Linguistics 6(3):15 29. R.

___ (1984) “Greeks Today” (English translation of the poem “Grieke vandag” by T.T. Cloete) Tydskrif vir Letterkunde NR22(3):3. R.