Dr Christo Moskovsky

I completed a 5-year undergraduate degree in English Philology at Sofia University in 1985. The program covered a wide range of studies, such as English and American Literature, Linguistics (incl. general theory of language, as well as phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics), translation and interpreting, language teaching methodology, ESL/EFL teacher training, etc. In my final semester of study I completed a research thesis, which was a comparative study of reflexives in English and Bulgarian. I did a research Masters in linguistics at Sofia University in 1988/89. My MA thesis dealt with issues of valency theory. In 1992 I came to Newcastle as a full scholarship student to do a PhD in linguistics. My research concerned the distribution and interpretation of referentially dependent elements in Bulgarian (such as reflexive and non-reflexive pronouns): it was based on the then very influential Government/Binding theory. In 1997 my dissertation on Binding in Bulgarian was accepted for the degree without any modifications. Following my graduation I worked for a couple of years as an Academic Skills lecturer at Newcastle University’s Learning & Development Program. I was offered a lectureship in linguistics at Newcastle in late 1998. Since then I have mostly been involved in the coordination and delivery of the postgraduate coursework programs in Applied Linguistics at Newcastle. In early 2011 I was appointed as the Faculty’s Assistant Dean International. I served in this role until the end of 2013.

Research Expertise
I have been involved in two complementary lines of research: 1) theoretical syntax 2) bilingualism, second language acquisition and second language development. Within theoretical syntax, I have been involved in the investigation of the distribution and interpretation of referentially dependent elements (such as pronouns) in Bulgarian. Some of my key publications are in this area, incl. my book published in 2002 by the European publisher Peter Lang (reviewed favourably in the Australian Journal of Linguistics in 2004), and my paper in the European based peer-reviewed journal Linguistics. The book constitutes a pioneering study of reflexive and pronominal binding in Bulgarian, with clear contributions for linguistic theory more generally. In the area of second language acquisition, I have been involved in several research projects investigating an array of highly significant issues, such as aspects of the language development of bilingual children, the interrelationship between bilingualism and cognitive ability, and the critical period for (second) language acquisition (with a focus on its implications for second language learning/teaching). More recently, I have undertaken a research project investigating second language FOSSILIZATION: an aspect of adult second language acquisition whose theoretical and practical importance is widely recognised in the literature. Over the past few years I have also been involved in collaborative research with my colleague Dr Alan Libert in the area of artificial languages. We already have a number of joint publications, incl. two monographs with Peter Lang.

Teaching Expertise
At the undergraduate level, I have been involved in teaching LING3110 Language & Mind and LING3120 Second Language Acquisition. Contemporary Second Language Acquisition deals with theoretical perspectives on the linguistic, psychological, and social factors which shape the process of learning a non-native language. LING3110 Language & Mind is also a highly theoretical course with a distinct multidisciplinary character: its main focus is on the relationship between language and thought, and its subject matter can be seen as a cross-section of linguistics, psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics. In 2009 I constructed and delivered for the first time a completely new course: LING3400 Issues of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. I have also been involved in the delivery of courses in the Master of Applied Linguistics (MAL) Program. One of them is LING6030 Second Language Acquisition which involves a joint lecture together with the corresponding undergraduate LING3120, and an additional one hour per week discussion seminar. This course is a core requirement for the popular TESL/TEFL strand Master of Applied Linguistics. Within the MAL I also teach a 6000-level version of my Bilingualism course. I coordinate the two MAL research courses: LING6950 Research Preparation and LING6950 Research Project. Previously I have been involved in teaching of LING6040 Language Testing & Evaluation, LING6020 Structure of English, and LING6910 Foundations of Linguistics. All of the courses I teach are also provided online, via Blackboard.

Administrative Expertise
Until the end of 2010 my chief admin responsibility was my convenorship of the postgraduate coursework programs in Applied Linguistics at our University: the Graduate Certificate in Applied Linguistics and the Master of Applied Linguistics. My responsibilities as Convenor for Master of Applied Linguistics fell into four categories: (i) Coordination of staff and courses being offered within the Program. (ii) Dealing with all inquiries by current and prospective students about academic aspects of the Program; providing students with advice in relation to specific issues, such as course selection and course sequencing; processing applications for advanced credit, etc. (iii) Ongoing course and program development as well as ongoing development of teaching/learning resources for the Program. (iv) Ongoing updating of existing information and promotional materials for Master of Applied Linguistics, as well as development of new ones. Since the start of 2011, I have taken on the role of the Faculty’s Assistant Dean International.