Prf Rosina Marquez Reiter

Professional biography

I joined The Open University as Professor of Pragmatics and Interaction in 2019 and was Head of School of Languages and Applied Linguistics from 2019-2022. During my tenure , I implemented a successful financial strategy, drove innovation by integrating AI (https://www.open.ac.uk/postgraduate/qualifications/f97) into our core curriculum,  championed the establishment of new centres (Online Chinese Confucius Institute, Open Centre for Languages and Cultures), achieved significant growth in staff, and advanced the careers of over 12% of staff.

Before joining the OU, I worked at the School of Literature and Languages at the University of Surrey in Communication and (Spanish) Linguistics, at the Department of Applied Linguistics at St Mary’s University College, University of Surrey, and as a teacher of English and Spanish as foreign languages at several institutions in the UK and abroad.

I have a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Sheffield and professional qualifications in Applied Linguistics and Language Teaching, and Management and Leadership.

Research interests

My research interests centre around interpersonal pragmatics and interactional sociolinguistics and are primarily anchored in the examination of social interactions. A key aspect of my work has been advancing our understanding of  the sociocultural norms that underlie the appropriateness of conversational encounters in various linguistic and cultural  contexts, with special attention to English and Spanish (and their varieties) in various institutional, for-profit environments. My research spans topics such as conversational dynamics, (im)politeness, and morality in face to face and technology mediated settings.

My research also explores the negotiation and transformation of ethnolinguistic identities and language practices in migratory and diasporic contexts. I have led projects examining the linguistic practices of Latin Americans in Madrid and ethnolinguistic minorities in the UK, as well as the discursive construction of morality in both public and private discourse.

My current research investigates shifts in cultural values and emerging communicative practices driven by the increasing use of digital technologies. Additionally, I examine the role of diverse communicative practices in sustaining livelihoods within the informal economies of the Global South.  I am actively involved in two funded projects: a Slovenian Research Council grant exploring AI’s impact on professional practice and an Open Societal Challenge research project analyzing the everyday working practices of ambulant vendors in the Global South. The latter involves collaboration with vendors, their unionized cooperatives, and syndicates.  It captures ambulant vendors’ verbal and bodily communicative practices in actual time, the collective regulation shaping their work activity, and the broader macro-level forces they navigate to eke out a living.

I have significant experience in mentoring (post)doctoral students. I welcome prospective PhD projects with a focus on topics that involve the examination of conversational interaction, (im)politeness and the relationship between communicative practices and (im)mobility in diverse environments.

I am currently (co) supervising two PhD students:

Linda Bruce (current) New speakers of Scots and Scots English (AHRC Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP)

Phoebe Lowry (current) Moroccans in Paris: linguistic practices and landscaping (AHRC Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP)

Teaching interests

I have designed and led MA programmes in Intercultural Communication and International Business and Communication and International Marketing, as well as evaluated MA programmes in other UK universities and abroad. I have also taught modules for MA programmes on a range of subjects pertinent to Applied Linguistics, including Interpersonal Communication, Organisational Communication and Applied Linguistic Principles.

I also led and developed a Doctoral Training Programme across Schools offering both generic and subject specific skills, and designed, taught, and evaluated courses delivered in English and Spanish for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

Impact and engagement

My research engages with transnational and migrant populations in globalised business settings and has supported change in the diverse workplaces in which it was conducted. This has included providing advice on intercultural communication to support working practices in outsourced call centres. Further to the impact of my research on business settings, I have provided expert input to a UK regulatory body on issues of language and racism in sports. Through the Centre for Open Languages and Cultures I have helped develop a series of short courses on languages to address disparities in access. I have also engaged a wide range of professional and community groups, including a recent knowledge exchange project (HEIF funded) with Deaf Action Scotland.

External collaborations

I am Associate Editor of the journal Pragmatics, was founding editor and Editor-in -Chief of Spanish in Context and Co-Editor since 2010. I am also an Advisory Board member of several journals and book series, including Journal of Politeness Research: Language, Behaviour, Culture; Complutense Journal of English Studies, International Journal of Language Studies, Journal of Language, Linguistics and Translation, Contrastive Pragmatics, Trabalhos em Linguística Aplicada, International Arab Journal of English For Specific Purposes, Advances in (Im)politeness Studies (Springer) and Routledge Focus on Impoliteness. I am member of the AHRC Peer-Review College and have acted as reviewer for other Research Councils, such as the Economic Social Research Council, the European Science Foundation, the Spanish Research Council, the Swiss Research Council and the Polish Research Council. I am an invited academic reviewer for Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas CONICET, Argentina (2017-present) and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Agencia Nacional de Evaluación y Prospectiva, Secretaría General de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación) (2015-present). I serve on the International Pragmatics Association Consultation Board (IPrA) and mentor (post)doctoral students and early-career scholars as part of IPrA’s worldwide mentoring scheme.