# Javier E. Díaz-Vera

Javier E. Díaz-Vera (born 14 May 1966) is a Spanish linguist and scholar renowned for his contributions to historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, and cognitive linguistics. His interdisciplinary research integrates digital humanities, corpus linguistics, and the study of language evolution, social variation, and cultural change. Díaz-Vera has particularly gained recognition for his work on language variation and change in the domain of the history of emotions.

## Career

Javier E. Díaz-Vera earned his Bachelor's and PhD in Linguistics (English) from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1994. Since 1990, he has been actively engaged in teaching and research at the Faculty of Arts at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, where he holds a tenured position (Catedrático de Universidad).
Throughout his career, Díaz-Vera has enhanced his academic profile through research stays at prestigious institutions worldwide, including the University of Edinburgh and the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, the University of Kyoto in Japan, the Institute of Computational Linguistics of the National Research Council (Italy), Harvard University’s Villa I Tatti in Italy, the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences in Switzerland, the University of Lisbon in Portugal, and the Paris 8 University Vincennes-Saint-Denis in France. He also holds a Jean Monnet Chair on Multilingualism in the European Union.
In addition to his scholarly contributions, Díaz-Vera has gained recognition as a translator of Icelandic sagas into Spanish, collaborating with Teodoro Manrique-Antón. His translations include notable works such as the Saga of the Orkneys, Saga of the Volsungs, Saga of Ragnarr Lodbrók, and the Saga of the Vikings of Jóm. These translations have made Icelandic literature accessible to Spanish-speaking audiences, contributing to the appreciation of Norse cultural heritage.

## Research

Díaz-Vera’s research focuses on the intersection of language and society, particularly how social dynamics influence linguistic changes over time. His studies involve examining historical texts and linguistic patterns to understand the evolution of verbal and visual expressions of emotions, especially in response to cultural shifts and language contact.
One of his key areas of expertise is historical sociolinguistics, where he explores how past linguistic forms reflect social hierarchies, cultural norms, and interpersonal relationships. His work has been instrumental in understanding how dialectal variations and language contact shape the evolution of languages.
Díaz-Vera is a proponent of digital humanities, utilizing digital tools and corpora to analyze large datasets of historical linguistic information. This innovative approach has allowed him to uncover linguistic trends that are challenging to detect through traditional methods.
Additionally, Díaz-Vera has researched European multilingualism and language pedagogy, focusing on effective language learning and teaching techniques. His interdisciplinary approach aims to bridge the gap between theoretical linguistics and practical applications, offering insights for both academic researchers and educators.

## Publications and influence

Díaz-Vera has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, addressing topics such as sociolinguistic variation and change in historical texts, the role of social networks in language change, and the study of emotion expressions in different linguistic contexts. His work has appeared in prominent international journals such as Folia Linguistica Historica, Review of Cognitive Linguistics, Intercultural Pragmatics, Cognitive Linguistic Studies, Names: A Journal of Onomastics, Language and Cognition, and the Russian Journal of Linguistics, and his contributions have been discussed in the Old English Newsletter and Emotion Review.
He is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts in the study of the history of emotions across cultures and languages. From 2012 to its conclusion in 2018, Díaz-Vera was a member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for the History of Emotions at the University of Western Australia, where he collaborated with other researchers to advance the understanding of emotions in historical and cross-cultural contexts.
Since 2003, Javier E. Díaz-Vera has led the EMOTLC (Emotions across Time, Languages, Cultures) research lab at the University of Castilla-La Mancha, which focuses on the study of emotions and culture. This interdisciplinary group of scholars explores how emotions are shaped, expressed, and understood across different historical, linguistic, and cultural contexts. By combining insights from linguistics, history, psychology, and anthropology, EMOTLC investigates the role of language in constructing and transmitting emotional knowledge. Through its research, the lab has become a key reference in understanding the culture-specific aspects of emotional experiences and their impact on identity formation over time.

## Selected works

* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2002). A changing world of words: Studies in English historical lexicography, lexicology, and semantics. Brill/Rodopi.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E., & Caballero, R. (2009). Textual healing: Studies in Medieval English medical, scientific and technical texts. Peter Lang.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2011). Reconstructing the Old English cultural model for fear. Atlantis, 33(1), 85-103.
* Caballero, R., & Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2013). Sensuous cognition: Explorations into human sentience: Imagination, (e)motion and perception (Applications of Cognitive Linguistics; ACL 22). De Gruyter Mouton.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2014). From cognitive linguistics to historical sociolinguistics: The evolution of Old English expressions of shame and guilt. Cognitive Linguistic Studies, 1(1), 55-83.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2015). Metaphor and metonymy across time and cultures: Perspectives on the sociohistorical linguistics of figurative language (Cognitive Linguistics Research; CLR 52). De Gruyter Mouton.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2016). Exploring the relationship between emotions, language and space: Construals of awe in medieval English language and pilgrimage experience. Studia Neophilologica, 88(1), 165-189.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2019). The changing pursuit of happiness. In S. Broomhall & A. Lynch (Eds.), The Routledge history of emotions in Europe: 1100-1700 (pp. 371-387). Routledge.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2020). The sense of touch: The haptic communication of emotions in Anglo-Saxon England from a linguistic perspective. In M. Clegg Hyer & G. R. Owen-Croker (Eds.), Sense and feeling in daily living in the early medieval English world (pp. 88-106). Liverpool University Press.
* Porter, E., & Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2005). Cultural models for emotions in the North Atlantic vernaculars, 700-1400 (Medieval Texts and Cultures of Northern Europe; TCNE 39). Brepols.
* Díaz-Vera, J. E. (2025). Positive emotions in Old English language and thought: An emotion family approach (Topics in English Linguistics; TiEL 118). De Gruyter Mouton.