Bilde av Bentzen, Kristine
Bilde av Bentzen, Kristine
Professor in Nordic linguistics (Deputy leader of AcqVA-Nor) Department of Language and Culture kristine.bentzen@uit.no +4777646665 You can find me here

Kristine Bentzen


Job description

I'm a professor of Nordic linguistics.

My research interests include comparative linguistics, syntax, pragmatics and information structure, Nordic dialects, child language, first and second language acquisition, bilingualism, language revitalization, Norwegian, Norwegian dialects, Nordic languages, Sami languages, and English.

I primarily teach and supervise students in the Nordic department, but I also teach/supervise students in the English department and the Sami department, as well as Speech therapy.


  • Kristine Bentzen :
    VO–OV-variasjon i nordsamisk: Hva kan LIA Sápmi fortelle oss?
    Novus Forlag 2021
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    VO-OV-variasjon i nordsamisk: Hva kan lia sápmi fortelle oss?
    Oslo Studies in Language (OSLa) 2020 ARKIV / DOI
  • Kristine Bentzen, Merete Anderssen :
    The form and position of pronominal objects with non-nominal antecedents in Scandinavian and German
    Journal of Comparative Germanic Linguistics 2019 ARKIV / DOI
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Guro Busterud, Anne Dahl, Bjørn Lundquist, Marit Westergaard :
    The acquisition of word order in L2 Norwegian: The case of subject and object shift
    Nordic Journal of Linguistics 2018 ARKIV / DOI
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen :
    Different outcomes in the acquisition of residual V2 and do-support in three Norwegian-English bilinguals: Cross-linguistic influence, dominance and structural ambiguity
    Frontiers in Psychology 2018 ARKIV / DOI
  • Øystein A Vangsnes, Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen :
    Nynorsk språktileigning i eit tospråksperspektiv
    Det Norske Samlaget 2017
  • Kristine Bentzen, Randi Solheim, Øystein Alexander Vangsnes :
    Få ut finger'n, og gå eller stå på ski
    01. March 2024 DATA
  • Sofie Alstad Førlie, Kristine Bentzen, Åse Mette Johansen :
    Flerspråklighet i overgangen fra internasjonal grunnskole til norsk videregående skole: En kvalitativ undersøkelse av læreres oppfatning og håndtering av flerspråklighet i overganger i utdanningssystemet
    2024 FULLTEKST
  • Merete Brendeford Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Natalia Mitrofanova, Yulia Rodina :
    Flerspråklighet i barnehagen​ Språkets utfordringer, muligheter og gleder​
    2024
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Grammatisk variasjon i skandinavisk talemål: Språket som et dynamisk system
    2023
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Vil skilje barna med høge gjerde for å redde samisk språk
    30. October 2023
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Áigot sirret mánáidgárdenmánáid gielaid mielde
    31. October 2023
  • Kristine Bentzen, Leiv Inge Aa, Ellen Andenæs :
    Hva er egentlig en glemmebok? Nåde deg, sier vi, men hvor kommer uttrykket fra? Kan mot og imot brukes om hverandre?
    16. April 2023
  • Kristine Bentzen, Anna Vinichenko, Helene Ruud Jensberg :
    Flerspråklige barn i Norge
    15. April 2023
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Deltakelse i NRK-podcasten Språksnakk
    02. October 2022
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Anna Lilith (3) lærer norsk fra mor og portugisisk fra far. Dette er språkforskernes råd til tospråklige familier.
    21. September 2022
  • Knut Ørke, Kristine Bentzen, Åse Mette Johansen, Helene Ruud Jensberg, Anya Vinichenko :
    Dialektbruk i norskopplæringa
    02. November 2022 FULLTEKST / OMTALE
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Anna Lilith (3) lærer norsk fra mor og portugisisk fra far. Dette er språkforskernes råd til tospråklige familier.
    18. September 2022
  • Ellen Andenæs, Kristine Bentzen, Stian Hårstad :
    Svigersyskenbarn, "på lat" og vederkvegelse
    30. September 2022 FULLTEKST
  • Kristine Bentzen, Anne Dahl, Irmelin Kjelaas :
    Språksnakk. Flerspråklighet hos barn, ordene som avslører overgriperen.
    12. February 2021
  • Øystein A Vangsnes, Kristine Bentzen :
    Når samisk språkvitalisering møter det norske helsevesenet
    2021
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    The VO-OV alternation in North Sami
    2020
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    The VO-OV alternation in North Sami
    2020
  • Kristine Bentzen, Helene Ruud Jensberg :
    «Dem ikke know at det er en prinsesse»: En casestudie av et norsk/engelsk tospråklig barn
    UiT Norges arktiske universitet 2020
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen :
    Cross-linguistic influence in English child heritage bilinguals: Acquiring Residual V2 and do-support in contact with Norwegian V2
    2019
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Hvordan barn tilegner seg modalitet – med fokus på epistemisk modalitet
    2019
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Flerspråklighet og språkutvikling hos samiske barn
    2019
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Barnehagens rolle som språklig arena for samiske barn
    2019
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Pronominal reference in discourse: Ambiguity resolved by form and position
    2019
  • Kristine Bentzen, Gro-Beate Josefsen :
    Samiske barnehager som arena for læring av språk Hvordan er språkhverdagen for barn i samiske barnehager, og hvordan ivaretas tospråkligheten i en samisk barnehagekontekst?
    UiT Norges arktiske universitet 2019
  • Kristine Bentzen, Christer Engen Sørensen :
    Tilegnelsen av subjekts- og objektsveksling hos voksne andrespråksinnlærere av norsk
    UiT Norges arktiske universitet 2019
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Object Shift and es/das: Form and position of pronominal object with non-nominal antecedents in Norwegian and German
    2018
  • Yulia Rodina, Kristine Bentzen, Olga Urek, Øystein A Vangsnes :
    Flere språk til flere - UiT
    2018
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Váibmogiela - Hvordan få hjertespråket til å bli barnas hverdagsspråk
    2018
  • Kristine Bentzen, Thomas Johnsen :
    Så du det ikke? Objektsveksling av det med nominale og ikke-nominale antesedenter
    UiT Norges arktiske universitet 2018
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    VO-OV alternations and information structure in North Sami
    2017
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Seaillut váibmogiela! Strategier, idealer og virkelighet ved flerspråklig oppvekst
    2017
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen :
    Three different outcomes in Norwegian/English bilinguals: Micro-variation in the acquisition of residual V2
    2017
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen :
    Different outcomes in the acquisition of do-support in three Norwegian/English bilinguals: Delay and acceleration
    2017
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen :
    Different outcomes in the acquisition of do-support in three Norwegian/English bilinguals: Delay and acceleration
    2017
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Språktilegnelse hos enspråklige og flerspråklige barn
    2017
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Seaillut váibmogiela! Strategier, idealer og virkelighet ved flerspråklig oppvekst
    2017
  • Berit Anne Bals Baal, Kristine Bentzen :
    Máŋggagielatvuođa ovdamunit ja hástalusat
    2017
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Guro Busterud, Anne Dahl, Jelena Didriksen, Marit Westergaard :
    Word order in L2 Norwegian: The case of subject and object shift
    2017
  • Kristine Bentzen, Dianna Walla :
    Code mixing in early bilingual acquisition: dominance, language modes, and discourse strategies. A case study of bilingual acquisition of Norwegian and English
    UiT Norges arktiske universitet 2017
  • Tonje Marie Ellingsen, Hella Veierud Busch, Kristine Bentzen :
    Minoritetsspråklige elevers møte med litteraturlesing. En kvalitativ studie av litteraturens potensiale i norskundervisningen
    UiT Norges arktiske universitet 2017
  • Marit Westergaard, Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Guro Busterud, Anne Dahl, Jelena Didriksen et al.:
    The acquisition of Subject and Object Shift in L2/Ln Norwegian
    2016
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Guro Busterud, Anne Dahl, Jelena Didriksen, Bjørn Lundquist et al.:
    The Acquisition of Object Shift and Subject Shift in Ln Learners of Norwegian
    2016
  • Merete Anderssen, Kristine Bentzen, Guro Busterud, Anne Dahl, Jelena Didriksen, Bjørn Lundquist et al.:
    Subject and Object Shift in L2 Norwegian
    2016
  • Kristine Bentzen :
    Objektsplassering i nordsamisk talemål
    2016

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    Research interests

    Research interests:

    My research interests are broad, and include comparative linguistics, syntax, pragmatics and information structure, dialects syntax, child language, first and second language acquisition, bilingualism, language revitalization, and language disorders. I primarily work with the following languages: Norwegian (and Norwegian/Nordic dialects), Northern Sami, and English.

    I have a background in theoretical syntax, in particular on the interface between syntax and information structure. For my PhD (2007) I investigated word order variation in embedded clauses in Northern Norwegian, and also compared this with other Scandinavian varieties. My thesis also included a chapter on the acquisition of word order in Northern Norwegian embedded clauses.

    Since my PhD I have continued working on theoretical syntax and information structure, and on language acquisition.

    I have also picked up again the topic from my Master’s thesis (2000), namely bilingual language acquisition and cross-linguistic influence.

    Another research interest that has emerged over the years related to first language acquisition of Northern Sami. From 2011-2017 I was the leader of the project DASAGO (Davvisámigiel mánáid giellaovdáneapmi – North Sami child language acquisition), in which we adapted the MacArthur-Bates CDI (Communicative Development Inventory) into North Sami, collected child language corpora of Sami child language, and investigated various grammatical aspects in Sami child language. We are still working on material collected for this project.

    Finally, I have recently decided to approach a topic I have long been fascinated by, namely language disorders. I am currently doing a Master’s degree on speech therapy, and hope to do some research into this area in the near future.

    My current research interests include:

    • Object shift in Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages, both in adult language and in language acquisition
    • OV/VO alternation in (Northern) Sami, both in adult language and in language acquisition
    • (First and second language) Acquisition of word order variation and information structure
    • Bilingual acquisition (Norwegian/English, Norwegian/North Sami) and cross-linguistic influence
    • Acquisition of (North) Sami in a language revitalization perspective

    I’m involved in the following external projects:

    • External expert consultant on the project The development of Object Shift in North Germanic Child Language, directed by Filippa Lindahl (University West, Sweden)
    • SamBa – Growing up in the Arctic. A longitudinal study of early childhood development and health in indigenous and non-indigenous children, directed by Siv Kvernmo (Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT)

    Teaching

    I teach various linguistic topics related to the MA and BA programmes of Nordic languages and litterature, as well as the teacher training (Lektorutdanninga 8-13), such as grammar, child language acquisition, Norwegian as a second language, multilingualism, linguisitic theory and methodology.

    I also teach grammar, phonology/phonetics, language acquisition, multilingualism and topics on Sami languages at the Speech Therapy MA programme at UiT.