Professor of General Linguistics and Discourse Analysis at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Louis de Saussure, Receives the Title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the Department of English Language and Literature

Professor of General Linguistics and Discourse Analysis at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Louis de Saussure, has been awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Department of English Language and Literature at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The award ceremony was held on Monday, 7 September 2026, in the University’s Great Hall.

Proceedings opened with welcoming remarks by Professor Gerasimos Siasos, Rector of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

Next, Elly Ifantidou, Professor of Language and Linguistics in the Department of English Language and Literature, spoke about Professor Louis de Saussure’s work and personal qualities.

The formal conferment then took place with Professor Efterpi Mitsi, Chair of the Department of English Language and Literature, reading the official citation.

Following this, Professor Dimitrios Drosos, Dean of the School of Philosophy, invested the honouree with the School’s academic gown.

The ceremony closed with the awardee, Professor Louis de Saussure, giving a talk on ‘Researching Language Use in Troubled Times’.

In his welcome address, the Rector, Professor Gerasimos Siasos, said, among other things:

‘The occasion is particularly significant for the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Professor de Saussure has developed a close and lasting relationship with the University and the Department of English Language and Literature. His collaboration with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens began in 2017 through the Erasmus+ Programme. Since 2019, he has taught regularly at postgraduate level in the Department of English Language and Literature. He also contributed to teaching in the Department of French Language and Literature.

His work with the University has encompassed teaching, the supervision of postgraduate dissertations, participation in doctoral examination committees, and the organisation of international conferences and workshops. Over the course of this long-standing collaboration, Professor de Saussure has helped introduce advanced approaches to linguistic pragmatics into the University’s academic environment, strengthen international research networks, support the development of a new generation of Greek researchers, and enhance the international profile of programmes in linguistics.’

Photos: Dimitris Konstantinidis