Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft Leibniz-Gemeinschaft

Institute

History

July 2023

ZAS moves together with the Leibniz Center for Literary and Cultural Research (ZfL) and the joint administration of the Geisteswissenschaftliche Zentren Berlin e.V. (GWZ) to Berlin-Wilmersdorf in the new building called ACHTUNDEINS at Pariser Straße 1.

November 2022

ZAS is successfully evaluated by the Senate of the Leibniz Association for the first time. This is confirmed on July 4, 2023 by the published statement recommending that the federal and state governments continue to fund ZAS as a research and scientific infrastructure facility for a further seven years.

October 2022

Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Artemis Alexiadou takes over as scientific director of ZAS. The position is combined with a joint appointment to the S-Professorship for "General Linguistics" at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

January 2017

The Centre for General Linguistics becomes a member of the Leibniz-Association, henceforth to be called Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics. The BMBF core programme is set to be carried out until the end of 2019.

2008-2019

ZAS receives project funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), replacing the previous project funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The funded research programme is entitled Embedding, linking and constituent boundaries in spoken language, grammar and discourse. The basic funding is provided by the State of Berlin, with a number of other projects providing supplemental funding, including the DFG, the Volkswagen Foundation, the European Commission, the European Science Foundation, the Investitionsbank Berlin and the Senate of Berlin.

January 2006

In its “Recommendation on Developing and Promoting the Humanities in Germany” the German Council of Science and Humanities deemed the research achievements of ZAS, ZfL (Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung) and ZMO (Zentrum Moderner Orient) as excellent and recommends their continued activity and funding.

2001

Professor Dr. Manfred Krifka becomes director of ZAS; he is professor at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

1996-2007

Following a recommendation of the German Council of Science and Humanities and with funding from the Federal State of Berlin and from the German Science Foundation (DFG), the Centres for Advanced Studies in the Humanities Berlin e.V. (Geisteswissenschaftliche Zentren Berlin (GWZ) e.V.) is founded in 1996. This is a larger organisation hosting not only ZAS but also the Centre for Literary and Cultural Research (ZfL) and the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies (ZMO). Until the end of the first twelve-year funding phase at the end of 2007, most funds were raised from the DFG in various proposal phases. The basic funding provided to ZAS by the state of Berlin covers one third of the current expenses.

ZAS grew out of the Central Institute for Linguistics (ZISW), which belonged to the Academy of Sciences (AdW) of the GDR. In 1992, after Germany's reunification, parts of this internationally renowned institute were incorporated in the "Förderungsgesellschaft Wissenschaftliche Neuvorhaben", run by the Max-Planck-Society, continuing its work under the name Specialist Research Centre for General Linguistics, Typology and Universals Research (FAS). The temporary director of the FAS and founding director of ZAS was Professor Dr. Ewald Lang (*1942 †2013) from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.