Professor of Linguistics at the University of Bochum. She holds a degree in Hispanic Philology from the University of La Laguna and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Bremen. She has published a dozen books and over thirty scientific articles, especially in the field of sociolinguistics. She has conducted research stays in Europe, Latin America, and Africa, and her work has been awarded and recognized by UNESCO, the German Research Association, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, among others.