Istvan Kecskes

Teaching and Research Area/s: Second Language Acquisition, Bi- and Multi-lingualism, Intercultural Pragmatics

Teaching and Research Interests

• Intercultural Communication and Pragmatics
• Second Language Acquisition and Bilingualism
• Language, Culture, and Cognition

Kecskes earned a MA in English Language and Literature and Russian Language and Literature (1972) and a PhD in Comparative Linguistics (1977) at Kossuth University (now Debrecen University) in Hungary, and a Linguistics Degree of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest (1986). He was awarded an honorary professorship and degree from Zhejiang University in China (2008) and a host of fellowships and honorary titles from institutions around the world.

Kecskes joined the School of Education at the University at Albany in 1999. He became well-known for his work in the field of pragmatics, how speakers convey meaning in specific contexts, standing among the principal leaders in this field. In numerous articles and proceedings, books and book chapters, edited collections, and prestigious editorial, speaking and organizational roles, Kecskes had a profound influence on scholarship in areas related to second language learning, the relationship of language and culture, and sociocognitive approaches to linguistics in general and pragmatics specifically.

A frequent global traveler himself, especially to Europe and China, Kecskes encouraged his students to study language and culture abroad. He was founder and co-director of a partnership with Sorbonne University (a graduate student symposium series), and a partnership with Universitat Pompeu Fabra (the Barcelona Summer School on Bilingualism and Multilingualism), among others. He was founding editor of the journal Intercultural Pragmatics and director of the Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication Conference series. He was founder and editor-in-chief of the journal Chinese as a Second Language Research (CASLAR) and founder and president of the Chinese as a Second Language Research Association. He was president of the American Pragmatics Association (AMPRA) and brought the 4th international conference of the association (AMPRA-4) to UAlbany. He delivered numerous international lectures and lecture series, including a U.S. Department of State English as a Linguica Franca assignment at the University of Belgrade. 

Kecskes received a University at Albany Excellence in Research and Creative Activities Award (2011) and a State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities (2012). He was awarded the rank of Distinguished Professor of the State University of New York in 2015. In 2017, Kecskes was honored by international peers with a Festschrift, a scholarly book written in celebration of an illustrious academic career. His work will reverberate around the world for many years to come.