Short presentation

I am interested in language as a social phenomenon. While my work may be focused on the small-scale adaptations people make in conversation, the underlying questions that interest me are: How do people use their voices and variations in pronunciation to relate to one another and to signal who they are? What does a person’s way of speaking mean for how they are perceived by others?

Current research

At the moment (spring 2026) I am working on the project Stress-group patterns in Jutlandic based on data collected for my ph.d.-research. 

The project is funded by Ulla og Børges Fond for Sprogvidenskabelig Forskning. 

The most updated info on what I'm up to can always be found at www.annakai.dk

Primary fields of research

• sociolinguistics and -phonetics
• voice quality
• language and identity
• gender and language
• dialect and variation

Teaching

I teach and supervise broadly within my primary research fields and areas of interest.