Akila Sellami Baklouti is a Professor of English language and linguistics. She mainly lectures on syntax, semantics, systemic functional grammar, academic writing and research methodology. Her research interests and PhD supervision areas include systemic functional linguistics, genre analysis and genre-based contrastive language and translation studies. She is the coordinator of the Master program in English linguistics and Director of the Research Laboratory Approaches to Discourse (LR13ES15) at the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, University of Sfax (Tunisia). She is the Deputy Chair of the International Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (ISFLA). She is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Language, Context and Text:The Social Semiotics Forum.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. & Mahfoudhi, L. (In Press). Individual freedom vs. systemic and generic constraints in translation: Experiential choices in a corpus of English-Arabic research article abstracts; in J. Williams, (ed.) Systemic Functional Linguistics and the Individual. New York and London: Routledge. To appear in 2026
– Sellami-Baklouti, A., Benelhaj, F., Choura, S. & Abid, N. (2025). Systemic Functional Linguistics: Power and Empowerment: Papers from the 48th International Systemic Functional Congress. Academic Research (N°19) Special Issue (https://recherches-universitaires-flshs.com/numero/33/details.html)
– Sellami Baklouti, A. & Choura, S. (2025). Introduction Power and Empowerment in SFL: Theoretical insights and discourse applications; in Sellami-Baklouti, A., Benelhaj, F., Choura, S. & Abid, N. (Eds.), Systemic Functional Linguistics: Power and Empowerment: Papers from the 48th International Systemic Functional Congress. Academic Research (N°19) Special Issue (https://recherches-universitaires-flshs.com/numero/33/details.html)
– Wegener, R, McCabe, A., Sellami Baklouti, A. & Fontaine, L. (2025) The Routledge Handbook of Transdisciplinary Systemic Functional Linguistics, edited volume. Routledge. (https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Transdisciplinary-Systemic-Functional-Linguistics/Wegener-McCabe-SellamiBaklouti-Fontaine/p/book/9781032270579?srsltid=AfmBOoqVvqlAubsexzK_sQKpYITBEsglRBM9OBCa_h3KxeU6u63cx51z)
– François, J. & Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2025). SFL and functional models of language: Multidisciplinarity or Transdisciplinarity?; in R. Wegener, A. McCabe, A. Sellami-Baklouti & L. Fontaine (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Transdisciplinary Systemic Functional Linguistics. Routledge.
– Abdeljaoued, M. & Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2025). Authorial Authority and Reader Positioning in Doctoral Theses Across Disciplines: Pedagogical Implications from a Diachronic Study; in Journal of Research in Applied Linguistics, Volume 16, Issue 2, pp. 162-177. https://rals.scu.ac.ir/article_20336.html
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2023). Book Review of Non-finiteness: A process-relation perspective, by Yang Bingjun Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2022; in Functions of Language, Vol. 30, n°2- https://doi.org/10.1075/fol.00051.bak
– Iglesias-Onofrio, M. & Sellami-Baklouti, A. (eds.) (2023). Innovation Sociale et Technologie pour une Meilleure Employabilité des Femmes Tunisiennes; Sousse: Société Génér@tion 21
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2023). Genre et Technologie pour une Autonomisation des Diplômées Tunisiennes; in M. Iglesias-Onofrio & A. Sellami-Baklouti (eds.) Innovation Sociale et Technologie pour une Meilleure Employabilité des Femmes Tunisiennes; Société Génér@tion 21, pp. 14-50.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2022). Book Review of Systemic Functional Linguistics, Part 1(Collected Works of Christian M.I.M. Matthiessen, Volume 1), Kazuhiro Teruya, Canzhong Wu and Diana Slade, eds., UK and USA: Equinox, 2021; in WORD, 68:3, 353-357, DOI: 10.1080/00437956.2021.2003575
– Sellami-Baklouti, A., Wang, B. and Ma, Y. (2022). Developing systemic functional translation studies in Tunisia; in B. Wang and Y. Ma (eds.) Key Themes and New Directions in Systemic Functional Translation Studies, New York and London: Routledge.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2021). Transitivity-ergativity perspectives on causation in legal texts: A contrastive study of Arabic and English website terms of service. Lingua Volume 261 2021 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2019.102782
- Sellami-Baklouti, A. & Fontaine, L. (2018). Perspectives from Systemic Functional Linguistics: An Appliable Theory of Language. London & New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Perspectives-from-Systemic-Functional-Linguistics/Sellami-Baklouti-Fontaine/p/book/9781138237384
– Fontaine, L. & Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2018). Introduction: Perspectives from Systemic Functional Linguistics ; in A. Sellami-Baklouti and L. Fontaine (eds.) Perspectives from Systemic Functional Linguistics: An Appliable Theory of Language. London & New York: Routledge. pp. 1-5.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2018). Maintenance vs. Shift in Literary Translation SFL Perspectives on the Translation of User-Related Varieties in Socio-Cultural Contexts; in A. Sellami-Baklouti and L. Fontaine (eds.) Perspectives from Systemic Functional Linguistics: An Appliable Theory of Language. London & New York: Routledge. pp. 121-139.
- Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2016). Activation of Lexico-grammatical Choices by Hybrid Contexts: Interpersonal Uses of Language in Peer Review Reports in Linguistics and Mathematics. Accepted for publication in D. R. Miller and P. Bayley (eds.) Hybridity in Systemic Functional Linguistics: Grammar, Text and Discursive Context.
https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/hybridity-systemic-functional-linguistics-grammar-text-discursive-context-edited-donna-r-miller-paul-bayley/
- Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2013). A Probabilistic Approach to Choice: The Impact of Contextual Factors on the Tactic System in Research Article Abstracts; in Gerard O’Grady, Tom Bartlett, Lise Fontaine (Eds.) Choice in Language: Applications in Text Analysis. London: Equinox.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2013). Deviation of Deviant Themes from a Probabilistic Model: Thematic Choice in Enhancing Hypotactic Clause Complexes; in M. Guirat & M. Triki (eds.) Deviation(s), Proceedings of the GRAD Annual Conference, pp. 103-130.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2012). Projecting Others’ Speech: Linguistic Strategies; Academic Research, Vol. 10; pp. 205-234
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2011). The Impact of Genre and Disciplinary Differences on Structural Choice: Taxis in Research Article Abstracts. Text & Talk 31. 5: 503–523. 2011 De Gruyter: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/text
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2009). The Power of Silence: Implicit Anti-Muslimism in Salman Rushdie’s Knighting; in M. Triki, & M. Guirat (eds.) Silence: Proceedings of GRAD Annual Conference.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. &Triki, M. (2007). Ambiguity and Disambiguation, Editing of the Proceedings of GRAD Annual Conference.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2007). Structural Ambiguity Resolution in Advanced Tunisian EFL learners, in Sellami-Baklouti, A. &Triki, M. ed. Ambiguity and Disambiguation, Proceedings of GRAD Annual Conference.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2007). Degrees of Implicitness in the Expression of Ideology: Freedom of Expression vs. Racism in the Prophet Cartoon Controversy, in Studies in Islam and the Middle East, vol. 4, n° 2.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.136.4762&rep=rep1&type=pdf
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2005). The ‘Clue-bearing’ Function of Language: The Politics of Dialect in Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, Journal of Language and Literature, Vol.3, N° 1, pp. 40-67.
http://webspace.buckingham.ac.uk/kbernhardt/journal/jllit/4_1/sellami-baklouti4_1.htm
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2004). Semantic Visibility, Syntactic Invisibility: Understood Subjects, in Tarchouna, N. ed. (In)Visibility, Proceedings of the English Department Conference, Faculty of Letters and Humanities of Sousse.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. &LeJosne, J-C. (2004). Translating Language Varieties in Literary Texts: Fiction and Drama, in Proceedings of the 5th Tunisia-Japan Symposium on Culture, Science and Technology, Sfax, May 2004. pp. 274-285.
- 2003: Triki, M. &Sellami-Baklouti, A. Pragmatic Perspectives on Persuasion. Publications of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sfax.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2003). Causality and Persuasion: Logical Relation and Linguistic Expression, in Triki. M & Sellami-Baklouti A. ed. Pragmatic Perspectives on Persuasion, Publications of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sfax. pp.54-79.
– Triki, M. &Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2002). Foundations for a Course on the Pragmatics of Discourse, Imprimerie Reliure d’Art, Sfax, Tunisia.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. (2001). Voice Shift of causative verbs in a corpus of texts, in Academic Research, Vol 1. pp. 43-59.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. &LeJosne, J-C. (2000). ‘L’expression de la cause dans la langue et le discours juridique comme mode d’évaluation de la ‘distance’ entre les cultures’, in Mejri, S. et. al. eds. : La traduction entre équivalence et correspondance : Actes du colloque international Traduction humaine, traduction automatique, interprétation. pp. 23-45.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A. 1998: L’expression de la cause: Etude comparée appliquée à un corpus trilingue (anglais, arabe, français). Thèse de doctorat de l’Université de Metz (France)
– Negotiation of meaning in digital learning spaces: A systemic functional linguistic approach to teacher-student communication in social networks. Plenary
Speech at the TESOL 10th International Conference: ELT in a Changing World, 28-30 November 2025
– SFL Adaptability to Academic Discourse Analysis: Retrospective Account, Future Directions and Challenges. Plenary Speech at the 50th International Systemic Functional Linguistics Congress, Unievrsity of Glasgow, July 7-11, 2025. (https://isfc50.wordpress.com/plenaries/)
– Introduction to Quantitative Methods in Cultural Studies Research: Sampling Designs. Presented at Workshop on the Study Day on Research Methodology in Cultural Studies organised by the Tunisian Association for American Cultural Studies, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sousse, 24 January 2025.
– Intersectional inequalities in times of war: An SFL perspective on UN documents on women’s health in Gaza and Ukraine. Keynote speech presented at the International Conference on Intersectionality, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Kairouan, 27 November 2024
– The Role of Linguistic Knowledge in Translation. Inaugural lecture at the Higher Institute of Applied Humanities, Gafsa, November 15th, 2024
– “I look forward to discovering more of your work”: A Systemic Functional Approach to Academic Communication on Social Media. Keynote speech presented at the International Conference on Media and Change, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Sousse, 26 October 2024
– Changing Mode, Changing Expression: A Systemic Functional Approach to Academic Communication on Social Media. Presented at Jeddah First International Systemic Functional Conference, February 6, 2024
– Keep Calm and Write your Dissertation: On the Pedagogical Implications of Generic Norms. Presented at the Tunisia TESOL 8th International Conference December 1st, 2023.
– Keep Calm and May Linguistics Be with You: On the input of linguistics to translation. Inaugural lecture at the Higher Institute of Applied Languages, Moknine, University of Monastir, November 1st, 2023
– The ‘tentacles’ of hybridity: Systemic Functional perspectives on hybridity in text and context. Presented at the Annual International Multidisciplinary Symposium of The English Department on REVISITING HYBRIDITY IN TEXT AND CONTEXT, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Kairouan, May 9-11, 2022.
– A contrastive description of projection in academic discourse: A cross-disciplinary approach to English-Arabic research article abstracts. Presented at 29th European Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference University Leiria, Portugal ⁞ 01-05 July, 2019 Systemic Functional
– Translation as Choice: A Systemic Functional Approach. Plenary Speech Presented at Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Sousse– Study Day: Transfer in Translation: Theoretical Approaches and Practical Issues- November 30, 2017
– Transitivity-Ergativity Perspectives on Causative Verbs in Legal Texts: A Contrastive Study of Arabic and English Website Terms. Presented at 27th European Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference University of Salamanca, Spain ⁞ 29 June-01 July, 2017 Systemic Functional Linguistics at the Crossroads: Intercultural and Contrastive Descriptions of Language.
– Teaching Language in Use: SFL Theory of Context and Genre-based Language Teaching. Plenary Speech Presented at Higher Institute of Applied Studies in Humanities, Sbeitla, Study Day: Teacher Education in changing Times from an SFL perspective March 7, 2017
– From Frequencies in the Text to Probabilities in the System: Corpus Linguistics in SFL. Plenary Speech Presented at Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Sousse – Study Day: Corpus Linguistics: Bridging Theories and Practices; February 3, 2017.
– Challenging Language Boundaries: An SFL Approach to the Translation of Language Varieties in M. Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer into Arabic and French. The International Systemic Functional Congress, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany, July, 2015
– Interdisciplinarity vs. Disciplinarity: Disciplinary Differences in the Evaluation of Research Articles; Invited Keynote speaker at the International Annual Conference, Higher Institute of Languages, Beja, Tunisia, February, 2015.
– Activation of Lexico-grammatical Choices by Hybrid Contexts: Interpersonal Uses of Language in Peer review Reports in Linguistics and Mathematics. Presented at the 24th European Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference and Workshop, Bertinoro (University of Bologna, Italy), 9-11 July, 2012.
– Deviation for Communicative Purposes: The Function of a Marked Linguistic Structure in Referee Reports for Peer-reviewed Journals. Presented at English Department, FLSHS &GRAD bi-annual Conference on Deviation, 6-8 April 2011.
– Choice and Taxis in Abstracts of Research Articles. Presented at the 21st European Systemic Functional Linguistics Conference and Workshop, Cardiff (Wales, United Kingdom), 2009.
– From Text to Concept: Using Linguistic Clues in Analysing Historical Texts”, read on Study Day: Teaching Civilisation: Problems and Remedies held by ISLG, May 2003.
– Can Legal Discourse Betray Intentions? A Linguistic Study of the Security Council Resolutions about the Situation between Iraq and Kuwait, Symposium on The Representation of the Other FLSHS, April, 13-14, 2001.
– Analysis of Causative Auxiliaries in a French Translation of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, presented on Study Day held by FLSHS, October 2000.
– Sellami-Baklouti, A.& Lejosne, J-C.: “Machine Translation and Machine-aided Translation : Some Remarks about the Latest Developments”, presented on Study Day on The Making of a Professional Translator, FLSHS, February 2000.
SYFLAT is an academic association interested in the field of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), a school of linguistics founded by the British linguist M. A. K. Halliday in 1961, and then developed and applied to many other fields.
