Werner Holly studied German Philology, Political Science and Sociology. Doctorate in 1977 in Heidelberg. Habilitation 1988 at the University of Trier. Teaching activities and visiting professorships at the Universities of Heidelberg, São Paulo, Saarbrücken and Rostock. Holder of the professorship for German Linguistics at TU Chemnitz from 1993 to 2012. Member of the board of the German Association of Germanists from 1997 to 2007 and member of the International Scientific Council of the Institute for the German Language Mannheim since 1998.
