She was born in 1959 in Osijek, where she attended elementary and grammar school as well as the Faculty of Pedagogy where she graduated in 1982.
She received her postgraduate degree in linguistics (Croatian studies) at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb in 1988.
Six years later she received a doctor's degree with a dissertation about language of Croatian novelist Josip Kozarac.
Her academic mentor both in postgraduate and doctoral degree was Stjepan Babić.
She was elected as one of 22 Heroes of all times, people prominent and notable in their field of work, by listeners of Croatian Radio.