Linguistics

The group is strongly committed to empirical and inter-disciplinary research. We are one of the strongest centres for research in cognitive linguistics not just in the UK but internationally, and host the journal Cognitive Linguistics, the flagship journal in the field. We also have an established reputation for research into language learning and teaching. Several researchers work in the area of discourse analysis and sociolinguistics, both of which are broadly concerned with language in context. Particular interests include perceptions of and attitudes towards spoken language variation, the ways in which language is used in literature, politics and the media, and the social meanings of grammatical forms. Our researchers in discourse analysis and sociolinguistics investigate the ways in which linguistic variation and language choices are affected by, and affect attitudes within, wider society and culture. Other staff work on historical linguistics, language evolution and change, language structure and the psychology of language.

Case Study: Re-assessing own language use in English language teaching