Research cluster
Language Variation, Identity and Interaction
Understanding language in use
From the first "hello" to the last "goodbye", we live our lives in social interaction. But how is language used in social contexts?
This cluster focuses on how we use language to do things with words: how we construct our distinct identities through language, how we form and maintain relationships, and how we use both verbal and non-verbal communication to build actions and social institutions together.
We investigate language from the perspective of:
- linguistic variation and change, particularly regional varieties of British English and modern Arabic dialects
- conversation analysis, particularly grammar and embodiment in interaction
- second language acquisition, particularly first language attrition.
