If you’ve ever had a ¡®barney’ with someone, wondered how Gaelic speakers produce certain sounds or why Scousers’ sentences go up at the end, you may want to read on.
From documenting fascinating underground languages to how we describe living with cancer, words matter. Ranked 3rd in the QS World University Rankings 2024 for Linguistics, the University’s pioneering linguistics team has been at the forefront of research in this field for decades. Whether they are making a difference in the lives of people with dyslexia or helping the NHS improve services, Lancaster’s world-leading Department of Linguistics and English Language examines how language works in learning, communication and within society.
Their work spans vast areas, from improving how we talk about marginalised groups and protect people from online abuse to transforming how we test for language proficiency and document the UK’s many distinct dialects. The University’s pioneering research in this field makes a real difference.
At the heart of it all is a curiosity and championing of the diversity and uniqueness of language in relation to identity.