Linguistics and English Language

Linguistics phonetics lab equipment in use

Introduction

Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster is one of the largest disciplines of its kind in the UK. For 50 years we have been known internationally for innovative qualitative and quantitative research on language that advances both theory and practical applications.

We have a state-of-the-art Phonetics Lab and cutting-edge eye-tracking and EEG equipment for psycholinguistic research. We are one of the world’s top centres for corpus linguistics and its applications and we are internationally known for our work in fields such as critical discourse analysis, language testing, literacy research and cognitive linguistics.

More recently, we have developed our expertise in sociophonetics, forensic linguistics, business communication and intercultural communication. We are committed to high quality teaching - we like our students to have access to our research through our courses. New ideas and developments feed directly into what our students learn. Some of our staff have received awards for teaching and we constantly strive to improve.

In the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF2021), Linguistics was submitted to Modern Languages and Linguistics. We achieved the highest possible score for impact and are rated ‘outstanding’ for 100% of our research impact. Linguistics is also rated ‘world-leading’ for 100% of its research environment and ranked 2nd in the UK for overall research quality.

  • 100% of research impact rated 'outstanding'
  • 100% of research environment rated 'world-leading'
  • Ranked 2nd in the UK for overall research quality

The REF shows that Linguistics continues to be a large and diverse discipline in which nearly all staff both teach and do internationally-recognised research.

Study

Events

23rd Feb

Study for an Undergraduate Degree in Linguistics / English Language / Language Sciences

Monday 23 February 2026, 5:00pm to 6:00pm
10th Mar

Study for a Master's or Doctorate Degree in Language / Linguistics / TESOL

Tuesday 10 March 2026, 10:00am to 11:00am
13th Mar

Master's level studies in Language Testing

Friday 13 March 2026, 2:00pm to 3:00pm

More Events

A stock image of 3 people including a young boy engaging with a smartphone while talking and laughin

Julia Gillen on Toddlers, Tech and Talk

Professor Julia Gillen has been busy discussing her recent research project, “Understanding how very young children learn language and literacy at home in a post-digital age” with a variety of audiences. Also known as Toddlers, Tech and Talk, the study is a highly topical investigation of very young children and their uses of digital technology in homes. The ESRC funded project, in which Julia was a co-investigator, took place between May 2022 and December 2024 and is the most large-scale investigation of this area in the UK to date, of this little researched age group.

Evidence submitted by Julia to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Media Select Committee inquiry in Media Literacy was published in April. Recent practitioner audiences have included the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists Clinical Excellence Network and the London Early Years Advisors’ Forum. Julia says, “It’s great to talk about research results with people with strong opinions and existing experience. There is so much alarmist material in the media and our research presents more nuanced findings. We’re also responding to requests for more open access materials, through focussing on our summary report, policy briefs and infographics, besides academic outputs.”

Latest news

A group, showing the lab members

Congratulations, Dr Zhang!

Many congratulations to our PhD student Wensi Zhang, who successfully passed her PhD examination in December 2025.
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SEND support system crisis worsens – latest analysis shows

The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system, already known to be in deep trouble, now faces ‘a worsening crisis’ which, say experts, puts the UK on the brink of a national emergency.
Futuristic Secure Vault: High-Tech Safe with Digital Protection Elements

Fighting Deepfakes and Scams: Lancaster University's Forensic Linguistics Summer School Success

This summer, Lancaster University’s Forensic linguistics, Cybersecurity and Technology Research (FACTOR) team ran a successful three-day summer school. The event took 77 delegates on journey into the worlds of forensic linguistics, forensic speech science, and the (mis)use of AI, and helped to raise awareness about a new unique course, MSc Forensic Linguistics and Speech Science.
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Lancaster’s world-class researchers will turn bold ideas into innovations to improve lives

Three Lancaster University researchers have been awarded Future Leaders Fellowships, through a flagship scheme by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

CULCOM2025 delegates

Culture and Communication Network (CULCOM) 3rd Annual Conference

On Wednesday, 16th July, the School of Social Sciences hosted the third annual conference of the Culture and Communication network (CULCOM). This year’s conference focused on business communication coinciding with the launch of Lancaster University’s new MA in Intercultural Business Communication.
A photograph of the organisers of the first Fujian Youth Empowerment Camp for Intercultural Communication.

First Fujian Youth Empowerment Summer Camp for Intercultural Communication takes place 4-7th July led by Dimitrinka Atanasova

Led by Dimitrinka Atanasova, the Summer Camp helps prepare students for the prestigious Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (SFLEP) Cup National College Students’ Intercultural Competence Contest.

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