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Let's 'chew the fat' in ELF!
English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is the English used by people who have different native languages and use English as a language of communication. It provides rich ground for research as its users are...
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"The ting goes skrrra pap pap"
If you had turned on the radio even for a couple of seconds in 2017, it's highly likely that you would be familiar with Big Shaq's ironic Grime song, 'Man's Not Hot' and the now ubiquitous line 'the...
View ArticleDon't thank us for this post, it's really "no problem"
It’s probably not something you even think about. Someone asks you to pass salt or pepper at dinner, they say “thanks!” Someone is raising money for charity, and when you give a larger than expected...
View ArticleBringing Research into the Classroom: New Resources for Teaching A-Level...
We're really excited to announce that we will be holding a half-term event to introduce our new A-Level English Language Resources! If you're a keen reader and are interested in making the most of our...
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Authenticity in the Hood
Whether it’s in friends, designer handbags, or website security, one quality people always want is authenticity. Their fake counterparts are shoddy at best and damaging at worst, whether that be for...
View Article"I'm so Fancy"
Remember Iggy Azalea? Well, if you were just about anywhere in 2014, you might recall her smash hit song 'Fancy' featuring Charli XCX. In fact, that song was so popular that it earnt Iggy Ig's a...
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Like, it's just like a joke, no?
If you’ve spent even a day casually browsing the Internet, you’re probably aware of the stereotypes of a 'typical white girl'. She goes to Starbucks, she wears Uggs, she dyes her hair blonde and...
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Does Gaga ‘live for the applause’? Or, is it more of a ‘Poker Face’?
As one of the best-selling pop artists of our time, Lady Gaga is a name few would fail to recognise. From ‘Poker Face’ to ‘Telephone’, her artistry has earned her a level of notoriety comparable only...
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Pride Month Special: Language, Sexuality & Identity
Content note: this article contains some references to homophobia.No one could argue that LGBT rights in the UK have not made progress over the last decade or two. With the introduction of the Gender...
View ArticleThe Queen’s Speech
Picture this: it’s Christmas day, you’re overloaded with turkey, surrounded by the remnants of wrapping paper and you’ve just settled down to watch the Queen’s annual speech. It’s a tradition for many...
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You are what you Tweet!
In the time that it takes you to read this article, millions of users will have sent a Snapchat, uploaded an Insta Story and updated their Twitter profile. The age of digital culture is very much upon...
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‘Oh gurl, you Sassy’
‘Slay’, ‘yaas kween’, ‘squad’ – if you’re a keen social media, you might be familiar with some of these words. Originally from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) – a variety of English spoken...
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There ain’t nowt wrong with accents
What do you think of when you hear someone speak with a Brummie accent? How about when somebody speaks with a West Country accent? Do you think that some accents are more attractive or prestigious than...
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Teach Real English!
Did you know that as well as the 'Research Digest', we also maintain the 'Teach Real English!' site?Our site is an archive of spoken English Language Teaching resources that have been developed by...
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Accent Bias: Responses to Accent Labels
Continuing our series of posts related to the 'Accent Bias in Britain' project, in this blog post we discuss some findings from our research which investigated current attitudes to accents in...
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Accent Bias: Responses to Voices
Continuing our series of posts related to the 'Accent Bias in Britain' project, in this blog post we discuss some findings from our research which investigated current attitudes to accents in...
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Accent Bias: Voices at Work
Continuing our series of posts related to the 'Accent Bias in Britain' project, in this blog post we discuss some findings from our research which investigated current attitudes to accents in...
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The Power of Babble
"Ma-ma, ba-ba, da-da" - you probably associate sounds such as these with babies, in particular the babbling that babies make when they're first acquiring language. But what do these sounds do? And why...
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"Thanks, no problem, pleasure, don't mention it, thanks"
I once heard that how someone treats a waiter can say a lot about their character. What about the way a waiter responds? Researcher Larssyn Rüegg thinks that there may be differences in how waiters...
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#BlackLanguageMatters: Can linguistics change the course of justice?
The 2013 trial of George Zimmerman for the murder of unarmed Black teenager Trayvon Martin is well-known as the court case that sparked the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the USA. 17-year-old Martin was...
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“ok” “ok.” and “ok!” How we use punctuation to convey tone online.
As a result of technology, many of our casual, everyday conversations now take place online, in written form. This has in turn changed how we write informally, which is the topic of Gretchen...
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Why we use emoji: Written gestures in online writing
When we talk to each other, we don’t just rely on words. Emotion is embodied, and our expressions, our body language, our tone of voice are all used to convey our feelings and affect how our words are...
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The shifting tipping point - one metaphor, many uses
To understand what a metaphor is, let’s start by considering a real world example. For tipping point, we might imagine an object that should be kept upright, such as a vase of flowers, at risk of...
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#Covid-19
The past year has affected all of us in one way or another but have you ever thought about what effect it may have had on our language? Philipp Wicke and Mariana Bolognesi did just that in their study...
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In the name of the law, stop the disrespect!The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis USA in May 2020 raised questions about the impartiality of police officers when dealing with the public and...
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