English Linguistics

I think I am in accordance with a growing number of scholars in England and America if I … apply the word ‘linguist’ by itself to the scientific student of language (or of languages). (Otto Jespersen, 1922)

[lıŋ'gwıstıks] < Lat. lingua 'tongue, language'

English Linguistics looks at the English language as a system and studies the variant ways in which the language is and was used by speakers. Its objects range from the smaller "building blocks" such as sounds, over words and sentences up to complete utterances and texts. Teaching and research carried out by our staff in English Linguistics comprises all of these fields, with particular strengths in historical linguistics, English pragmatics and media studies.