English Language

English is the world’s lingua franca. Digital innovations are created, science is advanced, and business is conducted in English all over the world. But English is also the language of the British Isles and its rich histories, migrations and identities. Explore the kaleidoscope of English variation – its regional dialects, storytellers, and ways of looking at the world – with our global leaders and discover how English works.

Why Lancaster?

• Learn from experts who are world renowned for their research in literacies, English dialects, forensic linguistics, Shakespearean language, the language of politics and media, and more

• Explore the English language from a range of perspectives, drawing on subjects such as history, psychology and politics

• Benefit from the latest language research technologies, including those used to study past and present forms of English or to investigate and solve crimes

• Engage with your subject through lively discussions, research activities or just reading a book in an award-winning library

• Enhance your professional skills with internships allowing you to work with members of staff on a ground-breaking English language research project

Understanding the English language

Understanding where English came from, how it works, how it is used, how it varies now and how it has changed and continues to change over time is key to understanding our societies, identities, institutions and practices.

In this fascinating subject, you will study fundamental issues including:

• The history and development of English

• The accents and dialects of English in the UK and beyond

• The way English is connected to ideas of gender and ethnicity

• Creative uses of English in areas like politics, media, advertising and literature

Explore the broader theories that make the study of English possible

In order answer to questions about the English language, you need to understand something about language more generally. Discover that grammar can be fun when you know what to do with it. Explore why people use English the way they do, why you may interpret English differently from others, how English reflects identity and how it is used to persuade and manipulate. Familiarise yourself with the theories and models that make this possible.

Develop a widely sought after skill set

English Language is not just a fascinating area of study, but also an opportunity to gain a skill set that opens doors to a range of exciting and rewarding careers. Transferrable skills include a capacity for critical thinking, an ability to gather, organise and analyse large quantities of data, and an aptitude for developing new and innovative ideas.

You will have the chance to develop specialist skills in the lexical and grammatical analysis of English, the use of technology to track trends in the way English is used, and crafting language for creative industries.

Each year, we invite current students to apply for a research internship. These are paid opportunities in which students work closely with academic members of staff on active research projects. These opportunities will allow you to gain advanced research skills that are valuable to employers and apply your academic knowledge in real world situations.

Recently, our students have worked as interns on the following projects:

• Accent variation in historic north Lancashire

• Discourses around vaccinations during the Covid-19 pandemic

• En Clair: Forensic Linguistics, Literary Detection, and Language Mysteries podcast