English Language
A world-leading centre of excellence
The University of Manchester produces some of the most authoritative research into the history and linguistics of English. Manchester scholars are authors, editors, or contributors of many of the latest key reference works and textbooks on the English language. Particularly important examples include:
- The monumental six-volume Cambridge history of the English language (Cambridge University Press, 1992-2001), edited by Richard Hogg, and including major chapters by .
- The handbook of English linguistics (Blackwell, 2006), with contributions by Ricardo Bermúdez-Otero and Kersti Börjars.
- The handbook of the history of English (Blackwell, 2006), with a contribution by .
- The Cambridge grammar of the English language (Cambridge University Press, 2002), with contributions by John Payne and .
- The new advanced textbook A history of the English language (Cambridge University Press, 2006), edited by Richard Hogg and .
- English historical syntax (reissued in 2004, Pearson Longman), by .
- Introducing English grammar (Arnold, 2001), co-authored by Kersti Börjars.
Manchester regularly hosts major international conferences on English linguistics:
- Directions in English Language Studies (April 2006)
- The Tenth International Conference on English Historical Linguistics (August 1998): click on the highlighted link for a description of the proceedings.
Research areas
Manchester scholars conduct research into all aspects of the English language, from its structure, history, varieties, and sociohistorical setting, to the applications of English linguistics. For the research interests of individual members of our academic staff, see the staff list.
Manchester has a particularly outstanding reputation in English historical linguistics: some of our major publications in this field were listed above. More generally, our descriptive goals, both diachronic and synchronic, are served by a variety of empirical techniques, including philology, corpus linguistics, and quantitative sociolinguistic methods. At the same time, our work on English is informed by - and aims to contribute to - the latest developments in linguistic theory. In this vein, Manchester scholars apply a variety of theoretical perspectives to the synchronic and diachronic study of English, including Construction Grammar, Lexical-Functional Grammar, Minimalism, and Optimality Theory. Our research also uses the techniques of linguistic typology to define the place of English within the diversity of human language.
For an example of how our work on English unites descriptive, historical, and theoretical concerns, you can visit the website of one of the major externally-funded research projects in our subject area: Germanic possessive -s: an empirical, historical and theoretical study.