Linguistics and Language

The Linguistics and Language research portfolio at the University of Brighton is evolving rapidly with enthusiastic and dedicated supervision for PhD work in linguistics and related language studies across a number of specialisms.

We offer a stimulating, supportive and rewarding environment for advanced postgraduate study and welcome proposals for PhD work on all areas of linguistics, in particular those with interdisciplinary potential, where you have opportunities to combine methodologies from linguistics with, for example, literature, creative writing, history and memory studies, health care or social science.

Key facts

As a Linguistics and Language Linguistics and Language PhD student at  University of Brighton University of Brighton , you will benefit from: 

• desk space and access to a computer in a space specifically designed for research students. There are a range of facilities on the Falmer site include various catering options.  

• access to a range of electronic resources via the university’s online library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections in the Falmer Library and other campus libraries in Moulsecoomb and in central Brighton.  

• state-of-the-art research facilities in Watson Building and you will have access to the Creative Methods Lab on the first floor, including access to specialist technical support. 

Areas of investigation currently or recently pursued by doctoral students include:

• the pragmatics of the communication of mathematics

• the role of iconicity in sign language

• meta-representation in the interpretation of Brechtian theatre

• gender representation in Algerian school textbooks

• intonation and communicative competence in L2 learners

• pragmatic strategies and autism

• a corpus-based study of gender and cross-cultural politeness strategies in email use