Research Interests
The Linguistics department at the University of Aberdeen prides itself in being a centre of new and vibrant research into a wide range of subfields of linguistic study. Our current research is focussed on topics including discourse analysis, language variation and change, language attitudes, language learning (both as a child and an adult), bilingualism, and the linguistic ecology of Scotland. Details of the wider research ineterests currently held by our academic staff can also be found below.
For a complete list of discipline staff please consult our Staff Pages .
- Dr William Barras
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Dr Barras' research focuses on several related areas including sociolinguistics, dialectology and phonological theory. He is currently developing a sociophonetic research project which aims to trace phonological change across the lifespan in an individual speaker.
- Dr Agni Connor
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Dr Connor's research covers a number of different areas including individual differences in second language learning (in particular memory, but also motivation and learning strategies); aptitude in second language learning; the learning of second language collocations; positive psychology and second language learning; positive psychology in second language teaching (TESOL); well-being in EFL/ESL education; mindfulness training in second langauge learning; mindfulness training in langauge teacher education.
- Dr Elspeth Edelstein
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Dr Edelstein research covers theoretical syntax, morphosyntactic variation, the use of 'Non-Standard' linguistic varieties to help understand syntactic structure, optimising internet-based collection of grammaticality judgments and first language acquisition.
- Dr Tania Fahey-Palma
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Dr Fahey-Palma's research interest include Corpus Linguistics, Professonal Communication, Intercultural Communication, Healthcare Discourse, Novice Professionla Communication, Discourse and Identity and Pragmatics.
- Dr Vincent Greenier
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Dr Greenier's main research interests are creative approaches to language teaching, individual differences and learner variables (particularly creativity), critical pedagogy, teacher identity, EFL/ESL curriculum and materials development and innovative approaches to qualitative research.
- Professor Robert McColl Millar
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Professor Millar would be very interested in hearing proposals for research dealing with the history and present use of the Northern and Insular Scots dialects, the early dialects of English and the continental Germanic languages, language change due to contact, language planning and policy and the linguistic ecologies of medieval Europe.
Centre for Linguistic Research
The Centre for Linguistic Research co-ordinates the research activities of staff and students in Language and Linguistics at Aberdeen. A developing programme of events will take place over the course of the next academic year and be updated on the schools Research Centres Page once finalised.