Linguistics and language PhD

University of Brighton

The linguistics research portfolio 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.

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.

Current Linguistics PhD and English language PhD students have been successful in obtaining studentships covering both fees and living costs through AHRC techne programme and University of Brighton Doctoral College Awards.

Our linguistics/English language PhD students have gone on to a variety of different roles following the successful completion of their research. These include academic posts as lecturers and postdoctoral research assistants at the University of Brighton and elsewhere, plus jobs in teaching, management, journalism and publishing.