English Linguistics

Linguistics at LMU's English department is dedicated to researching and teaching the English language in all its diversity, including its structure, history and use. Our work explores global varieties of English, including pidgins and creoles, with a particular focus on processes of language variation and change. Our research interests and classes include cognitive linguistics, which investigates language as part of the human mental faculty, as well as Applied Linguistics, which addresses language learning and a wide range of real-life language-related challenges.

The study of the history of English, beginning in the medieval period, provides an essential historical perspective by linking linguistic change to its various historical and socio-cultural contexts. All our teaching is closely informed by our research, equipping students with the knowledge and skills to investigate language across its linguistic, social and cultural dimensions.