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The Centre for Language, Discourse and Communication is a globally influential centre for language research with exceptional strengths in discourse studies and sociolinguistics.

The over-arching research theme in the Centre is ‘Identities and Mobilities’, which links to the school-wide theme ‘Globalisation and Identity’. The theme reflects our core strength in research on (multilingual) identities in a variety of everyday, institutional and mediated contexts. Our work also closely engages with the cross-school theme ‘Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment’ through our work on language assessment and second language learning and teaching; with the theme ‘Professionalism and Workplace Practice’ through our comparative and historical work on language teacher education and development; and with the theme ‘Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice’ through our work on health and risk communication.

The Centre offers extensive research training and supervision on a range of (socio)linguistic methods and frameworks, including: cognitive linguistics, conversation analysis, corpus-assisted discourse studies, discourse & sociolinguistic approaches to social media communication, identities-in-interaction, narrative analysis and small stories research.

You can find more information about our people, publications, events and themes below.

People

Raghad Abu Salma

PhD candidate

Maxine Ali

PhD Candidate and Graduate Teaching Fellow

Clyde Ancarno

Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Education

Nick Andon

Visiting Lecturer

Senior Lecturer HPL

Projects

Image missing an alt value
CORONAWARENESS - Preventing COVID-related illness when social distancing measures are relaxed and tightened in ethnic minority communities with a strong oral tradition

This project aims to prevent COVID-related illness in ethnic minority communities by increasing awareness of appropriate social distancing measures.

Image missing an alt value
Generating a metaphorical mindset in four year olds

This project focuses on relational metaphors in which a concrete notion facilitates the understanding of an abstract notion.

Image missing an alt value
Hub for Education and Language Diversity

The Hub for Education and Language Diversity (HELD) is a collaboration between academic, professional and third sector organisations.

Image missing an alt value
Implementing Covid-19 measures: A pragmatic study of non-official public signs

This project examines how Covid-19 signage displayed in London businesses throughout the pandemic reproduces and adapts government instructions.

Image missing an alt value
Language, (In)security and Everyday Practice (LIEP)

LIEP is an interdisciplinary collaboration between sociolinguists and researchers in peace, conflict and security studies.

Image missing an alt value
Social learning about COVID-19 vulnerability and social distancing in high density populations: the case of UK urban dwelling Bangladeshis

This study investigates how UK Bangladeshis access, understand and share information about social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image missing an alt value
Sustaining teacher quality and retention post-pandemic

This project examines the impact of the substantial changes and sustained disruption caused by Covid-19 to the development of secondary school teachers.

Additional Projects

Publications

    Activities

    London cityscape
    Language, Discourse & Communication Research Seminar Series

    The Language, Discourse & Communication Research Seminar Series provides a forum for language teachers of all levels to engage with theory and research of relevance to language teaching practices. Speakers present original empirical research or theoretical perspectives on a range of issues and applications.

    26+ languages available
    Cognition Learning and Communities Lab

    The Cognition, Learning, and Communities Lab at King’s College London is interested in exploring diverse areas of linguistic and conceptual development across various populations and contexts.

    A device with wires and nodes coming off it
    Health Communication Lab

    The Health Communication Lab is an interdisciplinary group for researchers who have a broad interest in the intersection between health and healthcare and communication and language.

    Circular shelves of books
    Corpus research in linguistics and beyond

    Corpus linguistics is concerned with the study of large collections of electronically available written and/or spoken texts. The seminars will explore challenges, issues and opportunities faced by research that extends the scope of corpus linguistics.

    Two people looking at research posters
    LDC Doctoral Lab (LDCDL)

    The LDC Doctoral Lab is a forum led by and focused on doctoral researchers, capitalising on their interests and organisational initiative. Especially for PhD students, these sessions are an opportunity to discuss research projects in a friendly and supportive environment.

      Wheat in sunset.
      LDC PGR Blog

      The LDC PGRs Blog provides a space for postgraduate research (PGR) students in Language, Discourse and Communication (LDC), as well as guest bloggers from across the School of Education, Communication & Society, to share reflective accounts of experiences as PGR students and early career researchers and to disseminate and discuss research in progress.

      View of city with blocks of flats
      Working Papers in Urban Language and Literacies

      This series focuses on linguistic practice, literacies and mediated communication in diverse and stratified urban settings. It publishes research committed to developing sociolinguistic, applied and educational frameworks for the analysis of urban language, literacies, interaction and learning. It also develops modes of intervention in language policy and practice that are productively tuned to the realities of contemporary urban life.

      Application writing
      Writing Group for Academic Publishing

      This group, chaired by Professor Pat Mahony, meets monthly (on the first Wednesday of each month, 12.30-1.30pm) to support ECS staff and PhD students in getting their work published. Each month, one member circulates their draft of an article or book chapter and the rest of the group provide feedback in a constructive and supportive way. We aim to help the author to improve their paper in preparation for submission as well as support broader learning on the process of academic publishing. If you would like to join, please contact Dr Clare Coultas: clare.coultas@kcl.ac.uk.

        Dark blue background with optical twinkly shapes
        Micro-discourse analysis data sessions

        Hands-on data sessions that are designed to help students sharpen their sensitivity to the fine details of interaction, and to improve their practical skills in micro-analysis.

        News

        Circle U. Summer School reinvigorated passion for PhD research, King's student says

        King’s PhD candidate recently attended the Circle U. Summer School in Belgium and shares her experience on the four-day long course centering 'Language in...

        CircleUSummerSchool2024Group

        Remembering Professor Gabriella Rundblad

        We are deeply saddened to share news of the death of our esteemed colleague, Dr Gabriella Rundblad.

        Gabriella Rundblad 780x440

        What does it mean to do critical research and engage with 21st century challenges? King's researchers give answers in new podcast

        ‘It’s Just Research - Critically questioning the world we live in’ is a new podcast made by researchers, with researchers, for researchers, and anyone keen to...

        Its just research podcast 780x440

        Research-informed primer book for teachers now up-to-date with latest educational issues

        The School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) at King’s College London has come together to celebrate the publication of the 6th edition of Becoming...

        BAT book launch coeditors

        King's academic puts identity at the heart of teacher education in new book

        The director of the PGCE English programme at King's argues against the current narrow view of accountability of education and in favour of teachers and...

        Identity book cover

        Events

        02Apr

        Is nostalgia what it used to be?​ A corpus approach to diachronic change in emotion talk​

        Against an interdisciplinary backdrop of rising interest in nostalgia, this paper examines the framing of the labels ‘nostalgia’ and ‘nostalgic’.

        Please note: this event has passed.

        28Nov

        Professor Phillip Durrant: "Tracing development in academic language with a corpus"

        Professor Phillip Durrant will argue that large-scale, systematic analysis of language use across different educational levels, academic disciplines, and task...

        Please note: this event has passed.

        15May

        Emerging corpus based research in Türkiye – projects from the Discourse and Corpus Research Group (DISCORE)

        In this seminar, we will showcase our diverse, methodologically innovative uses of corpus methodology used within the research group based at Middle East...

        Please note: this event has passed.

        09May

        Symposium in Memory of Professor Gabriella Rundblad

        Join us for this one day event to celebrate the work and lasting legacy of the late Gabriella Rundblad, Professor of Language & Cognition.

        Please note: this event has passed.

        01Dec

        Individual differences are revealing, relevant and not random in (multilingual) language acquisition/processing and related effects on neurocognition

        In this seminar organised by the Centre for Language, Discourse & Communication, Professor Jason Rothman will discuss the individual differences in language...

        Please note: this event has passed.

        Themes

        A female student writing notes in a lecture
        Academic Literacies

        The Academic Literacies Group is concerned with enhancing the pedagogic response which higher education institutions make to the needs of all their students.

          A female student on the computer
          Digital text and discourse

          Advances in computing power and storage have opened up opportunities for research into language and communication at scale, and increasingly, qualitative investigation is enhanced by quantitative exploration of large collections of digital text or ‘corpora’.

            A doctor holding a clipboard and writing notes
            Discourse, communication and health

            Our research on language and health spans spoken, written and multimodal forms of communication in health contexts.

              Two men standing on a bridge
              Discourse, interaction and identity

              Our research examines the way in which identities and relations are produced in language practice, and explores the theoretical, methodological and practical implications.

                A school student writing in class
                English in the school curriculum

                We research the models and assumptions that English teachers operate with, on their changing perceptions of language use and on the role of language across the curriculum.

                  Three people chatting at a distance
                  Language, ethnicity and class

                  Our work on globalisation, diaspora, ethnicity and migration connects the empirical analysis of language and discourse to contemporary cultural theory

                    Colourful imagery depicting brain sensors
                    Psychology and cognitive processes

                    Our research on language and mind is naturally interdisciplinary, with a focus on language and cognition in a range of social, educational and communication contexts.

                      Student and teacher discussing work in the classroom
                      Second/foreign language teaching

                      Our work in the field of Second/Additional Language looks at English language teaching and modern foreign languages.

                        People

                        Raghad Abu Salma

                        PhD candidate

                        Maxine Ali

                        PhD Candidate and Graduate Teaching Fellow

                        Clyde Ancarno

                        Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Education

                        Nick Andon

                        Visiting Lecturer

                        Senior Lecturer HPL

                        Projects

                        Image missing an alt value
                        CORONAWARENESS - Preventing COVID-related illness when social distancing measures are relaxed and tightened in ethnic minority communities with a strong oral tradition

                        This project aims to prevent COVID-related illness in ethnic minority communities by increasing awareness of appropriate social distancing measures.

                        Image missing an alt value
                        Generating a metaphorical mindset in four year olds

                        This project focuses on relational metaphors in which a concrete notion facilitates the understanding of an abstract notion.

                        Image missing an alt value
                        Hub for Education and Language Diversity

                        The Hub for Education and Language Diversity (HELD) is a collaboration between academic, professional and third sector organisations.

                        Image missing an alt value
                        Implementing Covid-19 measures: A pragmatic study of non-official public signs

                        This project examines how Covid-19 signage displayed in London businesses throughout the pandemic reproduces and adapts government instructions.

                        Image missing an alt value
                        Language, (In)security and Everyday Practice (LIEP)

                        LIEP is an interdisciplinary collaboration between sociolinguists and researchers in peace, conflict and security studies.

                        Image missing an alt value
                        Social learning about COVID-19 vulnerability and social distancing in high density populations: the case of UK urban dwelling Bangladeshis

                        This study investigates how UK Bangladeshis access, understand and share information about social distancing in the COVID-19 pandemic.

                        Image missing an alt value
                        Sustaining teacher quality and retention post-pandemic

                        This project examines the impact of the substantial changes and sustained disruption caused by Covid-19 to the development of secondary school teachers.

                        Additional Projects

                        Publications

                          Activities

                          London cityscape
                          Language, Discourse & Communication Research Seminar Series

                          The Language, Discourse & Communication Research Seminar Series provides a forum for language teachers of all levels to engage with theory and research of relevance to language teaching practices. Speakers present original empirical research or theoretical perspectives on a range of issues and applications.

                          26+ languages available
                          Cognition Learning and Communities Lab

                          The Cognition, Learning, and Communities Lab at King’s College London is interested in exploring diverse areas of linguistic and conceptual development across various populations and contexts.

                          A device with wires and nodes coming off it
                          Health Communication Lab

                          The Health Communication Lab is an interdisciplinary group for researchers who have a broad interest in the intersection between health and healthcare and communication and language.

                          Circular shelves of books
                          Corpus research in linguistics and beyond

                          Corpus linguistics is concerned with the study of large collections of electronically available written and/or spoken texts. The seminars will explore challenges, issues and opportunities faced by research that extends the scope of corpus linguistics.

                          Two people looking at research posters
                          LDC Doctoral Lab (LDCDL)

                          The LDC Doctoral Lab is a forum led by and focused on doctoral researchers, capitalising on their interests and organisational initiative. Especially for PhD students, these sessions are an opportunity to discuss research projects in a friendly and supportive environment.

                            Wheat in sunset.
                            LDC PGR Blog

                            The LDC PGRs Blog provides a space for postgraduate research (PGR) students in Language, Discourse and Communication (LDC), as well as guest bloggers from across the School of Education, Communication & Society, to share reflective accounts of experiences as PGR students and early career researchers and to disseminate and discuss research in progress.

                            View of city with blocks of flats
                            Working Papers in Urban Language and Literacies

                            This series focuses on linguistic practice, literacies and mediated communication in diverse and stratified urban settings. It publishes research committed to developing sociolinguistic, applied and educational frameworks for the analysis of urban language, literacies, interaction and learning. It also develops modes of intervention in language policy and practice that are productively tuned to the realities of contemporary urban life.

                            Application writing
                            Writing Group for Academic Publishing

                            This group, chaired by Professor Pat Mahony, meets monthly (on the first Wednesday of each month, 12.30-1.30pm) to support ECS staff and PhD students in getting their work published. Each month, one member circulates their draft of an article or book chapter and the rest of the group provide feedback in a constructive and supportive way. We aim to help the author to improve their paper in preparation for submission as well as support broader learning on the process of academic publishing. If you would like to join, please contact Dr Clare Coultas: clare.coultas@kcl.ac.uk.

                              Dark blue background with optical twinkly shapes
                              Micro-discourse analysis data sessions

                              Hands-on data sessions that are designed to help students sharpen their sensitivity to the fine details of interaction, and to improve their practical skills in micro-analysis.

                              News

                              Circle U. Summer School reinvigorated passion for PhD research, King's student says

                              King’s PhD candidate recently attended the Circle U. Summer School in Belgium and shares her experience on the four-day long course centering 'Language in...

                              CircleUSummerSchool2024Group

                              Remembering Professor Gabriella Rundblad

                              We are deeply saddened to share news of the death of our esteemed colleague, Dr Gabriella Rundblad.

                              Gabriella Rundblad 780x440

                              What does it mean to do critical research and engage with 21st century challenges? King's researchers give answers in new podcast

                              ‘It’s Just Research - Critically questioning the world we live in’ is a new podcast made by researchers, with researchers, for researchers, and anyone keen to...

                              Its just research podcast 780x440

                              Research-informed primer book for teachers now up-to-date with latest educational issues

                              The School of Education, Communication & Society (ECS) at King’s College London has come together to celebrate the publication of the 6th edition of Becoming...

                              BAT book launch coeditors

                              King's academic puts identity at the heart of teacher education in new book

                              The director of the PGCE English programme at King's argues against the current narrow view of accountability of education and in favour of teachers and...

                              Identity book cover

                              Events

                              02Apr

                              Is nostalgia what it used to be?​ A corpus approach to diachronic change in emotion talk​

                              Against an interdisciplinary backdrop of rising interest in nostalgia, this paper examines the framing of the labels ‘nostalgia’ and ‘nostalgic’.

                              Please note: this event has passed.

                              28Nov

                              Professor Phillip Durrant: "Tracing development in academic language with a corpus"

                              Professor Phillip Durrant will argue that large-scale, systematic analysis of language use across different educational levels, academic disciplines, and task...

                              Please note: this event has passed.

                              15May

                              Emerging corpus based research in Türkiye – projects from the Discourse and Corpus Research Group (DISCORE)

                              In this seminar, we will showcase our diverse, methodologically innovative uses of corpus methodology used within the research group based at Middle East...

                              Please note: this event has passed.

                              09May

                              Symposium in Memory of Professor Gabriella Rundblad

                              Join us for this one day event to celebrate the work and lasting legacy of the late Gabriella Rundblad, Professor of Language & Cognition.

                              Please note: this event has passed.

                              01Dec

                              Individual differences are revealing, relevant and not random in (multilingual) language acquisition/processing and related effects on neurocognition

                              In this seminar organised by the Centre for Language, Discourse & Communication, Professor Jason Rothman will discuss the individual differences in language...

                              Please note: this event has passed.

                              Themes

                              A female student writing notes in a lecture
                              Academic Literacies

                              The Academic Literacies Group is concerned with enhancing the pedagogic response which higher education institutions make to the needs of all their students.

                                A female student on the computer
                                Digital text and discourse

                                Advances in computing power and storage have opened up opportunities for research into language and communication at scale, and increasingly, qualitative investigation is enhanced by quantitative exploration of large collections of digital text or ‘corpora’.

                                  A doctor holding a clipboard and writing notes
                                  Discourse, communication and health

                                  Our research on language and health spans spoken, written and multimodal forms of communication in health contexts.

                                    Two men standing on a bridge
                                    Discourse, interaction and identity

                                    Our research examines the way in which identities and relations are produced in language practice, and explores the theoretical, methodological and practical implications.

                                      A school student writing in class
                                      English in the school curriculum

                                      We research the models and assumptions that English teachers operate with, on their changing perceptions of language use and on the role of language across the curriculum.

                                        Three people chatting at a distance
                                        Language, ethnicity and class

                                        Our work on globalisation, diaspora, ethnicity and migration connects the empirical analysis of language and discourse to contemporary cultural theory

                                          Colourful imagery depicting brain sensors
                                          Psychology and cognitive processes

                                          Our research on language and mind is naturally interdisciplinary, with a focus on language and cognition in a range of social, educational and communication contexts.

                                            Student and teacher discussing work in the classroom
                                            Second/foreign language teaching

                                            Our work in the field of Second/Additional Language looks at English language teaching and modern foreign languages.