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
PhD Candidate
PhD candidate
PhD Candidate and Graduate Teaching Fellow
Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Education
Visiting Lecturer
Senior Lecturer HPL
Projects
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.
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.
Hub for Education and Language Diversity
The Hub for Education and Language Diversity (HELD) is a collaboration between academic, professional and third sector organisations.
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.
Language, (In)security and Everyday Practice (LIEP)
LIEP is an interdisciplinary collaboration between sociolinguists and researchers in peace, conflict and security studies.
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.
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
Challenges of justice and equity for ethical English as an additional language in school education
Leung, C., 2024, Ethical Issues in Applied Linguistics Scholarship . DeCosta, P. I., Amr, R. A. & Cingalia, C. (eds.). p. 266-284 18 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Introduction
Little, D., Leung, C. & Van Avermaet, P., 8 Nov 2013, Managing Diversity in Education: Languages, Policies, Pedagogies. Channel View Publications, p. xvii-xxvResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Foreword/postscript › peer-review
INTRODUCTION
Leung, C. & Lewkowicz, J., 1 Jan 2024, The Routledge Companion to English Studies, Second Edition. Taylor and Francis AS, p. Xvii-xxiResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Foreword/postscript › peer-review
Localising linguistic citizenship in England
Rampton, B., Cooke, M., Bryers, D., Winstanley, B., Leung, C., Tomei, A. & Holmes, S., 6 Apr 2024, In: Language Teaching. 57, 2, p. 215-228 14 p., https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444823000241.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Interactional sociolinguistics, crossing and North/South research relations
Rampton, B., 2019, 12 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 257).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Interactional sociolinguistics
Rampton, B., 2017, 16 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 205).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Rapport and the positioning of sociolinguist(ic)s
Rampton, B., 2016, 10 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 195).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Goffman: Key concepts in exploration of the interaction order
Rampton, B., 2018, 8 p.Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Jan Blommaert and the use of sociolinguistics: Critical, political, personal
Rampton, B., 2021, 12 p.Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Advanced linguistic ethnography?
Rampton, B., 2023, 17 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 310).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Participatory ESOL: Taking stock
Rampton, B., Cooke, M., Winstanley, B. & Bryers, D., 2023, 32 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 319).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
A new coalition for language education? Report on an initial consultation
Rampton, B., 2023, (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 321).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Worlds in grains of sand: Interactional sociolinguistics and linguistic ethnography
Rampton, B., 2024, 12 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 330).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Existential challenges and interactional sociolinguistics/linguistic ethnography
Rampton, B., 2024, KCL, 8 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 331).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Rhetorics of 'reinventing'
Rampton, B., 2025, 338 ed., KCL, 12 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 338).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Working papers for a more open academy
Rampton, B., Bock, Z., Borba, R., Charalambous, C., Perez-Milans, M. & Cooke, M., 2023, KCL, 10 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 318).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Proximisation, metaphor and threat in experiences of insect and bug phobias
Knapton, O., 4 Jun 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Language and Health.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
The role of horses as instructional and diagnostic partners in riding lessons
Szczepek Reed, B. & Lundesjö Kvart , S., 14 May 2025, In: Animals. 15, 10, 1418.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Historicising our worlds of words
Coffey, S., 2022, BAAL News, 121, Summer 2022, p. 21-23.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
Differentiation in theory and practice
Coffey, S., 2023, Becoming a Teacher. Sixth Edition. Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Rushton, E., Towers, E. & Brook, R. (eds.). 5 ed. Milton Keynes: Open University PressResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Introduction au numéro spécial: Émotions et créativités en classe de langues. Le Langage et l'Homme n°572
Cavalla, C., Berdal-Masuy, F., Baider, F. H., Coffey, S. & Pairon, J., 2023, Language and Man , p. 7-12.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
Prosodic matching beyond humans: on the interactional basis of “cat-directed” talk
Harjunpää, K. & Szczepek Reed, B., 1 May 2025, In: Language & Communication. 103, p. 65-85 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Budding metaphors: input-output effects in metaphor production
Gaskins, D. K. & Rundblad, G., 18 Jun 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: PLoS One.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Why ‘Real Men Don’t Speak French’: Deconstructing cultural attitudes to a language by historicizing their discursive formations
Coffey, S., 25 Feb 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Modern Language Journal.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Methods and Motivations in Foreign Language Teaching from Antiquity to the Present
Coffey, S., 8 Nov 2024, The Handbook of Plurilingual and Intercultural Language Learning. WILEY-BLACKWELL, p. 497-509 13 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Modern Foreign Languages 5-11: A guide for teachers, Second edition
Jones, J. & Coffey, S., 1 Jan 2012, Taylor and Francis AS. 178 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
Modern Foreign Languages 5-11: A guide for teachers: Third edition
Jones, J. & Coffey, S., 1 Jan 2016, Taylor and Francis AS. 186 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
Guest editorial: Emotion and creativity in language learning research and teaching
Coffey, S. & De Costa, P., 2023, In: Language Learning Journal. 51, 5, p. 559-563 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Applying English Grammar: Functional and Corpus Approaches
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 2004, Hodder Arnold. 336 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Getting Started: Describing the Grammar of Speech and Writing
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 2005, Open University Press. 238 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts
O'Halloran, K., 2005, Open University Press. 197 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
The Art of English: Literary Creativity
O'Halloran, K. & Goodman, S., 2006, Palgrave Macmillan. 492 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Applied Linguistics Methods: Systemic Functional Grammar, Critical Discourse Analysis, Ethnography
O'Halloran, K., Coffin, C. & Lillis, T., 2010, Routledge. 273 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Researching argumentation in educational contexts: new methods, new directions
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 10 Oct 2008, International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 31, 3, p. 219-335 117 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Special issue
Argument Reconceived?
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 24 Sept 2009, In: EDUCATIONAL REVIEW. 61, 3, p. 301-313 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Checking Overinterpretation and Underinterpretation: Help from Corpora in Critical Linguistics
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 1 Jun 2004, Applying English Grammar: Functional and Corpus Approaches. Coffin, C., Hewings, A. & O'Halloran, K. (eds.). Hodder Arnold, p. 275-297 23 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
The angle on the world
O'Halloran, K. & White, P., 1 Jun 2005, Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts. O'Halloran, K. (ed.). UK: Open University Press, p. 139-188 50 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Packaging and staging information
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2005, Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts. O'Halloran, K. (ed.). UK: Open University Press, p. 139-188 50 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Positioning and persuading
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2005, Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts. O'Halloran, K. (ed.). Open University Press, p. 101-137 37 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
The literary mind
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2006, The Art of English: Literary Creativity. Goodman, S. & O'Halloran, K. (eds.). p. 364-413 50 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Plot and characterisation
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2006, The Art of English: Literary Creativity. Sharon, G. & O'Halloran, K. (eds.). UK: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 94-144 51 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Casualness and commitment: the use in critical discourse analysis of Lakoff and Johnson’s approach to metaphor
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2007, Cognitive Linguistics in Critical Discourse Studies. Hart, C. & Lukes, D. (eds.). Cambridge Scholars Press, p. 159-179 21 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Label literacy: factors affecting the understanding and assessment of baby food labels
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2008, The language of advertising. Cook, G. (ed.). Routledge, Vol. 3. p. 321-332 13 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Cognitive and social forces in dialect shift: gradual change in London Asian speech
Sharma, D. & Sankaran, L., 2011, In: Language Variation and Change. 23, 3, p. 399-428Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Verbal aspect in Tamil
Sankaran, L., 2005, RCEAL working papers.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper
Testing the aspect hypothesis in child Tamil
Sankaran, L., 2011, Production-Comprehension Asymmetries in Child Language, Studies on Language Acquisition. Grimm, A., Müller, A., Hamann, C. & Ruigendijk, E. (eds.). De Gruyter Mouton, Vol. 43.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Verifying the distributional bias hypothesis: An analysis of Tamil
Sankaran, L., 2006, Proceedings of Space and Time in Language and Literature Conference .Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper
Imperfectives in Singapore's Indian community
Leimgruber, J. & Sankaran, L., 2013, Varieties of English Around the World. Sharma, D. & Hundt, M. (eds.). John BenjaminsResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Homeland and hostland identifications in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
Sankaran, L., 2019, Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 253).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper
Living with the chronotope of war
Rampton, B. & Sankaran, L., 2024, (Accepted/In press) Jan Blommaert Festschrift. Multilingual MattersResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Activities
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
Remembering Professor Gabriella Rundblad
We are deeply saddened to share news of the death of our esteemed colleague, Dr Gabriella Rundblad.
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...
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...
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...
Events
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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’.
Discourse, communication and health
Our research on language and health spans spoken, written and multimodal forms of communication in health contexts.
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.
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.
Language, ethnicity and class
Our work on globalisation, diaspora, ethnicity and migration connects the empirical analysis of language and discourse to contemporary cultural theory
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.
Second/foreign language teaching
Our work in the field of Second/Additional Language looks at English language teaching and modern foreign languages.
People
PhD Candidate
PhD candidate
PhD Candidate and Graduate Teaching Fellow
Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Education
Visiting Lecturer
Senior Lecturer HPL
Projects
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.
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.
Hub for Education and Language Diversity
The Hub for Education and Language Diversity (HELD) is a collaboration between academic, professional and third sector organisations.
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.
Language, (In)security and Everyday Practice (LIEP)
LIEP is an interdisciplinary collaboration between sociolinguists and researchers in peace, conflict and security studies.
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.
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
Challenges of justice and equity for ethical English as an additional language in school education
Leung, C., 2024, Ethical Issues in Applied Linguistics Scholarship . DeCosta, P. I., Amr, R. A. & Cingalia, C. (eds.). p. 266-284 18 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Introduction
Little, D., Leung, C. & Van Avermaet, P., 8 Nov 2013, Managing Diversity in Education: Languages, Policies, Pedagogies. Channel View Publications, p. xvii-xxvResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Foreword/postscript › peer-review
INTRODUCTION
Leung, C. & Lewkowicz, J., 1 Jan 2024, The Routledge Companion to English Studies, Second Edition. Taylor and Francis AS, p. Xvii-xxiResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Foreword/postscript › peer-review
Localising linguistic citizenship in England
Rampton, B., Cooke, M., Bryers, D., Winstanley, B., Leung, C., Tomei, A. & Holmes, S., 6 Apr 2024, In: Language Teaching. 57, 2, p. 215-228 14 p., https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444823000241.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Interactional sociolinguistics, crossing and North/South research relations
Rampton, B., 2019, 12 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 257).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Interactional sociolinguistics
Rampton, B., 2017, 16 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 205).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Rapport and the positioning of sociolinguist(ic)s
Rampton, B., 2016, 10 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 195).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Goffman: Key concepts in exploration of the interaction order
Rampton, B., 2018, 8 p.Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Jan Blommaert and the use of sociolinguistics: Critical, political, personal
Rampton, B., 2021, 12 p.Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Advanced linguistic ethnography?
Rampton, B., 2023, 17 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 310).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Participatory ESOL: Taking stock
Rampton, B., Cooke, M., Winstanley, B. & Bryers, D., 2023, 32 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 319).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
A new coalition for language education? Report on an initial consultation
Rampton, B., 2023, (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 321).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Worlds in grains of sand: Interactional sociolinguistics and linguistic ethnography
Rampton, B., 2024, 12 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 330).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Existential challenges and interactional sociolinguistics/linguistic ethnography
Rampton, B., 2024, KCL, 8 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 331).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Rhetorics of 'reinventing'
Rampton, B., 2025, 338 ed., KCL, 12 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 338).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Working papers for a more open academy
Rampton, B., Bock, Z., Borba, R., Charalambous, C., Perez-Milans, M. & Cooke, M., 2023, KCL, 10 p. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 318).Research output: Working paper/Preprint › Working paper
Proximisation, metaphor and threat in experiences of insect and bug phobias
Knapton, O., 4 Jun 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Language and Health.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
The role of horses as instructional and diagnostic partners in riding lessons
Szczepek Reed, B. & Lundesjö Kvart , S., 14 May 2025, In: Animals. 15, 10, 1418.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Historicising our worlds of words
Coffey, S., 2022, BAAL News, 121, Summer 2022, p. 21-23.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
Differentiation in theory and practice
Coffey, S., 2023, Becoming a Teacher. Sixth Edition. Gibbons, S., Glackin, M., Rushton, E., Towers, E. & Brook, R. (eds.). 5 ed. Milton Keynes: Open University PressResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Introduction au numéro spécial: Émotions et créativités en classe de langues. Le Langage et l'Homme n°572
Cavalla, C., Berdal-Masuy, F., Baider, F. H., Coffey, S. & Pairon, J., 2023, Language and Man , p. 7-12.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
Prosodic matching beyond humans: on the interactional basis of “cat-directed” talk
Harjunpää, K. & Szczepek Reed, B., 1 May 2025, In: Language & Communication. 103, p. 65-85 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Budding metaphors: input-output effects in metaphor production
Gaskins, D. K. & Rundblad, G., 18 Jun 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: PLoS One.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Why ‘Real Men Don’t Speak French’: Deconstructing cultural attitudes to a language by historicizing their discursive formations
Coffey, S., 25 Feb 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Modern Language Journal.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Methods and Motivations in Foreign Language Teaching from Antiquity to the Present
Coffey, S., 8 Nov 2024, The Handbook of Plurilingual and Intercultural Language Learning. WILEY-BLACKWELL, p. 497-509 13 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Modern Foreign Languages 5-11: A guide for teachers, Second edition
Jones, J. & Coffey, S., 1 Jan 2012, Taylor and Francis AS. 178 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
Modern Foreign Languages 5-11: A guide for teachers: Third edition
Jones, J. & Coffey, S., 1 Jan 2016, Taylor and Francis AS. 186 p.Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
Guest editorial: Emotion and creativity in language learning research and teaching
Coffey, S. & De Costa, P., 2023, In: Language Learning Journal. 51, 5, p. 559-563 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › peer-review
Applying English Grammar: Functional and Corpus Approaches
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 2004, Hodder Arnold. 336 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Getting Started: Describing the Grammar of Speech and Writing
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 2005, Open University Press. 238 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts
O'Halloran, K., 2005, Open University Press. 197 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
The Art of English: Literary Creativity
O'Halloran, K. & Goodman, S., 2006, Palgrave Macmillan. 492 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Applied Linguistics Methods: Systemic Functional Grammar, Critical Discourse Analysis, Ethnography
O'Halloran, K., Coffin, C. & Lillis, T., 2010, Routledge. 273 p.Research output: Book/Report › Anthology › peer-review
Researching argumentation in educational contexts: new methods, new directions
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 10 Oct 2008, International Journal of Research and Method in Education, 31, 3, p. 219-335 117 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Special issue
Argument Reconceived?
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 24 Sept 2009, In: EDUCATIONAL REVIEW. 61, 3, p. 301-313 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Checking Overinterpretation and Underinterpretation: Help from Corpora in Critical Linguistics
O'Halloran, K. & Coffin, C., 1 Jun 2004, Applying English Grammar: Functional and Corpus Approaches. Coffin, C., Hewings, A. & O'Halloran, K. (eds.). Hodder Arnold, p. 275-297 23 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
The angle on the world
O'Halloran, K. & White, P., 1 Jun 2005, Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts. O'Halloran, K. (ed.). UK: Open University Press, p. 139-188 50 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Packaging and staging information
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2005, Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts. O'Halloran, K. (ed.). UK: Open University Press, p. 139-188 50 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Positioning and persuading
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2005, Getting Inside English: Interpreting Texts. O'Halloran, K. (ed.). Open University Press, p. 101-137 37 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
The literary mind
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2006, The Art of English: Literary Creativity. Goodman, S. & O'Halloran, K. (eds.). p. 364-413 50 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Plot and characterisation
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2006, The Art of English: Literary Creativity. Sharon, G. & O'Halloran, K. (eds.). UK: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 94-144 51 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Casualness and commitment: the use in critical discourse analysis of Lakoff and Johnson’s approach to metaphor
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2007, Cognitive Linguistics in Critical Discourse Studies. Hart, C. & Lukes, D. (eds.). Cambridge Scholars Press, p. 159-179 21 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Label literacy: factors affecting the understanding and assessment of baby food labels
O'Halloran, K., 1 Jun 2008, The language of advertising. Cook, G. (ed.). Routledge, Vol. 3. p. 321-332 13 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Cognitive and social forces in dialect shift: gradual change in London Asian speech
Sharma, D. & Sankaran, L., 2011, In: Language Variation and Change. 23, 3, p. 399-428Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Verbal aspect in Tamil
Sankaran, L., 2005, RCEAL working papers.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper
Testing the aspect hypothesis in child Tamil
Sankaran, L., 2011, Production-Comprehension Asymmetries in Child Language, Studies on Language Acquisition. Grimm, A., Müller, A., Hamann, C. & Ruigendijk, E. (eds.). De Gruyter Mouton, Vol. 43.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Verifying the distributional bias hypothesis: An analysis of Tamil
Sankaran, L., 2006, Proceedings of Space and Time in Language and Literature Conference .Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper
Imperfectives in Singapore's Indian community
Leimgruber, J. & Sankaran, L., 2013, Varieties of English Around the World. Sharma, D. & Hundt, M. (eds.). John BenjaminsResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Homeland and hostland identifications in the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora
Sankaran, L., 2019, Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies. (Working Papers in Urban Language & Literacies; no. 253).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference paper
Living with the chronotope of war
Rampton, B. & Sankaran, L., 2024, (Accepted/In press) Jan Blommaert Festschrift. Multilingual MattersResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Activities
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
Remembering Professor Gabriella Rundblad
We are deeply saddened to share news of the death of our esteemed colleague, Dr Gabriella Rundblad.
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...
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...
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...
Events
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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’.
Discourse, communication and health
Our research on language and health spans spoken, written and multimodal forms of communication in health contexts.
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.
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.
Language, ethnicity and class
Our work on globalisation, diaspora, ethnicity and migration connects the empirical analysis of language and discourse to contemporary cultural theory
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.
Second/foreign language teaching
Our work in the field of Second/Additional Language looks at English language teaching and modern foreign languages.
Contact us
Please get in touch with us if you would like to know more about the Centre: