Project summary
This international project brought together linguists from Northumbria University to deliver a one-week intensive workshop series on Contemporary Approaches to Linguistics at two Japanese institutions: Kyoto Institute of Technology and Nara University of Education. Funded by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the workshops engaged over 120 undergraduate and postgraduate students from a wide range of disciplines, including Education, Cultural Studies, Engineering, and Electronics.
Students were introduced to foundational concepts and analytical methods from Cognitive Linguistics and Forensic Linguistics through a blend of lectures, interactive discussions, and applied tasks. A key feature of the project was its emphasis on interdisciplinary application, encouraging students to explore how linguistic analysis could inform their own academic fields. This student-centred, practice-based approach not only fostered meaningful engagement across disciplines but also highlighted the broader relevance of linguistic analysis in diverse educational and professional contexts.
Full project title
Contemporary Approaches to Linguistics
Team
- Dr Sarah Duffy – Principal investigator
- Dr Kirsty Blewitt – Co-Investigator
Project highlights
- Interdisciplinary engagement: Students from diverse academic backgrounds applied concepts from Cognitive and Forensic Linguistics to real-world challenges within their own fields.
- Experiential learning: A practice-based teaching model encouraged active participation and deeper understanding of linguistic frameworks and analytical tools.
- Student response: Pre- and post-workshop reflections, alongside informal feedback, demonstrated increased student confidence, understanding, and interest in linguistic analysis.
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Partners and Sponsors
Project classification
Contemporary Approaches to Linguistics is an English and Social Sciences project. It belongs to the following research cluster:
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