Linguistics and English Language

About our research

Our large and inter-disciplinary research team work on all aspects of language, from theoretical to applied linguistics.

REF 2021

With 95 researchers, Edinburgh Modern Languages and Linguistics research is ranked 3rd in the UK by Times Higher Education (THE) in terms of quality and breadth. Our research has widely benefitted society through the work of Bilingualism Matters, which provides advocacy, advice and materials for multilingual schools and families through its 27 branches worldwide, and the SpeakUnique service of the Centre for Speech Technology Research, enabling recipients of an artificial voice to have it sound as close as possible to their natural one. Our Centre for Language Evolution is one of several world-leading research groups within LEL, where students enjoy first-rate facilities and an outstanding research environment.

Useful links:

We collaborate with researchers at Edinburgh and around the world in projects covering biology, education, psychology, cognitive science, and speech and language technologies. 

Listen to our podcast to find out what linguists and other academics at the School of PPLS have been researching.

Postdoctoral fellowships

And if you’re interested in applying for a postdoctoral fellowship in the department you can find more information here:

Postdoctoral fellowships

Research areas

Find out more about our research areas and centres

Research highlights

A selection of major research projects in Linguistics and English Language

Research centres and units

We host multiple research centres

Impact and public engagement

How our research affects the world beyond academia

Labs and facilities

Research facilities available across the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

Talk series and reading groups

Regular meetings to discuss research, books and papers

Research-related resources

Resources from research projects or publicising research

Research preparation

What to do before you start your research

Research and ethics guidance

Links to helpful resources

PPLS Academic visitors

We welcome applications from academic staff based in overseas institutions wishing to visit the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences (PPLS)