My doctoral research stems from a deeply rooted interest in the ways in which morality, politics, class, gender, diversity, legitimacy, authority, authenticity etc. impinge on discussions of the English language and its varieties....
moreMy doctoral research stems from a deeply rooted interest in the ways in which morality, politics, class, gender, diversity, legitimacy, authority, authenticity etc. impinge on discussions of the English language and its varieties. Therefore, it tries to uncover how micro-linguistic patterns are related to political-economic macro-processes (i.e. the mediating role of language ideologies) (Kroskrity 2000: cf. references research proposal). In line with this, I have investigated the language ideologies underlying the development and legitimisation of (relatively new) English varieties that have emerged through contact. This has been done through two case studies – on New Zealand English and the Englishes of South-East England – by analysing the metalinguistic debates that revolve around their development