Ongoing original research by faculty is the lifeblood of any vibrant university school or department. The faculty of the School of Linguistics and Language Studies conducts cutting-edge research in the following areas:

Theoretical Linguistics

• Phonetics and phonology
• Syntax and semantics
• Structure of lesser-known languages (e.g., Saami, East Cree, Inuktitut)
• Historical phonology and morphology
• Optimality theory
• Metrics
• Prosody
• Linguistic methodology
• Psycholinguistics (sentence processing, language acquisition)
• Neurolinguistics
• Language and communication
• Computational linguistics

Applied Language Studies

• Teaching and acquisition of additional languages
• Study and teaching of writing in academic and professional settings
• Teaching work in its institutional contexts
• Adult literacy practices and learning in text-mediated society
• Languages for specific purposes
• English for academic purposes
• Genre studies
• Technical communication
• Bilingualism and biliteracy
• Language policy
• Language curriculum
• Language testing
• Systemic functional linguistics
• Critical discourse analysis
• Fluency
• Formulaic sequences and phraseology
• Qualitative and quantitative methodologies in Applied Language Studies
• Aboriginal language maintenance
• Cross-cultural communication
• Language and Media/Technology
• Language and Identity
• Sociology of Language
• Multimodal Analysis

The faculty’s dedication to research and theory-building translates into a school with many opportunities for students to engage in original research that matches their own interests and experiences.