Much of previous research on English is based on synchronic and highly structured sources of data that are used in a variety of research paradigms. They include studies of regional variation in World Englishes, of ongoing change in Standard English, learner use of English, and the study of English as a lingua franca (ELF). However, mediatization and technologization have led to the emergence of new types of data sources that could complement these traditional data. Various applications, such as Twitter, have turned the web into a user-generated repository of information in ever-increasing numbers of areas, and various big data approaches have started tapping into these less structured sources.
Research focus and goals
Recent research on the spread and diversification of English has convincingly shown that mobility, mediatization and technologization have profoundly changed how English is used throughout the globe. People can participate in networks of communication around the world that are unprecedented in scale and scope. As a consequence, the distinction between native and non-native has begun to lose much of its earlier meaning. The predominance of second language and non-native use of English means that it is increasingly used in environments that are inherently multilingual, and it features strongly among todays highly mobile speakers, subjecting it to particularly intense and varied language contact. Periods of increased mobility typically result in accelerated language change.
Our research group seeks to understand the complexities of language contact and emerging grammatical variability in the digital age. Our aim is to integrate two types of empirical data. We not only rely on traditional structured data as is commonly done but also utilize unstructured data sources that are often large in size and rich in metadata, such as evidence from various social media platforms. This cross-fertilization of traditional and novel methods and data can be used to provide innovative answers to familiar questions in English linguistics and enable tracing to what extent second language and non-native uses are shaped by the same natural evolutionary processes that affect the established native varieties.
Contact persons
Head of the Research Group
Juhani Klemola
juhani.klemola [at] staff.uta.fi
+358 50 318 0668