Language and communication
The Language and Communication Research Group (LCRG) aims to be a leading international centre for interdisciplinary research into core aspects of language and communication. Research in this group is informed by a number of disciplines.
The focus of the group is primarily on the social and cognitive aspects of language and communication, and their evolutionary precursors, with a particular emphasis on the use of language and nonverbal behaviour in its appropriate social context. The different theoretical approaches that we employ allow us to elucidate the mechanisms underpinning communication in a wide variety of situations. We understand that effective social communication is crucial to the functioning and well-being of society and we believe that the articulation of our theoretical ideas and, in some cases, the development of the practical applications of our research must be a major priority for the group.
There are a number of themes in our research, supported by a mixture of research council funding and commercial funding including the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the EC, the ESRC, ITV, Tesco (through the Sustainable Consumption Institute) the Royal Society, the British Council and Unilever. The group currently have Fellowships with La Trobe University, New Zealand and with the European Commission.
Our research
- Ethnography (Professor Geoff Beattie)
- Gestural communication (Professor Geoff Beattie, Dr Judith Holler)
- Gesture and social interaction (Professor Geoff Beattie, Dr Judith Holler, Dr Susan Speer, Dr Anna Theakston)
- Language acquisition (Professor Elena Lieven, Dr Anna Theakston, Dr Evan Kidd, Max Planck Child Study Centre)
- Language processing (Professor Geoff Beattie, Dr Evan Kidd, Dr Anna Theakston, Dr Dermot Lynott)
- Sustainable consumption (Professor Geoff Beattie)
- Pragmatics and social cognition (Dr Evan Kidd, Dr Judith Holler, Dr Anna Theakston)
Study volunteers
At the Max Planck Child Study Centre our experimental research relies on the generous help of schools and families in the local community.
The centre is directed by Professors Elena Lieven and Michael Tomasello and staffed by Claire Noble (co-ordinator), Mickie Glover (Research Secretary) and Jess Butcher (Research Assistant).
Along with a small group of PhD students, we research early language development in typically developing children. To find out more about participating in our studies, see: Volunteering at the Max Planck Child Study Centre.
Postgraduates
There are currently opportunities for research funding and studentships in 2010/11 for students looking to study in the field of language and communication. The University also offers postgraduate taught courses, research options and professional training.
For more details, see:
Further information
For more details about what is happening within the Language and Communication research group, see:
