Lancaster Lecture

On Thursday 17th January, a select number of Year 10 and 11 students and our English Language A Level Year 12 and 13 students, attended a taster lecture from Dr Adrian Leemann from the University of Lancaster. The lecture focused on ‘Forensic Linguistics’ and how we can learn a lot about a person from the way they talk and their use of words. This can then be used to assist in a criminal investigation. Dr Adrian Leemann continued with a lecture on Language and Variation which explored how the words we use, and the way we say words can change depending on where we live, but also over time. Needless to say, the question of the ‘correct’ pronunciation of scone remains a contentious one. Roza Mrozowska a Year 12 student, had this to say about the lecture: “The lecture was incredibly informative and covered many engaging areas. I enjoyed hearing about the power of regional speech differences and how they can be taken for granted when really, they can tell us as much about a person as a photograph. The lecture was an insightful taster into university life and something I am aspiring towards.” We thank Lancaster University and specifically Dr Adrian Leemann for providing an utterly thrilling experience and inspiring our students in their future studies.