College News

Language detectives

Fourteen A Level English Language students from QE have spent the day in the Linguistics department at Northumbria University to discover the work carried out by undergraduates as part of their degree courses. The workshop began with an exploration into linguistic forensics, the examination of the language of texts from court cases where the verdicts depended upon proving the identities of the writers. The students then had the opportunity to investigate how and why words change meaning over time and the impact this has on language and the wider society.

Steph Thompson, teacher of English Language at QESFC who accompanied the students to the event, explains: ‘The day was a great success. Everybody found the activities interesting and the experience very informative. Many of our students are now considering taking linguistics in higher education as result of the visit’.