My name is Dr John Bellamy and I am a Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and a member of both the Manchester Centre for Research in Linguistics and the Manchester Centre for Youth Studies. I am particularly interested in sociolinguistic approaches to identity, heritage, multilingualism, ideologies and linguistic practices of young people. My other research focusses include; the implications of linguistics prejudice in the youth justice system, youth languages and children’s sociolinguistics, and language standardisation.

I am currently working on a research project titled ‘Ground-Breaking Language: The Language of Mining Communities as Cultural Heritage’. This project seeks to encourage greater recognition of linguistic practices which represent language as heritage, especially when they are endangered due to a decline in number of speakers and their way of life.

Our project seeks to encourage greater recognition of linguistic practices which represent language as heritage.

What are the themes of your current research project?

My current research project ‘Ground-Breaking Language: The Language of Mining Communities as Cultural Heritage’ documents ‘pit talk’ (the language used by coal miners and their communities) throughout the UK and Germany, with the aim of preserving this cultural heritage and increasing its representation in museums.

I’m working in collaboration with Professor Natalie Braber (Nottingham Trent University, UK) and Professor Evelyn Ziegler (University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany) on this project. We are also partnered with researchers and participating museums in the UK and Germany.

The project documents ‘pit talk’ throughout the UK and in Germany, with the aim of preserving this cultural heritage and increasing its representation in museums.

What impact has your project had outside its research field?

Representing language as a form of valuable heritage is a new concept for museums in the UK, so we are working to gain a greater recognition for these linguistic practices. We have recently organised events bringing academics and practitioners together to look at innovative solutions, which is having a substantial impact in the field. We’ve also gained media attention with recent BBC interviews prompted by our research visit to Durham.

We have recently organised events bringing academics and practitioners together to look at innovative solutions, which is having a substantial impact in the field

Can students get involved?

Yes – in the ‘Sociolinguistics’ MA Applied Linguistics unit, students undertake their own project about the relationship between language, society and identity in relation to factors such as gender, ethnicity, social class, power and policies. This presents opportunities for them to engage with their own ideas and with other related research.

Find out more about MA Applied Linguistics.