Emma Humphries (she/her)

Did you🫵 procrastinate submitting your abstract for the Henry Sweet Society Colloquium 2026? There's still time until 1 March!⌛Papers on any topic in the history of linguistics welcome.

Colloquium to be held on 2-4 September 2026 at the University of Nottingham.
www.henrysweet.org/2026-annual-...

And another petition, sadly 😪
You might be aware that the Department of Languages & Intercultural Studies (LINCS) at Heriot-Watt University is under threat.

More information and to sign the petition: heriotwatt.web.ucu.org.uk/2026/02/05/s...

A timely submission to YourWrong.co.uk

"Have you noticed, Catherine, his frightful Yorkshire pronunciation?" (Brontë, Wuthering Heights)

How "frightful" will the accents in the new film adaptation be? #WutheringHeights #JacobElordi #MargotRobbie

Feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions! These summaries are impact-led and a great way to increase the visbility of your research.

Is Sabrina Carpenter saving the English language? What can a pop song teach us about grammar? Drawing on examples from across popular culture, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Dr Emma Humphries explores how prescriptivism is framed and spread in ways ...

What can a pop song teach us about grammar? Drawing on examples from different forms of popular culture, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow @emhumps.bsky.social explores prescriptivism.

Listen to her TED talk: media.leverhulme.ac.uk/video/ehumph... @qubelfastofficial.bsky.social

Call for LavLang32 now on Linguist List. Submit a paper here: lavlang32.ppls.ed.ac.uk

For more details about my project and to contribute your own examples of prescriptivism in popular culture, please visit YourWrong.co.uk

Linguistic racism on full display.

Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queen Mary University of London Apply now for the Postdoctoral Research Associate role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.

We're hiring! Come join Nelya & I on the Autism in Affinity Spaces project - we're looking for a postdoc with expertise in working with multimodal datasets. Autistic researchers are highly encouraged to apply.

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQC919/p...

Is Sabrina Carpenter saving the English language?

Find out in my TEDx talk! 🤯
m.youtube.com/watch?v=hq7J...

@qubelfastofficial.bsky.social #TEDx #TEDxQUB

Stephen Flynn criticises Nigel Farage from attacking children who speak more than one language #BBCQT

"A man who aspires to be PM of these isle would pick a fight with school kids, would hold school kids up as an object to beat, absolutely repulses me and it should repulse all of you as well"

Thank you, Wendy!

Emma standing on the TED red dot in front of a big sign that says TEDx Queen's University Belfast. She is looking out to the audience and delivering her talk.

Emma in front of the Lanyon building at Queen's University Belfast with a big TEDx sign on the left. On the right, the following text has been superimposed: What can a Sabrina Carpenter song teach us about grammar? By exposing the myths behind 'good' language, we'll rethink assumptions about language and correctness.

Coming soon 👀

@qubelfastofficial.bsky.social

Wicked: what lies beneath correcting the way people speak? Elphaba’s insistence on correctness speaks to a broader challenge facing anyone positioned as an outsider: having to work that much harder to be accepted.

Elphaba’s insistence on correctness speaks to a broader challenge facing anyone positioned as an outsider: having to work that much harder to be accepted.

A little something I wrote for @theconversation.com about Wicked and prescriptivism theconversation.com/wicked-for-g...

Thank you!

Thank you to whoever submitted this to YourWrong.co.uk. Please keep them coming!

YouTube video by Tesco Realising you're home... #ThatsWhatMakesItChristmas 🎄

A festive YourWrong
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOJm...
#ThatsWhatMakesItChristmas

The latest threat to UK modern languages is yet another faux pas Nottingham and Leicester are taking a swing at language departments. But those proposing closures have taken their eye off the ball, say four linguists

The latest threat to UK modern languages is yet another faux pas www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/late...

The decision to cut all language programs at the University of Nottingham and the University of Leicester will be the final nail in the coffin for many potential applicants' languages education, leaving no languages degrees in the East Midlands.

We know that provision for and uptake of languages at secondary level are affected by socio-economic status. We also know that applicants from more socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to go to their local university.

The effects of the proposed cull of languages provision at the University of Nottingham and the University of Leicester will be massive: for the wonderful staff, for current students, and for future budding linguists. Esp those who, like me, come from working-class backgrounds in the East Midlands.

The University of Nottingham is suspending all Modern Languages degrees. A short-sighted and terrifying decision from a 'global' university.

Please sign the petition started by its wonderful students.

Sign the Petition Stop the removal of Modern Languages courses at the University of Nottingham!

Modern Languages students at the University of Nottingham have started a petition to save languages degrees. Please sign and share www.change.org/p/stop-the-r...

I am hearing that @uniofnottingham.bsky.social is suspending (i.e shutting down) *all modern language courses* in 2026-27. One of the largest departments in the UK. A shocking short sighted move that damages regional and national prospects @britishacademy.bsky.social @hetanshah.bsky.social

Me standing on the red TED dot

Next month I'll be giving a TEDx talk at Queen's on my two favourite topics: prescriptivism and Sabrina Carpenter!

« Quand neuf Français sur dix font une ‘faute’ de prononciation, de vocabulaire ou de grammaire, c’est le dixième qui a tort, fût-il académicien. » – Jacques Cellard dans Le Monde.

You can’t just call someone a Traitor because they have a better vocabulary than you x #celebritytraitors #traitors #alancarr #tomdaley #loveofhuns TikTok video by loveofhuns x

Side eye, Traitors and language judgement www.tiktok.com/@loveofhuns/...

How Teachers Feel About Their Accents - Teacher Tapp This September, Teacher Tapp asked teachers about accents — and how their voices are perceived by colleagues and students. We shared the results with Teacher … Continued

Have done this with @heymrshallahan.bsky.social and @teachertapp.bsky.social - there will be some more on the way soon in various forms - articles and podcasts - about what we've discovered from this survey.

teachertapp.com/articles/how...

Are you teaching prescriptivism this year? If so, please consider introducing your students to YourWrong.co.uk. It could form part of a seminar activity or prep! I'd also be very happy to provide some corpus examples for a small analysis task. Just get in touch!