We use cookies on reading.ac.uk to improve your experience, monitor site performance and tailor content to you
Read our cookie policy to find out how to manage your cookie settings
Dr Christiana Themistocleous specialises in Sociolinguistics and is passionate about the way languages are used in the society.
"I have always been interested in multilingualism, being multilingual myself and living in a multilingual community. In Britain, it is particularly interesting because there are more and more people coming from various places, creating superdiverse communities where an array of different languages are used.”
Christiana is also interested in the representation of multilingualism in the media and she published a paper with Dr Sylvia Jaworska (University of Reading) on this topic. Their research showed that newspapers project positive and negative ideologies about multilingualism which often influence the general public's opinions towards living in a multilingual speech community.
Christiana's research feeds directly into her teaching through the Sociolinguistics module in Year 2.
"I think students are very excited about sociolinguistics because they can understand how language is used in the society by exploring aspects that directly relate to them in real life. From the power of the media, to how people speak differently from one another, to how languages are used on signs and walls to divide or unify people, to how people mix different languages when they speak or write.”
"I want students to go out into the community and talk to real people who speak different languages, to conduct interviews, or take photos of multilingual signs and then develop and present their work in creative ways”.
Christiana asks students to collect their own data in groups and to create their own website or poster presenting their findings. Through this process students gain valuable skills in conducting research, working as part of a group and presenting their work in front of an audience. All these skills are essential for future employment.
"These tasks help students develop their knowledge and insights into Sociolinguistics but also enable them to develop valuable skills for their future."
Read more from our professors and doctors to find out about their experiences in the Department
Dr Fraibet Aveledo talks about whether bilingualism can enhance cognitive processes, and her experiences of working within the Department.
