Jonathan Kasstan
@jrkasstan.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in French and Linguistics, Westminster | Research on language in society | Associate Editor, Journal of Sociolinguistics | Research Notes Editor, Journal of French Language Studies.
https://sites.google.com/view/jonathan-kasstan/home
https://sites.google.com/view/jonathan-kasstan/home
Pinned
Variation and Change in Language Revitalization
The category ‘new speaker’ (NS) has emerged independently in several language-revitalization settings to refer to individuals who acquire the target language outside of the home. In this chapter we a...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Some thinking here from a synthesis of allied scholarship that can be brought to bear on building a socially accountable theory of language change. Communities valiantly working towards language revitalization do not get nearly enough attention #linguistics 🔓
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#Radio4 this morning reporting on a piece re #Welsh as a heritage language in #Argentina #Patagonia and language shift in the UK (around 7h44) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... #linguistics
Radio 4 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds
Listen live to Radio 4 on BBC Sounds
www.bbc.co.uk
February 13, 2026 at 8:51 AM
#Radio4 this morning reporting on a piece re #Welsh as a heritage language in #Argentina #Patagonia and language shift in the UK (around 7h44) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... #linguistics
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
This is what we're up against. Bangor University, that fine and noble institution where I've spoken twice, nearly 150 years young and still going strong. The sheer hatred they reserve for us shows what could happen after 2029, but also that they're frightened of knowledge and learning.
February 10, 2026 at 10:33 AM
This is what we're up against. Bangor University, that fine and noble institution where I've spoken twice, nearly 150 years young and still going strong. The sheer hatred they reserve for us shows what could happen after 2029, but also that they're frightened of knowledge and learning.
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Jobs: Semantics: Lecturer in Linguistics (Semantics), Harvard University
Jobs: Semantics: Lecturer in Linguistics (Semantics), Harvard University
Description:
The Department of Linguistics seeks applications for a lecturer in linguistics, with a focus on teaching and advising in formal semantics. The ability to teach and advise students in another area in addition to semantics is a plus. The lecturer will be responsible for teaching four courses in this area (two per semester). We anticipate a mix of graduate and undergraduate courses, to include semantics courses at both levels, and courses possibly from among the following: an underg
dlvr.it
February 6, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Jobs: Semantics: Lecturer in Linguistics (Semantics), Harvard University
Creole on #Radio4 this week, and with a linguist to boot! #linguistics
February 5, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Creole on #Radio4 this week, and with a linguist to boot! #linguistics
Some thinking here from a synthesis of allied scholarship that can be brought to bear on building a socially accountable theory of language change. Communities valiantly working towards language revitalization do not get nearly enough attention #linguistics 🔓
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Variation and Change in Language Revitalization
The category ‘new speaker’ (NS) has emerged independently in several language-revitalization settings to refer to individuals who acquire the target language outside of the home. In this chapter we a...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Some thinking here from a synthesis of allied scholarship that can be brought to bear on building a socially accountable theory of language change. Communities valiantly working towards language revitalization do not get nearly enough attention #linguistics 🔓
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
#Tesco rolling with the P- #Celtic grouping and being shouted down. Pfft. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #linguistics
Welsh language signs spotted in Helston Tesco in Cornwall
One councillor hopes this is an opportunity for supermarkets to support Cornish more directly.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 9:43 PM
#Tesco rolling with the P- #Celtic grouping and being shouted down. Pfft. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #linguistics
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
calling L1 speakers of British English, please help out my student Emilia on her dissertation study! 🐦🐦
it's a short (<20 min) and fun one on voice recognition, please share! lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
it's a short (<20 min) and fun one on voice recognition, please share! lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:37 PM
calling L1 speakers of British English, please help out my student Emilia on her dissertation study! 🐦🐦
it's a short (<20 min) and fun one on voice recognition, please share! lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
it's a short (<20 min) and fun one on voice recognition, please share! lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
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.
Researchers in Modern Languages: consider submitting your research to the brand-new @ucflangs.bsky.social Languages Research Database, created for policymakers.
Even if you don't think your research has policy implications – you never know!
university-council-for-languages.org/research/lan...
Even if you don't think your research has policy implications – you never know!
university-council-for-languages.org/research/lan...
Languages Research Database | University Council For Languages
A free, searchable resource of concise, impact-focused research summaries in the field of languages, created specifically for policymakers.
university-council-for-languages.org
February 3, 2026 at 2:55 PM
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.
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Soon hiring a lab manager! Looking for someone who is really interested in language neuroscience, who is organised, motivated, a great communicator, and who works well in a research team. Express interest by submitting this form: tinyurl.com/glysn-labman...
Reposts appreciated!
Reposts appreciated!
tinyurl.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Soon hiring a lab manager! Looking for someone who is really interested in language neuroscience, who is organised, motivated, a great communicator, and who works well in a research team. Express interest by submitting this form: tinyurl.com/glysn-labman...
Reposts appreciated!
Reposts appreciated!
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
You can still join the REF 2029 Town Hall event on Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE)
tomorrow, Wednesday, 4 February, 11 am to 12 pm
2029.ref.ac.uk/about/how-to...
tomorrow, Wednesday, 4 February, 11 am to 12 pm
2029.ref.ac.uk/about/how-to...
How to get involved – REF 2029
2029.ref.ac.uk
February 3, 2026 at 8:51 AM
You can still join the REF 2029 Town Hall event on Strategy, People and Research Environment (SPRE)
tomorrow, Wednesday, 4 February, 11 am to 12 pm
2029.ref.ac.uk/about/how-to...
tomorrow, Wednesday, 4 February, 11 am to 12 pm
2029.ref.ac.uk/about/how-to...
Fantastic new podcast episode on #Chaucer by @gregjenner.bsky.social and Marion Turner (of house @ox.ac.uk). Lots going on (how good these isles were at learning languages, the Great Vowel Shift, iambic pentameter, un-deplatforming Chaucer himself) would recommend ! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
You're Dead to Me - Geoffrey Chaucer: the medieval father of English literature - BBC Sounds
Join Greg and his guests to learn all about the life of medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 1, 2026 at 7:12 AM
Fantastic new podcast episode on #Chaucer by @gregjenner.bsky.social and Marion Turner (of house @ox.ac.uk). Lots going on (how good these isles were at learning languages, the Great Vowel Shift, iambic pentameter, un-deplatforming Chaucer himself) would recommend ! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com/britain/2026...
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com/britain/2026...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
I've been a faculty member in #Linguistics at a high-profile US university for for over a decade now. Most years I've been involved in graduate admissions. As of this year I'm the Graduate Chair for my department. I thought it might be helpful to share some advice for grad applicants...
January 28, 2026 at 9:06 PM
I've been a faculty member in #Linguistics at a high-profile US university for for over a decade now. Most years I've been involved in graduate admissions. As of this year I'm the Graduate Chair for my department. I thought it might be helpful to share some advice for grad applicants...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
A wonderful new resource: "The Balkan Linguistic Area" (ed. by E. Adamou & A. Sobolev: www.degruyterbrill.com/.../10.../97...) – dozens of linguistic features with areal maps. Inspired by our APiCS database (balcanica.rs/index.php/jo...), and also available as an online database: abla.cnrs.fr
January 28, 2026 at 7:12 PM
A wonderful new resource: "The Balkan Linguistic Area" (ed. by E. Adamou & A. Sobolev: www.degruyterbrill.com/.../10.../97...) – dozens of linguistic features with areal maps. Inspired by our APiCS database (balcanica.rs/index.php/jo...), and also available as an online database: abla.cnrs.fr
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
If you are a journalist and you don't know how to talk about the divide in access to education in the UK, start here:
400 jobs at risk. A campus set to close.
This film explains what’s happening at the University of Essex and why staff, students and the local community are organising to stop it.
📍 Southend rally | 5 February
This film explains what’s happening at the University of Essex and why staff, students and the local community are organising to stop it.
📍 Southend rally | 5 February
January 27, 2026 at 10:02 AM
If you are a journalist and you don't know how to talk about the divide in access to education in the UK, start here:
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
(linguistics) pals, a student of mine is conducting a short (<10 minutes) perception study on Child Directed Speech -- open to all L1 speakers of English who have grown up in & live in the UK! 🐦🐦
please share and/or complete: essex.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
please share and/or complete: essex.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
January 20, 2026 at 4:51 PM
(linguistics) pals, a student of mine is conducting a short (<10 minutes) perception study on Child Directed Speech -- open to all L1 speakers of English who have grown up in & live in the UK! 🐦🐦
please share and/or complete: essex.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
please share and/or complete: essex.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Available today on Google Books! "Sociophonetics: Implications for Phonological and Phonetic Theory" edited by me and @jennycz.bsky.social
books.google.co.uk/books?id=T6m...
books.google.co.uk/books?id=T6m...
Sociophonetics
This book provides a critical overview of sociophonetic research and considers how the findings of this field illuminate and problematize a range of central issues in phonetics and phonology. The core...
books.google.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Available today on Google Books! "Sociophonetics: Implications for Phonological and Phonetic Theory" edited by me and @jennycz.bsky.social
books.google.co.uk/books?id=T6m...
books.google.co.uk/books?id=T6m...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Very saddened by the death of Deborah Cameron this week—a brilliant linguist, feminist, and colleague, who shone bright light on language and gender in society.
Here she is talking about why people are interested in linguistic differences between men and women:
englishandmedia.co.uk/videos/colle...
Here she is talking about why people are interested in linguistic differences between men and women:
englishandmedia.co.uk/videos/colle...
Professor Deborah Cameron on Language and Gender
Professor Deborah Cameron discusses Language and Gender.
englishandmedia.co.uk
January 24, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Very saddened by the death of Deborah Cameron this week—a brilliant linguist, feminist, and colleague, who shone bright light on language and gender in society.
Here she is talking about why people are interested in linguistic differences between men and women:
englishandmedia.co.uk/videos/colle...
Here she is talking about why people are interested in linguistic differences between men and women:
englishandmedia.co.uk/videos/colle...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Fancy some weekend reading on historical sociolinguistics? Check out our latest #earlyview paper by Claire Nance and Malika Mahamdi on accent change and derhoticisation in post-Industrial Revolution Lancashire 🏭!
👇 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
👇 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Accent Change in the Wake of the Industrial Revolution: Tracing Derhoticisation Across Historic North Lancashire
This article applies a social model of historical dialect evolution in 19th-century Britain to the analysis of sociophonetic data. Our aim is to assess where new dialect formation is likely to occur,...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Fancy some weekend reading on historical sociolinguistics? Check out our latest #earlyview paper by Claire Nance and Malika Mahamdi on accent change and derhoticisation in post-Industrial Revolution Lancashire 🏭!
👇 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
👇 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Happy #ShoutOutForGerman week! Learning #German has lots of benefits, it’s fun and not as hard as some may think: theconversation.com/learning-ger... @uk.theconversation.com @goethe-institut-uk.bsky.social @daad-uk-ireland.bsky.social @uk.diplo.de @ags-gbi.bsky.social @britgerassoc.bsky.social
Learning German has many benefits for young people – and it’s not as hard as its reputation suggests
Learning a language gives you unique insights into different cultures, societies and perspectives.
theconversation.com
January 19, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Happy #ShoutOutForGerman week! Learning #German has lots of benefits, it’s fun and not as hard as some may think: theconversation.com/learning-ger... @uk.theconversation.com @goethe-institut-uk.bsky.social @daad-uk-ireland.bsky.social @uk.diplo.de @ags-gbi.bsky.social @britgerassoc.bsky.social
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Here's a thread to illustrate some nice features of Dominican and Martinican Creole (mostly shared by both), starting with affricates where French has [k] and [g]
🇩🇲 dominicain* > domini[tʃ]en
🇲🇶 gueule > [dʒ]èl
(*Also note the difference with present-day French which prefers 'dominiquais')
🇩🇲 dominicain* > domini[tʃ]en
🇲🇶 gueule > [dʒ]èl
(*Also note the difference with present-day French which prefers 'dominiquais')
January 19, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Here's a thread to illustrate some nice features of Dominican and Martinican Creole (mostly shared by both), starting with affricates where French has [k] and [g]
🇩🇲 dominicain* > domini[tʃ]en
🇲🇶 gueule > [dʒ]èl
(*Also note the difference with present-day French which prefers 'dominiquais')
🇩🇲 dominicain* > domini[tʃ]en
🇲🇶 gueule > [dʒ]èl
(*Also note the difference with present-day French which prefers 'dominiquais')
Reposted by Jonathan Kasstan
Have you heard the recent House of Lords debate led by Baroness Coussins (Chair of the APPG for Modern Languages), which addresses language education across schools and universities in the UK?
Baroness Coussins’ intervention is at 15:37 and can be viewed here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...
Baroness Coussins’ intervention is at 15:37 and can be viewed here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...
January 21, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Have you heard the recent House of Lords debate led by Baroness Coussins (Chair of the APPG for Modern Languages), which addresses language education across schools and universities in the UK?
Baroness Coussins’ intervention is at 15:37 and can be viewed here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...
Baroness Coussins’ intervention is at 15:37 and can be viewed here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...