
Yr Athro Alison Wray
BA (Hons), D.Phil (York), FHEA, FAcSS, FLSW
Professor (Research)
- wraya@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 4762
- 3.40, Adeilad John Percival , Rhodfa Colum, Caerdydd, CF10 3EU
- Ar gael fel goruchwyliwr ôl-raddedig
Trosolwg
I am a member of the Centre for Language and Communication Research and the Formulaic Language Research Network.
View my animated film, Understanding the Challenges of Dementia Communication
Bywgraffiad
Undergraduate study
1983: BA (Hons) in linguistics with German and Hindi, Dept of Language & Linguistic Science, University of York, UK
Postgraduate study
1988: DPhil in psycholinguistics, Dept of Language & Linguistic Science, University of York, UK
Post doctorate
1988-91: Researcher on the Singers? Language Project, Dept of Music, University of York, UK. Funded by Leverhulme Trust
Employment
2007 to present: Research Professor, as above
2005-07: Professor, as above
2002-05: Senior Lecturer/Reader, as above
1999-02: Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Language & Communication Research, Cardiff University, UK
1996-99: Assistant Director, Wales Applied Language Research Unit, Centre for Applied Language Studies, Swansea University, UK
1991-96: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in linguistics, College of Ripon & York St John, York, UK
Major administrative roles
2014-present: Director of the Centre for Language & Communication Research
2005-present: Director of Research for the School of English, Communication and Philosophy
Honours, prizes and memberships
2014 - Elected Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW)
2014 - Visiting Professor, York St John University, UK
2013 - Board Member, Alzheimer?s Society Grant Advisory Board
2012 - ESRC Peer Review College
2009 - Editorial Board, Yearbook of Phraseology
2008 - Member of Advisory Committee, Bristol Centre for Linguistics
2008 - Elected Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS)
2007 - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
2006 - Visiting academic at the Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia
2005 - Erskine Fellow, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
2004 - BBS Associate (Behavioral and Brain Sciences)
2004-7 - Member of AHRC Peer Review College
2003 - Formulaic Language and the Lexicon won annual BAAL Book Prize
2001 - Member of the Institute of Learning and Teaching
1999 - Projects in Linguistics shortlisted for annual BAAL Book Prize
1984-7 - British Academy Major State Award
Ymrwymiadau siarad cyhoeddus
2016
- Plenary speaker, Europhras conference, Trier (August)
- Plenary speaker, 7th Formulaic Language Research Network conference, Vilnius (July) (tbc)
- Plenary speaker, ISLE postgraduate conference, Amsterdam (June)
2015
- Keynote at CLaRE international workshop, Language use in later life, Louvain-la-Neuve (December)
- Keynote at Older Minds, New Ideas medical conference, Cardiff (October)
- Public research seminar, University of York
- Invited speaker, Multiling project, University of Oslo
2014
- Plenary speaker at 6th International Formulaic Language Research Network conference, Swansea University
- Plenary speaker at American Association for Applied Linguistics annual conference, Portland, Oregon
2013
2012
- Interview on BBC Radio 4 Word of Mouth (on language in Alzheimer’s care)
- Invited speaker at annual conference of Deutsche Academische Austauschdienst (DAAD) UK, Cumberland Lodge, Windsor
- Interview on BBC Radio 4 Word of Mouth (on formulaicity in language learning)
- Plenary speaker at 5th International Formulaic Language Research Network conference, University of Tilburg
- Invited speaker at Smatterings, public engagement weekend seminar at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor
2011
- Invited speaker at UN Older Person’s Day on Promoting active and healthy aging. Cardiff
- Plenary speaker at conference on Language as social and cultural activity, University of Basel
- Invited speaker, day seminar on Formulaic language and language teaching, University of Nantes
- Invited speaker, launch of University Committee for General & Applied Linguistics, British Academy, London
2010
- Public lecture, Research Institute for the Arts and Humanities, Swansea University: Making Impact in the Humanities: Linguistic Research to Improve Quality of Life in Older People
- Workshop, ESRC Research Methods Festival, Oxford, Critical Reading & Writing
- Philological Society Annual General Meeting, SOAS: Goings on in the ‘house of ill-repute’: why we are tolerant of irregularity in language?
- 4th Formulaic Language Research Network Conference, University of Paderborn, Germany, Plenary lecture: Learning a second language using formulaic sequences; workshop on critical reading and self-critical writing
2009
- Guest lecture, ‘Memorisation and L2 learning: reflections on process and product’, Dept of Education, University of Oxford
- Plenary: Annual Welsh for Adults Tutors’ conference, Llandudno
- Plenary: ICAME 30 conference, Lancaster: What we do, how we do it, and why it matters: corpus research in applied domains
- Beijing Foreign Studies University: But is it formulaic? What counts as formulaic language? How do definitions support good research?
- University of Business & Economics, Beijing: Formulaic language: a linguistic solution to a non-linguistic problem?
- Nanjing University: a) Formulaic language research: overview and new developments; b) Developing reading and writing skills in postgraduate study
- First national Chinese conference on formulaic language, Beijing: New developments in formulaic language research
2008
- Plenary: British Association for Applied Linguistics, Swansea, Taking the measure of genetic variation in language; Postgraduate workshop: Critical reading in applied linguistics
- Workshop, ESRC Research Methods Festival, Oxford, Critical Reading & Writing
- 3rd International Formulaic Language Research Network postgraduate conference, Nottingham
- Brain and Aging Program, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales; Dementia collaborative Research Centre, University of New South Wales
2007
- What is special about the gene? One day conference, Cardiff
- British Association for Teachers of Japanese, annual conference, Cardiff
- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Linguistics Symposium on Formulaic Language, USA
- Vice Chancellor’s Lecture Series, Cardiff University
2006
- Cradle of Language Conference, Stellenbosch, South Africa (withdrew)
- Linguistic, Psycholinguistic and Computational Aspects of Idioms and Collocations, Berlin
- Workshop, ESRC Research Methods Festival, Oxford, Critical Reading & Writing
2005
- Phraseology, Université de Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Corpus Linguistics, University of Birmingham, UK
- IATEFL International Conference, Cardiff, UK
- Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of
- Behaviour (SSAISB), University of Hatfield, UK
- New Trends in Language Teaching, Turku, Finland
2004
- AHRB Centre for Evolutionary Analysis of Cultural Behaviour, University of Southampton
- Language Learning Round Table on Language Evolution, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
Cyhoeddiadau
2023
- Wray, A. and Bergstrom, A. 2023. Determiners of social inclusion and exclusion in the dementia context: the perspective of family carers. Pragmatics and Society
2021
- Wray, A. 2021. Loneliness and dementia: the role of communication. In: Stern, J. et al. eds. Bloomsbury Handbook of Solitude, Silence and Loneliness. Bloomsbury Handbooks Bloomsbury, pp. 288-298.
- Wray, A. 2021. Why dementia makes communication difficult: a guide to better outcomes. Jessica Kingsley.
- Wray, A. 2021. Dementia research: Prof Alison Wray discusses the importance of communication. Medical News Today
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2021. Critical reading and writing for postgraduates (4th edition). Student Success. Sage.
- Hughes, C., Filimonov, M., Wray, A. and Spasic, I. 2021. Leaving no stone unturned: flexible retrieval of idiomatic expressions from a large text corpus. Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction 3(1), pp. 263-283. (10.3390/make3010013)
2020
- Wray, A., Morris, L., Mansell, W., Williamson, T. and McEvoy, P. 2020. Communication Empowerment Framework: An integrative framework to support effective communication and interaction between carers and people living with dementia. Dementia 19, pp. 1739-1757. (10.1177/1471301218805329)
- Wray, A. 2020. The dynamics of dementia communication. Oxford University Press.
- Wray, A. 2020. Dementia communication across language boundaries: developing language awareness. Youtube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbIxPq3eQoc
2019
- Wray, A. 2019. Multilingual dementia care: defining the limits of translanguaging. Language Awareness 28(3), pp. 227-245. (10.1080/09658416.2019.1636801)
2018
- Wray, A. 2018. Reconstructed pronunciation. In: Lawson, C. and Stowell, R. eds. Cambridge encyclopedia of historical performance in Music. Cambridge University Press, pp. 524-526.
- Wray, A. 2018. Concluding question: Why don't second language learners more proactively target formulaic sequences?. In: Siyanova-Chanturia, A. and Pellicer-Sanchez, A. eds. Understanding Formulaic Language: A Second Language Acquisition Perspective. Second Language Acquisition Research Series London and New York: Routledge, pp. 248-269.
- Wray, A. 2018. Dementia: the "communication disease". [Online]. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uu63PqWGaU
2017
- Wray, A. 2017. Understanding the challenges of dementia communication. Youtube. Available at: https://youtu.be/u6cchefGn2M
- Wray, A. 2017. Formulaic sequences as a regulatory mechanism for cognitive perturbations during the achievement of social goals. Topics in Cognitive Science 9(3), pp. 569-587. (10.1111/tops.12257)
- Wray, A. 2017. The language of dementia science and the science of dementia language: linguistic interpretations of an interdisciplinary research field. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 36(1), pp. 80-95. (10.1177/0261927X16663591)
2016
- Buerki, A., Wray, A. and Fitzpatrick, T. 2016. Linguistic markers and risk of Alzheimer's Disease. Presented at: BRACE Annual Celebration 2016, Filton, UK, 6 June 2016.
- Wray, A., Bell, H. and Jones, K. 2016. How native and non-native speakers of English interpret unfamiliar formulaic sequences. European Journal of English Studies 20(1), pp. 47-63. (10.1080/13825577.2015.1136163)
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2016. Critical reading and writing for postgraduates (3rd edition). Sage Study Skills Series. Sage.
- Wray, A. 2016. Accommodating 'unaccustomed pragmatic spaces' in Arbib's model Comment on "Towards a Computational Comparative Neuroprimatology: Framing the language-ready brain. Physics of Life Reviews 16, pp. 101-104. (10.1016/j.plrev.2016.01.014)
- Wray, A. 2016. Mechanisms of conflict and aggression in the dementia context. Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict 4(1), pp. 115-140. (10.1075/jlac.4.1.05wra)
2015
- Wray, A. 2015. Why are we so sure we know what a word is?. In: Taylor, J. R. ed. The Oxford Handbook of the Word. Oxford Handbooks Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 725-750., (10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199641604.013.032)
- Wray, A. and Wallace, M. 2015. Developing research expertise in applied linguistics: capacity-building for today’s interdisciplinary challenges. ITL: International Journal of Applied Linguistics 166(1), pp. 3-36. (10.1075/itl.166.1.01wra)
2014
- Wray, A. 2014. Developing comprehensive criteria of adequacy: the challenge of hybridity. In: Gómez-González, M. d. l. ?. et al. eds. The Functional Perspective on Language and Discourse : Applications and Implications. Pragmatics & Beyond New Series Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 19-36.
- Wray, A. 2014. Formulaic language and threat: the challenge of empathy and compassion in Alzheimer's disease interaction. In: Schrauf, R. W. and Müller, N. eds. Dialogue and dementia: cognitive and communicative resources for engagement. Language and Speech Disorders London: Psychology Press, pp. 263-286.
- Wray, A. and Wallace, M. 2014. Developing social science research expertise: a resource and guide for trainers. [Online]. National Centre for Research Methods. Available at: http://www.restore.ac.uk/researchexpertise/
- Wray, A. 2014. Dementia and language. In: Chapelle, C. ed. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Wiley, pp. 1-6., (10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1441)
2013
- Wray, A. 2013. Mislaying compassion: linguistic triggers for inadequate care-giving in Alzheimer's Disease care. In: Davis, B. H. and Guendouzi, J. eds. Pragmatics in Dementia Discourse. Advances in Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 117-145.
- Fitzpatrick, T., Playfoot, D., Wray, A. and Wright, M. J. 2013. Establishing the reliability of word association data for investigating individual and group differences. Applied Linguistics n/a (10.1093/applin/amt020)
- Wray, A. 2013. Formulaic language. Language Teaching 46(3), pp. 316-334. (10.1017/S0261444813000013)
- Wray, A. 2013. Formulaic language: Pushing the boundaries (China edition). Oxford Applied Linguistics Series. Shanghai Foreign Language Teaching Press/Oxford University Press.
- Wray, A. 2013. Formulaic sequences. In: Chapelle, C. ed. The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics., Vol. 4. Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 2200-2205.
2012
- Wray, A. 2012. Formulaic language. In: Robinson, P. ed. Routledge Encyclopedia of Second Language Acquisition. Routledge, pp. 252-256.
- Wray, A. 2012. What do we (think we) know about formulaic language? An evaluation of the current state of play. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 32(1), pp. 231-254. (10.1017/S026719051200013X)
- Wray, A. and Bloomer, A. 2012. Projects in linguistics and language studies (3rd edition). Hodder Education.
- Mac-Giolla Chriost, D. et al. 2012. Welsh for adults teaching and learning approaches, methodologies and resources: a comprehensive research study and critical review of the way forward. Project Report. [Online]. Cardiff: Welsh Government. Available at: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/welsh/resources/FINAL%20WHOLE%20Drafft%20Ymgynghorol.pdf
- Wray, A. 2012. Patterns of formulaic language in Alzheimer's disease: implications for quality of life. Quality in Ageing and Older Adults 13(3), pp. 168-175. (10.1108/14717791211264034)
2011
- Mollet, E., Wray, A. and Fitzpatrick, T. 2011. Accessing second-order collocation through lexical co-occurrence networks. In: Herbst, T., Faulhaber, S. and Uhrig, P. eds. Phraseological View of Language: A Tribute to John Sinclair. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 87-122.
- Wray, A. and Wallace, M. 2011. Accelerating the development of expertise: a step-change in social science research capacity building. British Journal of Educational Studies 59(3), pp. 241-264. (10.1080/00071005.2011.599790)
- Lindholm, C. and Wray, A. 2011. Proverbs and formulaic sequences in the language of elderly people with dementia. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice 10(3), pp. 1-21. (10.1177/1471301211413338)
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2011. Scholarly Reading as a Model for Scholarly Writing. In: Rocco, T. S. and Hatcher, T. eds. The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing. The Jossey-Bass Higher and Adult Education Series San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 44-61.
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2011. Scholarly reading as a model for scholarly writing. In: Rocco, T. S. and Hatcher, T. eds. The Handbook of Scholarly Writing and Publishing. Jossey-Bass higher and adult education series San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 44-61.
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2011. Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. 2nd ed.. SAGE Study Skills Series. London: Sage.
- Wray, A. 2011. Formulaic language as a barrier to effective communication with people with Alzheimer's Disease. Canadian Modern Languages Review 67(4), pp. 429-458. (10.3138/cmlr.67.4.429)
- Wray, A. 2011. Games for studying language origins and change. In: Kuiper, K. ed. Teaching Linguistics: Reflections on Practice. London: Equinox, pp. 154-181.
- Wray, A., Mollet, E. and Fitzpatrick, T. 2011. Accessing second-order collocation through lexical co-occurrence networks. In: Faulhaber, S., Herbst, T. and Uhrig, P. eds. The Phraseological View of Language: A Tribute to John Sinclair. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 87-122.
- Wray, A. 2011. Perspectives on Formulaic Language: Acquisition and Communication – Edited by David Wood [Book Review]. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 21(1), pp. 127-133. (10.1111/j.1473-4192.2010.00279.x)
2010
- Mollet, E., Wray, A., Fitzpatrick, T., Wray, N. R. and Wright, M. J. 2010. Choosing the best tools for comparative analyses of texts. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 15(4), pp. 429-473. (10.1075/ijcl.15.4.01mol)
- Wray, A. 2010. We've Had a Wonderful, Wonderful Thing: formulaic interaction when an expert has dementia. Dementia: The International Journal of Social Research and Practice 9(4), pp. 517-534. (10.1177/1471301210381677)
- Wray, A. and Fitzpatrick, T. 2010. Pushing speakers to the extreme: the artificial use of prefabricated material in conversation. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 4(1), pp. 37-51. (10.1080/17501220802596413)
- Wray, A. and Fitzpatrick, T. 2010. Pushing learners to the extreme: the artificial use of prefabricated material in conversation. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 4(1), pp. 37-52. (10.1080/17501220802596413)
2009
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2009. Complexity theory and emergent change. Case study. In: Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. eds. Research Methods for Business Students. 5th ed.. Harlow: Prentice Hall, pp. 102-104.
- Wray, A. 2009. Identifying formulaic language: persistent challenges and new opportunities. In: Corrigan, R. L. et al. eds. Formulaic Language: Distribution and Historical Change., Vol. 1. Typological Studies in Language Vol. 82. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 27-52.
- Wray, A. 2009. Preface: A research network model. In: Fitzpatrick, T. and Barfield, A. eds. Lexical Processing in Second Language Learners: Papers and Perspectives in Honour of Paul Meara. Second Language Acquisition Clevedon: Multilingual Matters, pp. xi-xvii.
- Wray, A. 2009. Conclusion: Navigating L2 collocation research. In: Barfield, A. and Gyllstad, H. eds. Researching Collocations in Another Language: Multiple Interpretations. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 232-244.
- Wray, A. 2009. Future directions in formulaic language research. Journal of Foreign languages 32(6), pp. 2-17.
- Wray, A. and Pegg, C. A. 2009. The effect of memorized learning on the writing scores of Chinese IELTS test takers. In: Thompson, P., HOlliday, J. and Taylor, L. eds. IELTS Research Reports. Vol. 9. IELTS Australia, pp. 191-216.
- Wray, A. 2009. Hurford, James R. The origins of meaning: language in the light of evolution - 408pp, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2007, Hardback, £29.95, ISBN :95978-0199207855 [Book Review]. Functions of Language 16(2), pp. 298-308. (10.1075/fol.16.2.07wra)
2008
- Wray, A. 2008. Formulaic language: Pushing the boundaries. Oxford Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Wray, A. and Bloomer, A. 2008. Projects in linguistics : a practical guide to researching language (2nd ed.). London: Hodder Arnold.
- Wray, A. 2008. Genes and the conceptualisation of language knowledge. Genomics, Society, and Policy 4(1), pp. 58-73. (10.1186/1746-5354-4-1-58)
- Wray, A. 2008. The puzzle of language learning: from child’s play to ‘linguaphobia’. Language Teaching 41(2), pp. 255-273. (10.1017/S0261444807004909)
- Wray, A. 2008. Formulaic sequences and language disorders. In: Ball, M. et al. eds. Handbook of Clinical Linguistics. Blackwell Handbooks in Linguistics Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 184-197.
- Wray, A. and Fitzpatrick, T. 2008. Why can't you just leave it alone? Deviations from memorized language as a gauge of nativelike competence. In: Meunier, F. and Granger, S. eds. Phraseology in foreign language learning and teaching. Philadelphia, PA: John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 123-148.
2007
- Wray, A. and Grace, G. 2007. The consequences of talking to strangers: Evolutionary corollaries of socio-cultural influences on linguistic form. Lingua 117(3), pp. 543-578. (10.1016/j.lingua.2005.05.005)
- Wray, A. 2007. Set phrases in second language acquisition. In: Burger, H. et al. eds. Phraseologie / Phraseology: Ein internationales Handbuch zeitgenössischer Forschung / An International Handbook of Contemporary Research., Vol. 1. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 870-881.
- Wray, A. 2007. "Needs only" analysis in linguistic ontogeny and phylogeny. In: Lyon, C., Nehaniv, C. L. and Cangelosi, A. eds. Emergence of Communication and Language. London: Springer, pp. 53-70., (10.1007/978-3-030-04465-7_8)
2006
- Wray, A. and Bloomer, A. 2006. Projects in linguistics: a practical guide, 2nd ed.. London: Arnold.
- Wray, A. 2006. Idiomaticity in an L2: linguistic processing as a predictor of success. In: Beavan, B. ed. IATEFL 2005 Cardiff Conference Selections: 39th International Annual Conference, Cardiff, 5-9 April 2005. IATEFL, pp. 53-60.
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2006. Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. Sage Study Skills. London: Sage.
- Wray, A. 2006. Joining the dots: the evolutionary picture of language and music. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 16(1), pp. 103-105.
- Wray, A. 2006. Formulaic language. In: Brown, K. ed. Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics., Vol. 4. Oxford: Elsevier, pp. 590-597.
- Fitzpatrick, T. and Wray, A. 2006. Breaking up is not so hard to do: individual differences in L2 memorisation. Canadian Modern Language Review 63(1), pp. 35-57. (10.3138/cmlr.63.1.35)
2005
- Wray, A. 2005. The explanatory advantages of the holistic protolanguage model: the case of linguistic irregularity. Commentary on Arbib. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 28(2), pp. 147-148. (10.1017/S0140525X05450037)
- Wray, A. 2005. The broadening scope of animal communication research. In: Tallerman, M. ed. Language Origins: Perspectives on Evolution. Studies in the Evolution of Language Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 232-238.
- Wray, A. 2005. Looking at the WHY in phraseology: a psycholinguistic perspective on patterns in text. In: Cosme, C. et al. eds. Phraseology 2005: The Many Faces of Phraseology. Louvain-la-Neuve: Université Catholique de Louvain, pp. 23-26.
- Wray, A. and Staczek, J. J. 2005. One word or two? Psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic interpretations of meaning in a court case. International Journal of Speech Language and the Law 12(1), pp. 1-18. (10.1558/ijsll.v12i1.1)
2004
- Wray, A., Cox, S., Lincoln, M. and Tryggvason, J. 2004. A formulaic approach to translation at the Post Office: reading signs. Language & Communication 24(1), pp. 59-75. (10.1016/j.langcom.2003.08.001)
- Wray, A. 2004. 'Here's one I prepared earlier': formulaic language learning on television. In: Schmitt, N. ed. Formulaic Sequences: Acquisition, Processing and Use. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 249-268., (10.1075/lllt.9.13wra)
2003
- Wray, A. and Namba, K. 2003. Use of formulaic language by a Japanese-English bilingual child: a practical approach to data analysis. Japan Journal for Multilingualism and Multiculturalism 9(1), pp. 24-51.
2002
- Wray, A. 2002. Formulaic language and the lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Wray, A. ed. 2002. The transition to language. Oxford linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Wallace, M. and Wray, A. 2002. The fall and rise of linguists in education policy-making: From "common sense" to common ground. Language Policy 1(1), pp. 75-98.
- Wray, A. 2002. Dual processing in protolanguage: performance without competence. In: Wray, A. ed. The Transition to Language. Oxford Studies in the Evolution of Language Oxford University Press, pp. 113-137.
- Wray, A. 2002. Formulaic language in computer-supported communication: theory meets reality. Language AwarenesS 11(2), pp. 114-131. (10.1080/09658410208667050)
2000
- Wray, A. and Perkins, M. R. 2000. The functions of formulaic language: an integrated model. Language & Communication 20(1), pp. 1-28. (10.1016/S0271-5309(99)00015-4)
- Wray, A. 2000. Pronunciation of the texts. [CD]. Salisbury Cathedral Boy Choristers, Gabrieli Consort & Paul McCreesh. John Sheppard: Missa Cantata. CD recording 457 8 February 2023.
- Wray, A. 2000. Holistic utterances in protolanguage: the link from primates to humans. In: Knight, C., Studdert-Kennedy, M. and Hurford, J. R. eds. The Evolutionary Emergence of Language: Social Function and the Origins of Linguistic Form. New York: Cambridge University Press, pp. 285-302.
- Wray, A. 2000. Formulaic sequences in second language teaching: principle and practice. Applied Linguistics 21(4), pp. 463-489. (10.1093/applin/21.4.463)
1999
- Wray, A. 1999. Formulaic language in learners and native speakers. Language Teaching 32(4), pp. 213-231.
- Wray, A. 1999. Singers on the trail of 'authentic' Early Modern English: the puzzling case of /æː/ and /ɛː/. Transactions of the Philological Society 97(2), pp. 185-211.
1998
- Wray, A., Trott, K. and Bloomer, A. 1998. Projects in linguistics: a practical guide to researching language. London: Arnold.
- Wray, A. 1998. Protolanguage as a holistic system for social interaction. Language and Communication 18(1), pp. 47-67. (10.1016/S0271-5309(97)00033-5)
1997
- Ryan, A. and Wray, A. eds. 1997. Evolving models of language: papers from the annual meeting of the British Association for Applied Linguistics held at the University of Wales, Swansea, September 1996. British Studies in Applied Linguistics Vol. 12. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
1996
- Wray, A. 1996. English pronunciation c. 1500-1700. In: Morehen, J. ed. English Choral Practice 1400-1650. Cambridge Studies in Performance Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 90-108.
- Wray, A. 1996. The occurrence of 'occurance' and 'alot' of other things 'aswell': patterns of errors in undergraduate English. In: Blue, G. M. and Mitchell, R. eds. Language and Education: Papers from the Annual Meeting of the British Association for Applied Linguistics held at the University of Southampton, September 1995. British Studies in Applied Linguistics Clevedon: British Association for Applied Linguistics in association with Multilingual Matters, pp. 94-106.
1995
- Wray, A. 1995. The sound of Latin in England before and after the Reformation. In: Morehen, J. ed. English Choral Practice, 1400-1650. Cambridge Studies in Performance Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 74-89.
1992
- Wray, A. 1992. The focusing hypothesis: the theory of left hemisphere lateralised language re-examined. Studies in Speech Pathology and Clinical Linguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
- Wray, A. 1992. Pronunciation. In: Knighton, T. and Fallows, D. eds. The Dent Everyman Companion to Medieval and Renaissance Music. London: Dent, pp. 292-299.
- Wray, A. 1992. Authentic pronunciation for early music. In: Paynter, J. et al. eds. Companion to Contemporary Musical Thought. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 1051-1064.
1990
- Wray, A. 1990. The Singers' Language Project. Voice Research Society Newsletter 4(2), pp. 13-14.
- Wray, A. 1990. The dual systems ('focusing') hypothesis: a right hemisphere account for left hemisphere language. Speculations in Science and Technology 13(1), pp. 3-12.
1989
- Wray, A. 1989. The values and shortcomings of phonetic script as a tool for singers. Singing 16, pp. 21-24.
1988
- Wray, A. 1988. Phonetic transcription for singers?. Voice Research Society Newsletter 3(1), pp. 5-7.
The central focus of my research is developing innovative models that can account for patterns observed in language. My primary contribution in the past few years has been in characterising formulaic language (prefabricated wordstrings).
Formulaic language encompasses strings of words that:
- appear to be stored whole in memory for convenience (e.g. thank you very much; what I mean is)
- are particularly frequent in text (e.g. in the middle of?)
- have a social importance for particular people (e.g. present arms)
- are memorised or repeated,
- and/or are non-compositional in form or meaning (e.g. by and large; woe betide).
Drawing on observations of formulaic language in a variety of contexts, I have developed models of how language is learned, processed and stored, and have applied them, through experiments and other investigations, to issues in first and second language acquisition, language disability and the evolution of language. I have written about the role of formulaic language in translation, the capacity for formulaic language materially to improve the quality of a non-native speaker's interaction, and the nature of formulaic language in language disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease.
Current research
Linguistic theory at the boundaries: The development of macro-theory that relates linguistic form and function to the cognitive and social aspects of language behaviour. Rooted in the models of formulaic language acquisition and use (see above) more recently they have broadened to examine the ‘word’ as an inherently vague phenomenon, and language as a fundamentally hybrid system. Current work entails a new theory of how cognitive and social pressures on language production are managed into a steady state of fluency using options in form selection.
Communicative Impact: In 2014, I began work on a new model of how the act of communication interfaces with language processing. It draws together socio-interactional and pragmatic theory with models of cognition, to demonstrate how forms of language are shaped by what we need to achieve through communication, and how language is used to make good shortfalls in communication when the speaker is under cognitive pressure. The model combines my previous work on formulaic language, Alzheimer’s Disease and second language acquisition, and it is designed to offer opportunities for experimental interventions in situations where communication is typically undermined by reduced cognitive capacity and/or lexical access problems, including Alzheimer’s and post-childhood foreign language learning. The model is being written up in book form, with a target completion date in 2016. I am developing training materials to support professional and family carers of people with dementia, that address the causes and potential to alleviate the stress of being a carer in this context.
Language profiling: Supported by a £40,000 grant from Alzheimer’s BRACE, I am PI on a project exploring early linguistic markers of risk for future Alzheimer’s disease. The study participants are part of a parent project called PREVENT, funded by the Alzheimer’s Society (PI Prof Craig Ritchie, University of Edinburgh). The research builds on previous projects that examined and developed new approaches for analysing written or spoken language samples, to inform questions such as: the capacity for individual foreign language learners to adopt nativelike strategies (e.g. in relation to risk); assisting language examiners to differentiate the output of proficient learners from the (often identical) output of text memorisers; identifying measurable linguistic features (including pseudo-quantified qualitative features) for genetic profiling; the development of normative measures for the language of older people. Collaborators in this work included Dr Tess Fitzpatrick (Swansea) and geneticists at the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane.
Current and past funded projects
- 2015: £3000 from the ESRC Impact Accelerator fund. This project focusses on developing training materials to support those who care for people with dementia. These materials are the ‘impact’ dimension of my current research into ‘communicative impact’, which examines the unaccustomed pragmatic spaces that are created in conversations with a person with dementia.
- 2014-15: £40,000 grant from Alzheimer’s BRACE to look for early linguistic markers of future Alzheimer’s disease. Co-investigators and researchers: Dr Andreas Buerki, Prof Tess Fitzpatrick, Dr Michael Willett, Dr Katy Jones. Poster from the 2015 Brace Annual meeting
- 2014: £5000 from the Cardiff University College for Arts and Social Sciences Pilot project fund, to test the research instruments for the Alzheimer’s BRACE project. The pilot was conducted in collaboration with members of the Monmouth University of the Third Age
- 2010-14: £100,000 from the ESRC Researcher Development Initiative scheme, to develop training materials for enhancing expert thinking and problem solving in the social sciences. Co-I: Professor Mike Wallace, Cardiff University. Publications: 2014a, 2015a
- 2010-12: £303,000 from the Welsh Assembly Government. I was academic director of a project exploring how to improve the teaching of Welsh to adults. Collaborators were from the Cardiff Welsh for Adults Centre and School of Welsh and Oxford and Swansea Universities.
- 2010-11: £76,000 from the ESRC, for psycholinguistic phenotyping of lexical retrieval preferences through an analysis of word association behaviour. PI: Dr Tess Fitzpatrick, Swansea University. Researcher: Dr David Playfoot. In collaboration with genetic epidemiologists at the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane. This work compared teenage and >65 yr old twins, to identify patterns of difference in word retrieval. Publications so far: 2013f
- 2007-08: £100,000 from the AHRC to develop new analytic techniques for profiling language phenotypes in genetic research. Co-I: Dr Tess Fitzpatrick; researcher: Eugene Mollet. In collaboration with genetic epidemiologists at the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, Brisbane. This work entailed a multifaceted programme of profiles of written data by native speaker twins, in order to explore the relative roles of genetics and environment on patterns in linguistic performance. Publications: 2010c, 2011e
- 2006-07: £13,000 from IELTS to develop a practical approach to the accurate evaluation of linguistic knowledge when memorised material is reproduced in language tests. Co-I Dr Christine Pegg, Cardiff University and IELTS. Publications: 2009e
- 2002-03: £51,000 from the AHRB for research into how unintentional changes during the reproduction of memorised material indicate both the linguistic knowledge of language learners, and their attitude to risk. Project researcher: Tess Fitzpatrick. Publications: 2006e, 2008e, 2010b
- 1999-2000: £5,000 from the Nuffield Foundation for analysis of data from TALK, a conversation aid for people with cerebral palsy, based on formulaic language. Publications: 2002b, 2010b
- 1988-91: £61,000 from the Leverhulme Trust for practical and theoretical work on pronunciation in singing. Publications: 1988, 1989, 1990a, 1992b,c, 1995a,b, 1999a, 2000a, 2002e-g, 2003a,b.
Student support and capacity building
In 2002 I founded an informal association of researchers called the Formulaic Language Research Network (FLaRN), which now, as e-FLaRN, has more than 200 members. It is primarily aimed at PhD students but also has many members in academic posts. If you are interested in joining, please emailwraya@cf.ac.uk for information. Since 2004, FLaRN has had a biennial conference. The next conference is expected to be hosted by the Dept of English Philology, University of Vilnius, Lithuania, June 28-30th 2016.
I supervise PhD students on aspects of formulaic language in first and second language contexts, including language attrition. I am also a supervisor on the distance PhD programme in Applied Linguistics (Lexical Studies).
Current PhD students
- Mark Maby: Second language learners’ acquisition of polysemous words
- Paula Psyllakis: Formulaic language in Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Mike Green: The role of phonological patterns and etymology in the acquisition of formulaic sequences
- Stephen Cutler: The role of formulaic language in speech memorisation and production in L2 speakers of English
Past successful PhD students
- Helen Emery: Spelling in Arab learners of English. Awarded 2005
- Iain McGee: Formulaic Language and Second Language Learning/Teaching. Awarded 2006.
- Kazuhiko Namba: Bilingual children’s code-switching: a structural approach and formulaic language. Awarded May 2008.
- Yanling Su: Formulaic language acquisition and individual differences. Awarded December 2008.
- Amjad Saleem: Memorising in a language you don’t speak. Awarded 2015.
From time to time, workshops on formulaic language are organised under the auspices of the School’s Advanced Research Residencies scheme - a forum for PhD students and visiting scholars to discuss issues in their research.
In a separate strand of research and training, I have explored the nature of research expertise in the social sciences, particularly ‘thinking like an expert’. This work, with Mike Wallace as co-I, was supported by a three-year ESRC Researcher Development Initiative Award (see Wray & Wallace 2011 for an account of the principles). Mike and I are also co-authors of Critical Reading and Writing for Postgraduates and conduct workshops for PhD and early career researchers on this topic. In 2010 I gained two coaching qualifications and am now developing a brand of coaching suitable for the university research context.
In the past I have also researched historical pronunciation, reconstructing English and other languages for performances and recordings of early music. In this capacity I have advised on over 80 commercial CD recordings (including some international award winners), BBC broadcasts and major public concerts.
To date I have published more than 90 book chapters, journal papers and other articles in the linguistics and musical spheres. Most of them are listed under ‘publications’