Overview
I am a first year PhD student in ENCAP specialising in English historical linguistics. In particular, I am studying the language of a set of Latin texts, namely the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Rushworth Gospels and the Durham Ritual, to which Old English glosses were added during the 10th century. These texts are the major representatives of the Northumbrian dialect of Old English, a variety which, until recently, has been understudied.
I completed a BA in English Language and Literature at the University of Westminster in 2016, a degree I chose because, having fallen in love with Shakespeare during my adolescence, I wanted to devote my life to Shakespearean studies. However, I discovered the field of Historical Linguistics during my second year and became fascinated by it. So much so that I chose to especialise in this field instead. This led me to the University of Cambridge, where I completed an MPhil in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics (MML Faculty) in 2017, and where I started researching the glosses to the Lindisfarne Gospels.
Research
Research interests
My research interests lay mainly in the field of (English) Historical Linguistics. Other fields I am also highly interested in include Medieval and Renaissance literature, in particular the works of Shakespeare.
Thesis
Verbal Morphology Simplification in the late Northumbrian dialect: the case of weak verbs class II
My PhD project is concerned with the morphological simplification of verbs in the late Northumbrian dialect of Old English. In particular, my project will provide an in-depth analysis of the development of a particular class of verbs in Old English known as weak verbs class II. Weak verbs class II were characterised by having an -i- between their root and inflectional endings, an element known as -i- formative. Note for instance Old English lufian, Present-Day-English 'to love'. In order to carry out my research, I will examine the 10th c. late Old Northumbrian glosses added to a series of Latin texts, namely the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Rushworth Gospels and the Durham Ritual.
I am being supervised by Dr. Sara Pons-Sanz (Cardiff University) and Prof. Ad Putter (University of Bristol).
Finally, my PhD project is kindly funded by the AHRC through the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership.
Funding source
South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (SWW DTP - AHRC)
