Professor Gerard O'Grady
Professor
School of English, Communication and Philosophy
- ogradygn@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 2087 4903
- 3.59, John Percival Building, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
- Media commentator
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am a member of the Centre for Language and Communication Research.
Biography
I come from an SFL tradition and work mostly with spoken data in order to examine how the interplay of lexico-grammatical features and prosody signals textual and interpersonal meaning.
With Tom Bartlett (Cardiff) and Rebekah Wegener (Aachen) I edit the book series Key topics in SFL
https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/key-concepts-in-systemic-functional-linguistics/
I am on the editorial board of the journal Functions of Language
Publications
2022
- O'Grady, G. 2022. Review of Gussenhoven & Chen (2020): The Oxford handbook of language prosody [Book Review]. Functions of Language 29(2), pp. 237-246. (10.1075/fol.00035.gra)
- O'Grady, G. 2022. A metafunctional analysis of two televised U.K. political interviews with Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer. In: Feldman, O. ed. Adversarial Political Interviewing: Worldwide Perspectives During Polarized Times'. Springer, pp. 149-170., (10.1007/978-981-19-0576-6)
2021
- Kimps, D. and O'Grady, G. 2021. Overlapping reactions during tag questions. Word (10.1080/00437956.2021.2003539)
- O'Grady, G. 2021. Intonation and exchange: A dynamic and metafunctional view. Lingua 261, article number: 102794. (10.1016/j.lingua.2020.102794)
- Bourgoin, C., O'Grady, G. and Davidse, K. 2021. Managing information flow through prosody in it-clefts. English Language and Linguistics 25(3), pp. 485-511. (10.1017/S1360674321000216)
2020
- O'Grady, G. 2020. Is there a role for prosody within register studies? And if so what and how?. Language Context and Text 2(1), pp. 59-92.
2019
- Bartlett, T. and O'Grady, G. 2019. Language characterology and textual dynamics: a crosslinguistic exploration in English and Scottish Gaelic. Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 51(2), pp. 124-159. (10.1080/03740463.2019.1650607)
- O'Grady, G. 2019. SFL and critical discourse analysis. In: Schonthal, D. et al. eds. The Cambridge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 462-484.
- Kimps, D., Davidse, K. and O'Grady, G. 2019. English tag questions eliciting knowledge or action: a comparison of the speech function and exchange structure models. Functions of Language 26(1), pp. 86-111. (10.1075/fol.18019.kim)
- Walker, L. et al. 2019. Supporting evidence-informed policy and scrutiny: a consultation of UK research professionals. PLoS ONE 14(3), article number: e0214136. (10.1371/journal.pone.0214136)
- O'Grady, G. and Bartlett, T. 2019. Linearity and Tone in the unfolding of information. Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 51(2), pp. 192-221. (10.1080/03740463.2019.1668621)
2018
- Van Praet, W. and O'Grady, G. 2018. The prosody of specification: Discourse intonational cues to setting up a variable. Journal of Pragmatics 135, pp. 85-100. (10.1016/j.pragma.2018.07.013)
2017
- Lawrence, N. S., Chambers, J., Morrison, S. M., Bestman, S., O'Grady, G. N., Chambers, C. D. and Kythreotis, A. P. 2017. The Evidence Information Service as a new platform for supporting evidence-based policy: a consultation of UK parliamentarians. Evidence & Policy 13(2), pp. 275-316. (10.1332/174426416X14643531912169)
- O'Grady, G. 2017. Theme and prosody: redundancy or meaning making?. English Text Construction 10(2), pp. 274-297. (10.1075/etc.10.2.05ogr)
- O'Grady, G. N. and Bartlett, T. A. M. 2017. Looking ahead: SFL in the 21st Century.. In: Bartlett, T. A. M. and O'Grady, G. N. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Routledge Handbooks in Linguistics London and New York: Routledge
- Bartlett, T. and O'Grady, G. eds. 2017. The Routledge handbook of systemic functional linguistics. Routledge Handbooks in Linguistics. Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
- O'Grady, G. 2017. 'I think' in televised political debate. International Review of Pragmatics 9(2), pp. 269-303. (10.1163/18773109-00901006)
- O'Grady, G. N. 2017. Intonation and SFL: the way forward.. In: Bartlett, T. A. M. and O'Grady, G. N. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Routledge Handbooks in Linguistics London and New York: Routledge
- Bartlett, T. A. M. and O'Grady, G. N. 2017. Introduction: reading SFL.. In: Bartlett, T. A. M. and O'Grady, G. N. eds. The Routledge Handbook of Systemic Functional Linguistics. Routledge Handbooks in Linguistics London and New York: Routledge
2016
- O'Grady, G. 2016. Given/New: what do the terms refer to? A first (small) step. English Text Construction 9(1), pp. 9-32. (10.1075/etc.9.1.02ogr)
2014
- O'Grady, G. 2014. An investigation of how intonation helps signal information structure. In: Bowcher, W. L. and Smith, B. A. eds. Systemic Phonology: Recent Studies in English. Functional Linguistics Sheffield: Equinox Publishing, pp. 27-52.
- O'Grady, G. N. 2014. The use of key in projecting face threatening acts in televised political debate. Text and Talk 34(6), pp. 685-711. (10.1515/text-2014-0025)
2013
- Fontaine, L. M., Bartlett, T. A. M. and O'Grady, G. N. eds. 2013. Systemic functional linguistics: Exploring choice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- O'Grady, G. N., Bartlett, T. A. M. and Fontaine, L. M. eds. 2013. Choice in language: Applications in text analysis. Functional Linguistics. London and Oakville: Equinox.
- O'Grady, G. N. 2013. Choices in Tony’s Talk: Phonological paragraphing, information unit nexuses and the presentation of tone units. In: O'Grady, G. N., Bartlett, T. A. M. and Fontaine, L. M. eds. Choice in Language: Applications in Text Analysis. Functional Linguistics Sheffield: Equinox Publishing, pp. 125-157.
- O'Grady, G. N. 2013. Key concepts in phonetics and phonology. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- O'Grady, G. N. 2013. Introduction: choice in language. In: O'Grady, G. N., Bartlett, T. A. M. and Fontaine, L. M. eds. Choice in Language Applications in Text Analysis. London: Equinox Publishing, pp. 1-28.
2011
- O'Grady, G. N. 2011. The unfolded imagining of Ségolène Royal. Journal of Pragmatics 43(10), pp. 2489-2500. (10.1016/j.pragma.2011.02.007)
- O'Grady, G. N. 2011. A review of 'Culture and gender of voice pitch: a sociophonetic comparison of the Japanese and the Americans' by Ikuko Patricia Yuasa [Book Review]. Journal of Sociolinguistics 15(4), pp. 548-550.
2010
- O'Grady, G. N. 2010. A grammar of spoken English discourse: The intonation of increments. Bloomsbury Studies in Theoretical Linguistics. London: Continuum.
- O'Grady, G. N. 2010. D. Robert Ladd. 2008. Intonational phonology [Book Review]. Functions of Language 17(2), pp. 272- 294. (10.1075/fol.17.2.08ogr)
2009
- O'Grady, G. N. 2009. A comparative case study of the construal of the persona of three accused of being the 'worst of the worst'. Critical approaches to Discourse Analysis across Disciplines 3(1), pp. 58-79.
2007
- O'Grady, G. N. 2007. Facets of a female politician: representations of Ségolène Royal, French presidential candidate, in British broadsheet newspapers. Discussion Paper. Cardiff University: Cardiff Humanities Research Institute. Available at: http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/chri/researchpapers/humanities/papers1-10/Paper2.html
2005
- O'Grady, G. N. 2005. The intertwining of lexis, grammar and context. Journal of Research and Culture, pp. 25-49.
2004
- O'Grady, G. N. 2004. The importance of engaged reading. Journal of Research and Culture, pp. 33-63.
2003
- O'Grady, G. N. 2003. Discourse Intonation and read aloud text: How intonation helps hearers contextualise unfamiliar monologue. Journal of Research and Culture, pp. 55-74.
Teaching
I currently teach or teach on the postgraduate module Phonetics and Phonology, 2 undergraduate phonetics/phonology modules Sound in Action and Sounds of Speech and the year 2 foundational grammar module Sound Structure and Meaning.
Research interests
My chief research interests are:
- exploring the communicative functions of intonation: notably how intonation is used in conjunction with syntactic cues to help segment the speech signal into semantic units analogous to the orthographic units of clause, sentence and paragraph, and how tonality and tonicity choices project information as given or new;
- examining the concept of dynamism in language as it unfolds both synchronically and diachronically;
- describing how affect and emotion are realised linguistically; and
- developing a model of language as a stratified bio-social semiotic.
I am currently working with colleagues at KU Leuven on the interplay between intonation and syntax in the projection of information structure in clefts and writing a co-authored monograph called "The Language Dynamic".
Funding obtained
Full funding £6133 has been obtained from the journal Language Learning to host a multi-institution Round Table "New Theoretical Perspectives above below and across the clause" on September 4 and 5 2014 at Cardiff University. The papers were published in English Text Construction.
With Professor Kristin Davidse I received 400000 Euros for the project: Putting specificational there-clefts on the map: a data-based investigation of their grammar, semantics, prosody and pragmatics from the FWO.
Supervision
- Systemic Phonology
- Spoken Information Structure
- Communicative Dynamism
- Intonation
- Textual and Interpersonal Grammars
- Critical investigations of media texts (spoken and written)
- The semiotics of sound
- The realisation of emotion/affect linguisitically
Past projects
I currenty supervise or cosupervise 7 PhD students.
- Zeen Suad Nafie Al-Rasheed - The negative and positive evaluative language: A comparative study on British news reports of ISIS conflicts in Iraq and Syria using Appraisal Theory.
- Matthew Coombes (P/T) - LINGUISTIC AESTHETICS OF CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE
- Mashael Mohammedali A Assaadi - ON-LEXICAL SOUNDS IN HIJAZI ARABIC: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS STUDY
- Xin Dai (50%) with Dr Chris Heffer (Cardiff) - A COMPARISON BETWEEN CHINESE AND ENGLISH WRITTEN JUDGMENTS: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF COHESIVE LEXICAL CHAINS AND THEIR TRANSIVITY FEATURES
- Paul Kelly (ESRC P/T) - A corpus-based critical discourse analysis of Conservative Party rhetoric with regards to the civic society
- Nadia Elias - Investigating the Role of Intonation in Achieving Coherence in English Discourse
- Ngum Njende (50%) with Prof Kristin Davidse KU Leuven - Putting specificational there-clefts on the map: a data-based investigation of their grammar, semantics, prosody and pragmatics’
I am an experienced PhD examiner and chair.