Staff Profile
Dr Daniel Edmondson
Lecturer, Applied Linguistics
I am currently working as a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics within the School of Education, Language, and Psychology at York St John University. I completed a BA(Hons) in English Language from the University of Leeds in 2015 (for which I was awarded the Sir Richard Graham prize), followed by an MA (with Distinction) and a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Nottingham in 2017 and 2021 respectively. Before joining York St John, I worked as a Teaching Fellow at the University of Salford, where I taught syntax, morphology, and psycholinguistics. During my PhD, I also taught on the first year undergraduate linguistics module at the University of Nottingham.
- School – School of Education, Language and Psychology
- Email – d.edmondson@yorksj.ac.uk
Teaching
I am currently teaching Language and Linguistics modules at all undergraduate levels, covering topics in English grammar and phonology, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics. I am also responsible for supervising both undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations, particularly those aligned with my research and teaching interests as listed on this profile.
Courses taught on:
BA (Hons) BSL Deaf Studies and Linguistics
BA (Hons) English Language and Linguistics
BA (Hons) English Language Linguistics and TESOL
BA (Hons) Japanese, Intercultural Communication and Linguistics
BA (Hons) Japanese, TESOL and Linguistics
BA (Hons) Korean, Intercultural Communication and Linguistics
BA (Hons) Korean, TESOL and Linguistics
Modules Taught On:
Semester One:
* Introduction to Language and Linguistics
* Second Language Grammar and Phonology
* Language, Gender, and Sexuality
Semester Two (Provisional):
* Descriptive Grammar of English
* Psycholinguistics
* Multilingualism
* Sociolinguistics
* Undergraduate and Masters Dissertations
Research
My doctoral research investigated the impact of 'linguistic reclamation' - non-derogatory uses, by members of marginalised communities, of the slurs used by more powerful groups to target them - on the cognitive processing of slur words. This research focused particularly on slurs targeting the LGBTQ+ community, as a community to which I belong, and one with a wide range of British English slurs subject to varying degrees of reclamation. As a piece of interdisciplinary research, it drew on a range of sociolinguistic and sociological theory (post-structuralism, performativity, indexicality, social identity theory) and integrated these with psycholinguistic theory and methods: the impact of emotional arousal on language processing, taboo language processing, approach-avoidance motivation, online surveys, lexical decision tasks, recall tests, and eye-tracking experiments.
I am currently engaged in outputting the findings of this research (please see my publication history), which provides new evidence about the unconscious, emotional effects of linguistic reclamation; introduces the issue of reclamation to the literature on taboo language processing; and contributes evidence to broader social debates and language policy decisions surrounding the reclamation of slurs. In addition to speaking at academic conferences (please see my conference history), I have given talks on these topics to reputable organisations such as the British Association of Applied Linguistics and Springer Nature, as well as at public-facing events including Pint of Science UK and Pride in STEM. I have also acted as a consultant academic expert for an article published by VICE UK on bisexual people's reclamation of homophobic slurs.
Publications and conferences
Journal Articles
Edmondson, D. (2021). ‘Word Norms and Measures of Linguistic Reclamation for LGBTQ+ Slurs’. Pragmatics & Cognition, 28(1), 193-221. doi: 10.1075/pc.00023.edm.
Book Reviews
Edmondson, D. (2021). Jim O'Driscoll, Offensive language: Taboo, offence and social control. London: Bloomsbury, 2020. Pp. 205. Hb. £85.50. Language in Society, 50(4), 631-632. doi: 10.1017/S0047404521000464.
Conferences
September 2022, ‘(Un)conscious Responses to Colourful Language: Effects of Identity and Linguistic Reclamation on the Cognitive Processing of LGBTQ+ Slurs’, BAAL Conference 2022. Belfast, UK.
July 2022, ‘Unconscious Reactions to Colourful Language: The Impact of Identity and Linguistic Reclamation on the Cognitive Processing of LGBTQ+ Slurs’. 5th Seminar of the British Association of Applied Linguistics Language, Gender, and Sexuality Special Interest Group. Online.
May 2021, ‘Taking Language Back: The Impact of Linguistic Reclamation on Taboo Language Processing’. Psycholinguistics in Flanders. Kaiserslautern, Germany (to be held online).
November 2019, ‘Taking Language Back: The Impact of Linguistic Reclamation on Taboo Language Processing’. The 26th LIPP Symposium: “Sex, Death and Politics – Taboos in Language”. Munich, Germany.
May 2019, ‘Taking Language Back: The Impact of Linguistic Reclamation on Taboo Language Processing’. Lavender Languages 26. Gothenburg, Sweden.
April 2019, ‘Bridging the Gap Between Psycholinguistics and Sociolinguistics’. Bridging the Gap Between Psychology and the Social Sciences (ESRC), Nottingham, UK
Professional activities
In addition to my teaching and research responsibilities, I am currently helping to organise the Language & Linguistics Colloquium Series offered by the department.
