At the Department of English, we engage with English as the language of globalisation, the native language for almost 400 million people, and the language of communication for many more. English at Aarhus University is one of the largest and most international departments within the Faculty of Arts, with researchers and lecturers from the UK, the USA, Canada, Ireland, India, the Czech Republic, Germany, Tanzania and, of course, Denmark. The research covers four broad disciplines - linguistics, literature, social/historical/media studies, and international business communication - and regions in which English is the primary language - the British Isles, the United States and the English-speaking post-colonial world, as well as English as the global language of international business communication.
The linguistic research ranges over language acquisition, multilingualism, comparative and theoretical phonetics and phonology, comparative and theoretical morphology and syntax, language variation and change, language comprehension, and how language is processed in the brain. Research in literature is concerned with a wide range of authors, from Shakespeare, through Austen and Dickens, to living writers such as Thomas Pynchon and Amitav Ghosh, as well as with theoretical approaches to literature such as new historicism, eco-criticism, gender studies, and the relations between literature and moral philosophy. Research in social/historical/media studies examines topics such as migration, hybridity and identity, culture and technology, ethnic conflict and nationalism, memory policy, cultural heritage and tourism, social media, film, and popular and folk music history. Research in international business communication ranges over theories and methods of strategic corporate communication, knowledge communication, lexicography, translation and intercultural communication needed to manage English professional communication in Danish and international companies and organisations with particular focus on business-related topics concerning the English language, business communication and the business environment.
