August 2015
Dear new student,
Many congratulations on your exam results and on winning a place to study English Language at the
University of Sussex. We sincerely hope you enjoy your university experience and we’re looking
forward to meeting you and getting started! We’ll be getting to know one another in Freshers’ week,
when we and other members of the University’s staff will be helping you settle in and find your way
around. At the same time we’ll be talking to you about the modules you’ll be doing and the books you
need to start reading. We’re always available if you have any questions, so please ask about anything
you’re not sure of.
If you’d like to do some reading over the next few weeks, we can recommend any of the following
books, Nunan provides an accessible introduction, while Crystal and Pinker look at more specific
aspects of language.
Crystal, C. (2004) The Stories of English. Penguin.
Nunan, D. (2012). What is this thing called language? (2nd edition). Palgrave Macmillan
Pinker, S. (2001) Words and rules: the ingredients of language. Harper Perennial.
We highly recommend the following, which gives an excellent overview of the field of English
Language, and you will be able to use it for pre-reading for several of your modules:
Culpeper, J. et al. (Eds.) (2009). English Language: Description, Variation and Context. Palgrave
Macmillan.
The following textbook is required in the Autumn term, so before you arrive you may want to
investigate whether second-hand copies are available online:
Howard Jackson and Etienne Zé Amvela (2007) Words, Meaning and Vocabulary: An Introduction
to Modern English Lexicology, 2nd edition. Continuum.
We’d also like to recommend a number of language-related blogs. Keeping abreast of language
developments in the media is a great way to prepare for the discussions you'll be having in and out
of the classroom.
 Linguistics Research Digest writes about new research articles in an accessible
way:http://linguistics-research-digest.blogspot.co.uk/
 The Guardian and The Economist both have blogs that reflect on language and the media:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/mind-your-language
 Various dictionaries have interesting sites/blogs, including Macmillan and Oxford:
http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/
 And finally, do have a look at our very own Lynne Murphy’s blog about British versus American
English:
http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/
Once again, we very much look forward to meeting you and working with you. Meanwhile, enjoy your
success and the rest of the summer.
With very best wishes,
Charlotte Taylor, Director of English Language
Dr Charlotte Taylor
English Language
School of English
Arts B245
University of Sussex, Brighton
BN1 9QN United Kingdom
charlotte.taylor@sussex.ac.uk
www.sussex.ac.uk