Our staff
Dr Chris Christie
Tel: +44 01509 222954
Role: Lecturer in English
Email: C.Christie@lboro.ac.uk
Room NN.1.29, Martin Hall Building, East Park
Publications
Teaching
My teaching focuses on the analysis of language, and is always informed by my research interests. I co-ordinate and teach on two first year modules: the compulsory module 'An Introduction to Language', and the optional module 'Language in Context'. I also run two second year modules: 'Introduction to Linguistics' and 'Language in Society'; and I supervise undergraduate dissertations that focus on language or linguistics. My MA modules are primarily concerned with the analysis of language in use.
Research
My research focuses mainly on the linguistic and pragmatic generation of meaning. I am particularly interested in the way that our ability to communicate relates to the cultural and situational knowledges that we, as language users, draw on when we interact, including our assumptions about different aspects of our own and our interlocutors' social identity. My past work in this field has focused mainly on pragmatic approaches to gender and language-use, and my publications include the monograph Gender and Language: Towards a Feminist Pragmatics. I have also published a number of essays in journals and edited collections that have applied pragmatic frameworks, including politeness theory and relevance theory, as well as discourse analysis in the investigation of linguistic and pragmatic meaning across a range of cultural discourses in television programmes, newspaper articles, literary texts and parliamentary debate. My current research centres on pragmatic approaches to politeness phenomena. My forthcoming book, Politeness: Theories and Applications, will be published by Edinburgh University Press.
I am an organising member of the Linguistic Politeness Research Group. In collaboration with the group I have been, and continue to be, involved in the organization of a number of international conferences, and other activities that promote scholarship in politeness across cultures and languages. We have two recent conferences: Hungary 2008 and Australia 2009. In 2005 the group launched The Journal of Politeness Research, of which I am editor-in-chief.
I am currently supervising five international PhD students (from Russia, China, Syria and Hungary) who have a range of research interests, including computer mediated communication, politeness in cross cultural communication, culture specific communication styles and culture specific manifestations of power and gender in language-use.