Leiden University Centre for Linguistics
Research
Research at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL) focuses on linguistic variation and diversity. In order to create more awareness and scientific understanding of this topic, research activities are clustered around six (overlapping) umbrella programmes. Many of our researchers are active in more than one programme:
Theoretical Linguistics
Studying the underlying principles of the nature of language.
Experimental Linguistics
At LUCL, researchers study language and speech processing using various experimental methods.
Descriptive Linguistics
Documenting and describing languages of the world.
Historical and Comparative Linguistics
The study of language in change.
Sociolinguistics and Discourse Studies
At LUCL, this field includes Argumentation and rhetoric, Interactional sociolinguistics, Language policy and planning, Language use in historical context, and Pragmatics.
Applied Linguistics
At LUCL, this broad linguistics field includes forensic linguistics, second language acquisition, journalism and new media, and translation studies.