I’m a public-facing academic linguist and author based in Manchester, UK, fascinated by the ways our voices shape who we are. As Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, I explore the powerful relationship between spoken language and identity, while also supporting research across the faculty as Research Environment Lead for English Language and Literature.

Beyond academia, I work closely with the media and schools to share insights about language with wider audiences, and I was a member of the recent Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England. My latest book, You’re All Talk: Why We Are What We Speak (Scribe, 2023), takes readers inside the stories our voices tell. The paperback edition came out in April 2025.

Since 2019, I’ve been leading Manchester Voices, a major project exploring the accents, dialects, and identities of people across Greater Manchester. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the project has uncovered the rich diversity of the region’s voices and how they connect to local identity. A book about the project will be published by Cambridge University Press next year.

Alongside this, I co-run the Accentism Project with Dr Amanda Cole (University of Cambridge), where we highlight and challenge stories of language-based discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping.

Before these projects, much of my work focused on youth language in alternative education settings. Together with Dr Susan Dray, I led the UrBEn-ID project (2014–2016, funded by The Leverhulme Trust), which gave a voice to young people in Pupil Referral Units and explored how language helps them navigate identity.