Language and Culture (SoK) was created as a research environment with three pillars: language, literature and culture. It was intended to serve as a bridge across all language subjects at Linköping University. The year was 1999; Nigel Musk was working as a lecturer at LiU, and when he saw the advertisement for PhD positions, a long-dormant spark was reignited.
“I was one of the first doctoral students admitted when the research environment was established. I saw the PhD programme as an opportunity to leave a role with mostly teaching, for a position where I could revive something I had missed – researching language and multilingualism.”
Originally from London, Nigel Musk has always had a strong interest in languages. He studied French, German and Latin at school, and in his spare time he taught himself Scandinavian languages. At the age of 17, he received a scholarship and travelled to Scandinavia.
A research environment that keeps growing
The original research group at SoK consisted around ten people; today, there are about 25. They are a well-established and tightly-knit environment that also permeates undergraduate education. Many of the PhD graduates have remained at LiU to continue researching and teaching.
“It takes time to build up an organisation, but I would say we have a wonderful sense of community, even though it now spans two divisions where both language and literary research are conducted. Promoting cohesion and participation is one of my goals as head of the research environment. This is also a legacy I am proud to uphold after SoK’s first director, Jan Anward.”
Nigel Musk mentions their annual retreat as the highlight of the year – an important event that strengthens the group. In addition to discussing current and future research, they also take the opportunity to do something cultural together. For several years, Professor Jan Paul Strid led cultural-historical tours. His research focused on topolinguistics (how language interacts with the landscape). He was exceptionally skilled at interpreting runestones and their inscriptions, as well as explaining the history behind place names and why they are called what they are.
Language, interaction and technology
Language research within SoK focuses on how language is used in different social and societal contexts. A key area is spoken and embodied interaction.
“Our interaction research at LiU is well known throughout Sweden and internationally. That’s why many researchers from other universities and countries want to come and collaborate with us.”
Recently, SoK has been particularly successful in securing research funding to study interaction in various contexts, including new technology and AI – for example, human–robot interaction such as with autonomous vehicles.
Digital tools and AI are also increasingly present in education and communication, which Nigel Musk has investigated.
“I can see a growing interest in how AI can be used in language teaching. In my research, I have examined how digital tools such as Google Translate are used in classrooms. It is important to highlight the opportunities and challenges posed by the digital tools that are now so widely used.”
Bridges between language, culture and literature
SoK also conducts a broad range of literary research encompassing multiple perspectives and approaches. It spans both contemporary and older literary works and includes diverse language areas, genres and themes.
Nigel Musk emphasises the need to create better conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration – he wants to build bridges between the environment’s disciplines.
“In LiRE25 we were criticised for a lack of interdisciplinary research between language and literary studies. We take this criticism seriously – we don’t want to be split up. That’s why we are now investing in thematic research clusters that cross boundaries and deepen our collaboration. This was clearly stated in our latest PhD recruitment call, and I am overwhelmed by the response. I look forward to an exciting new research year.”
Nigel Musk’s advice to future researchers is clear:
“Be curious and open to collaboration. That way, we can discover interesting synergies and allow new and exciting lines of research to emerge dynamically.”
(Read about LiRE25 in the news article "Strengths and challenges in research revealed".)
