Text and interaction
Within the research profile Text and Interaction, we study the linguistics forms of social interaction and meaning making.
Many of the researchers study the different roles that texts and conversations can play in education and public administration, as well as in other professional or vocational fields. Some of the questions they ask include: How do school pupils write—what influences the way their texts turn out, and how can we support them in developing their writing? How do municipalities design their information in order to reach their audiences? How are conversations conducted within institutions and in everyday life? How are phenomena such as inequality and segregation manifested, reinforced, and challenged in texts?
The field brings together researchers from many different scholarly traditions: conversation analysis, interaction analysis, corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, rhetoric, stylistics, social semiotics, linguistic landscapes, sociolinguistics, cognitive and ethnographic writing research, translation studies, and more. What unites them is an interest in the relationship between language and the context in which it is used. Why does speaking, writing, and reading take a particular form in a particular setting? How can research help us understand the potential of language in different domains of activity?
Taken together, the research within this profile area contributes to expanding our knowledge of how texts and conversations are shaped and transformed by the activities and contexts in which they occur. But also the reverse—how language contributes to shaping social contexts.
A shared forum for discussion is the seminar series Text and Interaction, which includes work-in-progress seminars, data sessions, and seminars with invited guests. Please check the calendar to see what’s on right now.
Several of the educational programmes offered by the Department of Swedish, Multilingualism, and Language Technology are closely connected to the research within this profile area—for example the Language Consultancy Programme and Teacher Education—as well as standalone courses such as Writing and Language and Power.
Are you interested in collaborating with us? We are happy to engage in applied research on language, text, and interaction in various professional fields. We can contribute our expertise for investigations or evaluations, and we also offer commissioned training.
Seminar
We regularly meet for seminars and discussions, Fridays 10–12 am. The seminar language is usually Swedish, but guests are welcome to give talks in English.
Ongoing projects
Kommer skrivandet någonsin att bli detsamma? Om AI, skrivprocesser och skriftpraktiker i högstadiet
How does AI affect the way students write in school? In this project, we examine how AI-based language tools are changing our understanding of writing, how they are used by students and teachers, and how the technology is transforming writing processes and writing instruction in compulsory school.
Runstenarnas språkliga landskap
Why were Viking Age runestones erected in the places where they were raised? How is the interpretation of the inscription affected by whether the stone stands at a property boundary, a road, or a burial field? Linguists and archaeologists investigate this in this interdisciplinary project.