Christian Ilbury

Lecturer and Co-Director of EDI

Biography

Background

I am Lecturer (Senior Lecturer, effective August 2025) in Sociolinguistics in LEL and Co-Director of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for the School of PPLS.  I am principally interested in exploring the social meaning of linguistic variation.

My primary research interest is the interrelation of digital culture and language variation and change. My work explores the relationship between people’s digital engagements and their linguistic practices.

In essence, I'm interested in topics such as "is there a TikTok accent?", "what is the function of <lol> in WhatsApp conversations?", and "does social media cause language change?". Most of my research has focussed on the digital and linguistic practices of young people and the LGBTQ+ community.

A secondary strand of my work explores topics related to language, globalisation, and social justice. I have published on the sociolinguistic dynamics of gentrification, standard language ideology and youth language, and the impact of accent bias on perceptions of professional competence.

Since January 2022, I have been working on a project which addresses linguistic discrimination and accent bias in higher education, focusing on experiences of WP and state-school educated students at the University of Edinburgh. Together with the 93% Club (a state school educated student society), we have developed training that addresses these issues. Please contact me directly if you would like us to provide training for your school/department. 

Prior to my appointment to Lecturer in 2022, I held teaching and research positions at Queen Mary University of London, the University of Sussex, the University of York, Newcastle University, the University of Suffolk, and Regents University London.

CV

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Qualifications

PhD Linguistics, Queen Mary University of London

MA Linguistics, Queen Mary University of London

BA Linguistics, the University of Sussex

Responsibilities & affiliations

Internal

  • Co-director for Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI; with Suilin Lavelle)
  • Department Lead for Equality, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI)
  • Recruitment and Outreach Co-ordinator
  • Cohort Lead for all 4th year degrees owned by LEL  
  • Ethics Committee member for LEL 

External 

  • Advisory Board Member for 'Countering accent discrimination practices in education' (CIRCE)
  • Member of ESRC Peer Review College 
  • Visiting Research Fellow, the University of Suffolk

Former 

  • School Lead for the Centre for Data, Culture and Society (2022-24) 
  • Research Associate, Speaking Citizens (2021-23)
  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Accent Bias Britain (2019-2020)

Undergraduate teaching

In 2024-25, I am teaching on the following courses:

LASC08023: Linguistics and English Language 1B (Pre-Hons)

LASC10002: Sociolinguistics (Organiser, Hons)

LASC10085: Dialects of English in Britain and Ireland (Hons)

LASC10112: Guided Research - The Sociolinguistics of Digital Communication (Organiser, Hons)

LASC10102: Language Variation and Change (Hons) is not running this year. 

 

Teaching awards: 

  • Winner: Outstanding Course for 'Sociolinguistics' (CAHSS, 2024-25) 

Postgraduate teaching

During 2024-245, I am teaching on the following courses:

LASC11180: Sociolinguistics (Organiser)

LASC10117: Guided Research - The Sociolinguistics of Digital Communication (Organiser)

LASC11178: Introduction to Multimodality (Lecturer) 

LASC11117: Dialects of English in Britain and Ireland (Hons)

LASC11141: Language Variation and Change is not running this year. 

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I am happy to receive applications for PhD supervision on a number of sociolinguistic topics including: Language + technology, ethnography, language variation & change (particularly youth language), queerness+language, language and social justice, and Language-social-class-ethnicity. I particularly welcome proposals from minoritized students and those who are first-gen/state school educated.

Please note, I do not supervise projects on EFL/ESL/TEFL/TESOL. 

Current PhD students supervised

  • Shutong Han: Stylisation and identity construction: The use of Sajiao among Chinese gay men in online and offline contexts  (PPLS funded, first supervisor, with Sumin Zhao & Lauren Hall Lew)
  • Ashley Xing: Linguistic Landscapes of sexuality and national identity: The Chinese LGBTQ+ community at pride in the UK (first supervisor, with Guy Puzey)
  • Ryan Shaw-Hawkins: Gendered speech production beyond the binary: A socio-articulatory study of laterals in Non-Binary speakers (SSGSS funded - with Jane Stuart-Smith, Glasgow & James Scobbie, QMU)

Past PhD students supervised

  • Tiffany Pang: A corpus-assisted critical discourse study of the discourses of Princess Syndrome in Taiwanese online tabloids and online forum discussions (2nd supervisor with Sumin Zhao, degree awarded 2025)
  • Bonnie Liu: A multimodal discourse analysis of gender and professional identity in science and English teaching YouTube channels in Taiwan (2nd supervisor with Sumin Zhao, 2022-2024)
  • Ashley Xing (MScR): Diasporic change and the linguistic landscape: A comparative study in Edinburgh's Chinese restaurants (degree awarded 2023)
  • Angel Garmpi (MScR): Doing and undoing transition, “doing” and “undoing” gender: Exploring Detransitioner identity on online forums (degree awarded 2023)

 

Visiting Students

  • Yao Wang: Infantile style in Chinese digital discourse: The political power of cuteness (Visiting student 2025, National University of Singapore)
  • Sun Hongfei: “This is their story to tell”: How prevalent discourses shape and influence media and youth user practices (Visiting student 2024, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
  • Natalia Mendez Silveosa: Dubbing lexical patterns from African American Women’s Language into Spanish (Visiting student 2022, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, degree awarded 2025)

Research summary

Sociolinguistics ∙ sociolinguistic variation ∙ ethnography ∙ digital communication ∙ linguistic appropriation ∙ gentrification ∙ ‘youth’ language ∙ accent bias ∙ language-gender-sexuality ∙ Digital Culture ∙ social media ∙ language and media ∙ affordances and constraints ∙ society and technology ∙ youth online ∙

In the press

[selected]

  • 2025, May, BBC Radio: Word of Mouth, The end of the full stop? 

  • 2025, April, STV News, Accent bias training at the University of Edinburgh

  • 2025, April, BBC Radio Ulster, Edinburgh university & accent bias

  • 2025, April, BBC Radio Scotland, Have you experienced bias because the way you speak?

  • 2025, April, the Sunday Times, Edinburgh University lecturers trained on accent bias [front page] 

  • 2025, April, The Telegraph, Edinburgh University lecturers given accent bias training

  • 2025, April, News Talk, Do we need to do more to tackle accent discrimination?

  • 2025, April, Times Radio, accent bias

  • 2025, April, LBC Radio, accent bias

  • 2025, April, the Guardian, Is my Scottish accent really the problem – or is it just your English ears?
  • 2025, March, the Times, March, Edinburgh University tackles accent bias amid claims of snobbery
  • 2025, March, PPLS Perspectives Podcast, How is Social Media Shaping Language?
  • 2024, December, Teachers Talk Radio, How should we speak? Accent bias and linguistic discrimination
  • 2024, November, the Times, Edinburgh University issues warning telling students not to be snobs
  • 2024, October, the Economist, TikTok is changing how Gen Z speaks
  • 2024, August, the Dispatch, The Birmaissance: Is the Brum accent finally getting the respect it deserves?
  • 2024, August, BBC Radio 4, Anti-Social: Language and accent bias
  • 2024, August, Dubai Eye 103.8 FM, TikTok Slang
  • 2024, April, Lexis Podcast, Episode 55: Online language
  • 2024, April, BBC Morning Live, Accent bias and linguistic discrimination 
  • 2024, April, The Guardian, Bait, ting, certi: how UK rap changed the language of the nation
  • 2024, Jan Fox News, ‘TikTalk?’ Language expert explains the new accent people are noticing their favorite influencers speaking
  • 2024, Jan BBC Futures, How TikTok created a new accent – and why it might be the future of English
  • 2024, Jan Pedestrian TV, Australia, We Asked A Linguist To Explain What Is Going On With Those ‘Slay The Cuntocracy’ Tweets
  • 2023, Dec The Conversation, They’re serving what?! How the c-word went from camp to mainstream
  • 2023, Nov BBC Today Radio 4, ‘Rizz’ is named Oxford ‘Word of the Year’
  • 2023, Aug Dazed Magazine, Why does everyone on TikTok talk like that?
  • 2023, July Times Higher Education, Researchers welcome easier access to TikTok data ‘goldmine’
  • 2023, July Canvas8, Fank yew, luv! The science of hun culture
  • 2023, April Vice Magazine, Why Does Everyone on TikTok Use the Same Weird Voice?
  • 2022, Oct BBC News radio, Accent Bias and discrimination
  • 2020, Feb Language Matters Podcast, Accent bias and discrimination
  • 2020, Feb Catch yerself on Podcast, How does accent affect your future?
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