Re:cognise

Language and dialect play a vital role in building our sense of self, belonging and ultimately our identity.

Research at NTU is deepening our knowledge of speech, re-evaluating how it is understood and reimagining how it can be used.

This spans many projects, such as examining how accents can more accurately be used to recognise and identify individuals. This work can improve the quality and accuracy of earwitness line-ups, reducing the risk of miscarriages of justice.

Other research projects examine the part local language plays in building communities and how this can reconnect us with our past, such as documenting dialects unique to workers in the East Midlands’ coal mines.

Academics are bringing knowledge of language to the NTU Museums of the Future Project; a research initiative helping to build narratives and engage audiences with culture and heritage through digital media.

When the focus is so often on what is said, our researchers are listening to how it is said, and in doing so helping to preserve communities and justice.

This research was submitted to the Communication, Cultural & Media Studies, Library & Information Management Unit of Assessment in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, where 100% of the research impact was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of quality.