University leads project to reshape Modern Languages

21 Mar 2016

Manchester-led consortium wins multi-million pound grant to research languages and communities

A consortium led by the University has been awarded a multi-million pound grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Open World Research Initiative.

Aimed at investigating the central role languages play in relation to key contemporary issues such as social cohesion, migration, business and diplomacy, the £3.9 million grant seeks to have a significant impact on the study of modern languages in the UK.

The initiative will develop transformative new ways of understanding the relationship between language and community.

The Principal Investigator of the consortium’s Cross-Language Dynamics: Reshaping Communities programme is Stephen Hutchings, Professor of Russian and Interim Head of Manchester’s School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.

He said: “The success of this grant reflects the quality of research in Modern Languages and Linguistics at the University of Manchester. The new project will reshape Modern Languages research, teaching and impact agendas within universities.

“It will locate Modern Languages at the heart of a powerful vision for the civic university’s changing role in a globalizing world, establish the discipline at the cutting edge of humanities research and deepen public understanding of the importance of language as a driver of community values. It is a strong indication of Manchester’s continuing commitment to Modern Languages.”