Research
I use large digital collections of English language known as 'corpora' to study word combinations, or “phraseology”. I apply my knowledge of this area of linguistic theory to real-world problems encountered by users of English globally. Over two decades I have published a constellation of peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters about my work, firstly as a teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and latterly as an applied corpus linguistics researcher. I have described the phraseological behaviour of words across different academic disciplines (Oakey 2005; Oakey and Russell 2014), and different types of phrases used in teaching academic writing (Oakey 2002, 2009, 2011, 2020) and in teaching speaking (Jones and Oakey 2019), and on the role of phraseology in joining lexis and grammar (Oakey 2010, 2022).
I currently participate in the international research agenda in corpus studies of English in public health settings, specifically how the phraseology of public health messages is understood by English learners in the UK (Oakey, Jones and O’Halloran 2022; Jones, Oakey and O’Halloran 2023) and how language use impacts clinical care. I co-edited with Dr Benet Vincent a special issue of the international peer-reviewed journal Applied Corpus Linguistics (Elsevier) on Corpus Linguistics and the Language of COVID-19: Applications and Outcomes. I also co-ordinate and participate in English as an Additional Language projects using corpus-informed language learning materials with schools in the Liverpool City Region.
My approach to the investigation, description and teaching of English has developed over the years through working with and learning from many researchers, teachers, and users of English at universities around the world. I studied at the University of Leeds where I learned from Lynne Cameron and Martin Bygate about the way second languages are acquired. Alice Deignan introduced me to using software to study lexical and grammatical patterns in language. The obvious prevalence of patterns in academic English led me to work on formulaic language: language which is produced ‘ready-made’ rather than composed from scratch, and which is important in many social situations. Peter Howarth introduced me to the study of English word combinations, and I remain interested in the field of phraseology in its many guises, such as formulaic language, collocation, multi-word expressions, lexical bundles, and so on.
After teaching EAP at the University of Hull I joined the English Department at the University of Birmingham where I was able to learn more about corpus linguistics, lexico-grammar, metaphor, and EAP through working with Nicholas Groom, Susan Hunston, Tim Johns, Philip King, Jeannette Littlemore, and Rosamund Moon. After completing my PhD, which was supervised by Alice Deignan and examined by Ronald Carter and John Flowerdew, I moved to the Applied Linguistics and Technology Program at Iowa State University in the USA. Here I learned from David R. Russell about the field of Rhetoric, which complements EAP by teaching English academic writing in the "essayist" Liberal Arts traditions of logic and argumentation. My colleagues Evgeny Chukharev and Volker Hegelheimer also introduced me to the ever-shifting field of computer-assisted second language acquisition, applying concepts and methodologies from natural language processing and educational psychology.
At the University of Liverpool my interests in English language research, teaching, and learning all meet in the graduate and undergraduate modules on which I teach. My research expertise in applications of corpora to language study, learning, and teaching has attracted research students from around the world who are investigating related areas from which new insights can be gained by applying corpus research methodology. I am happy to hear from applicants for PhD study in the following areas: applied English corpus linguistics, English grammar, vocabulary, and lexico-grammar; phraseology.
Applying corpus linguistics to real-world problems connected to language
The discourse of interdisciplinary academic research, particularly in collaborative situations where users encounter unfamiliar meanings of familiar words
English Grammar, Vocabulary, Lexico-Grammar, Phraseology, Formulaic Language, Collocation, Multi-word Expressions and Lexical Bundles
Research grants
Effective messages to prevent tooth decay for primary SEND pupils/parents.
ALDER HEY CHILDREN'S CHARITY (UK)
October 2026 - April 2027
Phraseology, imagery and effectiveness of type 2 diabetes public health messaging in a sample British/South Asian community
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
January 2026 - June 2027
A learner-led online lexicographic resource for improving spoken vocabulary use in adult learners of English as an Additional Language (EAL)
A.S. HORNBY EDUCATIONAL TRUST (UK)
January 2026 - July 2026