Kathryn Allan

Dr. Kathryn Allan is an Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at University College London (UCL), where she has been teaching since 2008. Her academic career spans historical linguistics, semantics, and lexicography, with a particular focus on semantic change and the evolution of the English language. She is an active member of several academic organizations including the Philological Society (serving on Council) and the International Society for the Linguistics of English (as Chair of the Nominating Committee).

Education:

• Doctor of Philosophy, University of Glasgow (2004)
• Master of Arts (Hons), University of Glasgow (1998)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Practice and Research, University of Salford (2005-2006)

Dr. Allan's research focuses on historical and cognitive semantics, with particular interest in intra- and extra-linguistic factors in semantic change. She specializes in tracing polysemy patterns in relation to social-cultural shifts, using resources like the Historical Thesaurus of English and the Oxford English Dictionary. Her work with the Keywords Project explores contemporary shifts in lexical meaning, building on Raymond Williams' foundational work. She has made significant contributions to understanding metaphor and metonymy through diachronic approaches.

Dr. Allan's extensive publication record demonstrates consistent focus on historical semantics, lexicology, and semantic change. Her work spans monographs, edited collections, and numerous journal articles, with recent publications emphasizing contemporary vocabulary shifts and methodological approaches to historical semantics. She has co-edited important volumes including 'Current Methods in Historical Semantics' and 'Historical Cognitive Linguistics,' and is currently co-editing the 'Oxford Handbook of Historical Semantics.'

Professional Affiliations:

• Member of Council, Philological Society
• Chair of Nominating Committee, International Society for the Linguistics of English
• Affiliate, Angus McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics
• Advisory Board Member, Historical Thesaurus of English project

As an educator, Dr. Allan supervises PhD students in historical lexicology, lexical semantics, and cognitive semantics. Her teaching at UCL includes courses on the History of the English Language, Literary Linguistics, and English Words. She has successfully supervised students working on diverse topics including lexical semantic variation, Chinese-English borrowing, decision-making metaphors, and pragmatic markers in Sri Lankan English.