Dr Graham Williams

School of English

Senior Lecturer in the History of English

Dr Graham WIlliamson sat in front of a bookshelf facing forward
Profile picture of Dr Graham WIlliamson sat in front of a bookshelf facing forward
g.t.williams@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 8460

Full contact details

Dr Graham Williams
School of English
Jessop West
1 Upper Hanover Street
91Ö±²¥
S3 7RA
Profile

Originally from the climes of Upstate New York, 91Ö±²¥ has been home since joining the School of English as Lecturer in the History of English in 2012. Prior to coming to England, I completed my PhD under Professor Jeremy J. Smith and Dr. Alison Wiggins at University of Glasgow.

Research interests

Broadly speaking, I work on medieval and early modern Englishes, but I am also interested in Anglo-Norman, Scots, Old Norse and Latin, and how these languages have impacted on the history of English language and literature. More particularly, my perspective tends to be of a pragmatic or stylistic bent, and most recently I have been exploring how these areas interact with the history of emotions. I maintain an especial interest in historical letters, but my research deals with texts of all types, from Old English homilies to late medieval verse.

I also have strong research interests in manuscript studies, paleography, digital editing and corpora - in particular, the implications these perspectives have for the historical study of English.

Publications

Books

  • Williams G (2018) . Palgrave Macmillan UK. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2013) . John Benjamins Publishing Company. RIS download Bibtex download

Edited books

  • Steenbrugge C & Williams G (Ed.) (2021) Cultures of Compunction in the Medieval World. Bloomsbury. RIS download Bibtex download

Journal articles

  • Fitzmaurice S & Williams GT (2020) . Multilingua, 39(1), 1-9. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2020) . Multilingua, 39(1), 11-31. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2017) . Journal of Historical Pragmatics, 18(2), 175-194. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2016) . Huntington Library Quarterly, 79(3), 387-409. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2016) Written like a 'Gwd' Scotswoman: Margaret Tudor's Use of Scots'. Scottish Language, 35. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams G (2014) . Language, 90(4), 961-963. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams G (2014) . The Review of English Studies, 65(271), 596-618. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2012) . English Studies, 93(7), 809-832. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2012) 'Searching for verbal irony in historical corpora (?): a pilot study of mock and scorn in the Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse'. Studies in Variation, Contacts and Change in English, Proceedings of the Helsinki Corpus Festival Pre-conference Event. RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2010) , 169-193. RIS download Bibtex download

Chapters

  • Burnley D & Williams G (2019) Language In Brown P (Ed.), A New Companion to Chaucer Wiley-Blackwell RIS download Bibtex download
  • Williams GT (2010) "yr Scribe Can proove no nessecarye Consiquence for you"?: The Social and Linguistic Implications of Joan Thynne's Using a Scribe in Letters to Her Son, 1607-1610" In Hardman P & Lawrence-Mathers A (Ed.), Women and Writing, C.1340-c.1650: The Domestication of Prin Culture (pp. 131-145). Boydell and Brewer RIS download Bibtex download

Website content

  • Williams GT, Wiggins A, Bryson A, Timmerman A & Starza-Smith D Bess of Hardwick's Letters: The Complete Correspondence. RIS download Bibtex download
Research group

I would be happy to supervise students with an interest in any area of my research expertise.

Teaching activities

I convene and/or contribute teaching to the following modules:

  • ELL114 - History of English (convener)
  • ELL118 - Early Englishes
  • LIT108 - Studying Poetry
  • ELL236 - Introduction to Middle English (convener)
  • ELL360 - Historical Pragmatics (convener)
  • ELL364 - Constructed Languages

I also teach historical linguistics options on the MA in English Language and Linguistics

Professional activities and memberships

I am strongly committed to sharing experience and expertise with the wider public and have featured as a speaker on BBC Radio Scotland, and worked with National Trust volunteers at Hardwick Hall as part of my role in the AHRC Letters of Bess of Hardwick Project. I have also spoken about areas of my research at public events such as 91Ö±²¥'s annual Festival of the Mind.