Becky Howard

Profile

Project Title: From ‘Shagger of the Year’ to ‘celibate sluts’: media discourse, gender and personal relationships.

Supervisor: Dr Sophie Holmes-Elliott and Dr Agneiszka Lyons.

Previous qualifications:

MA in Linguistics (QMUL) 2022

NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) diploma in Print Journalism

BA in English Language and Literature (University of Liverpool)

Research

Research Interests:

Sociolinguistics and discourse analysis,

Including media linguistics,

Gender and language,

Diachronic linguistic change,

Accents and dialects.

Publications

Holmes-Elliott, S., Packer-Stucki, T. and Howard, B., 2025. Telling tales. Variation in Language Acquisition, p.64.

Public Engagement

I worked for over a decade as a journalist in senior editorial roles at many of the UK’s leading magazine and online titles. I then diversified into developing editorial strategies and compelling brand language for several leading international brands, as well as working as a media trainer and creative coaching consultant for several years. In addition to my PhD research, I also work as a Sunday Times and Times-bestselling ghostwriter, having authored several books for high-profile names.