Dr Jonathan Morris
(he/him)

BA, MA, PhD, FHEA

: Welsh speaking

Teams and roles for Jonathan Morris

Director of Research
School of Welsh

I am Director of Research and Reader at the School of Welsh and specialise in the Welsh language, sociolinguistics, and bilingualism.

My research focuses on the sociolinguistics of bilingualism, particularly in the context of Welsh-English bilingualism.

I investigate the influence of linguistic, psychological, and social factors on language acquisition and production, language use, and language attitudes. I discuss the implications of my findings for education, language policy, and inclusivity in minority-language communities.

My research profile comprises five themes:

1. Language variation and change in Welsh-English bilinguals' speech.

2. Stylistic and interactional variation in Welsh.

3. The use of Welsh and attitudes among traditional and new speakers.

4. The acquisition of Welsh in educational and adult learning contexts.

5. Intersecting identities and inclusion in minority-language communities, particularly LGBTQ+ speakers of Welsh.

I am very interested in researcher development and positive research culture. I am currently the Academic Partner on the University's Cynnau|Ignite Project with responsibility for developing the programme for Early Career Researchers. Ignite is developing a range of leadership development activities, intended to stimulate broader organisational change in research culture. This project is funded by The Wellcome Trust.

I am also a co-lead on the Cardiff UKRI Leadership Programme for Mid-Career Researchers, funded by the Cardiff University Research Culture Fund.

Research interests

Sociolinguistics
Language Variation and Change
Sociology of Language
Bilingualism
Second Language Acquisition
Phonetics and Phonology

Date
Type

2025

Hennah, C. et al. 2025. Protocol for a theory-based, mixed methods evaluation of Cynnau|Ignite: an active learning programme to foster positive research culture through leadership development at Cardiff University. PLoS ONE 20(2), article number: e0319020. (10.1371/journal.pone.0319020)
Morris, J. and Parker, S. 2025. Intersecting identities in minority-language contexts: LGBTQ+ speakers of Welsh. In: Walsh, J. et al. eds. Queering Language Revitalisation Navigating Identity and Inclusion among Queer Speakers of Minority Languages. Cambridge Elements in Language, Gender and Sexuality Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. online., (10.1017/9781009591034)

2024

Mayr, R., Morris, J. and Montanari, S. 2024. The phonetics and phonology of early bilinguals. In: Amengual, M. ed. The Cambridge Handbook of Bilingual Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge University Press, pp. 501-520., (10.1017/9781009105767.023)
Watkins, G. et al. 2024. Crynhoi Testun Awtomatig ar gyfer y Gymraeg. Prifysgol Bangor.
Morris, J., Ezeani, I., Gruffydd, I., Young, K., El-Haj, M. and Knight, D. Watkins, G. ed. 2024. Language and technology in Wales: Volume II. Language and Technology in Wales Vol. 2. Bangor University.
Morris, J., Stenner, R., Palmer, G. and Foster Evans, D. 2024. Prawf Sillafu Cymraeg Safonedig Consortiwm Canolbarth y De. Project Report. [Online]. Swansea: Consortiwm Addysg Canolbarth y De. Available at: https://www.cscjes-cronfa.co.uk/repository/resource/fca9da98-acc7-4b47-974e-8a90112c85c3/overview
Morris, J., Brookfield, C., Rodriguez Pinzon, M. J., Holt, B. and Arfon, E. 2024. Motivations for learning Welsh among adult learners. In: Bowell, T. et al. eds. Revitalising Higher Education: Insights from Te Puna Aurei Learnfest 2022. Cardiff: Cardiff University Press, pp. 31-38., (10.18573/conf2.d)
Morris, J., Arfon, E., Khallaf, N., El-Haj, M. and Knight, D. 2024. Datblygu thesawrws y Gymraeg drwy dechnoleg. [Online]. Gwerddon Fach: Golwg Ltd. Available at: https://golwg.360.cymru/gwerddon/2143591-datblygu-thesawrws-gymraeg-drwy-dechnoleg
Young, K., Durham, M. and Morris, J. 2024. Possessive pronouns in Welsh: Stylistic variation and the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence. Language Variation and Change 36(1), pp. 25-48. (10.1017/S0954394523000273)
Arfon, E., Morris, J., Khalaf, N. and Knight, D. 2024. Developing the Welsh thesaurus through technology. [Online]. Golwg 360 Cymru - Gwerddon Fach: Golwg Ltd. Available at: https://golwg.360.cymru/gwerddon/2143591-datblygu-thesawrws-gymraeg-drwy-dechnoleg
Morris, J. and Mac giolla chriost, D. 2024. The sociolinguistics of Welsh. In: Eska, J. F. et al. eds. Palgrave Handbook of Celtic Languages and Linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan

2023

Morris, J. and Parker, S. 2023. LHDTC+ a'r Gymraeg: Ydy hi'n anodd perthyn i'r ddwy gymuned?. [Online]. BBC Cymru Fyw. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cymrufyw/64744353
Morris, J. 2023. Sosioieithyddiaeth. In: Naylor, A. and Roberts, L. eds. Beth yw'r Gymraeg?. Caerdydd: Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, pp. 115-136.
Morris, J. 2023. The intergenerational language transmission of Welsh. In: Fàbregas-Alégret, I. and Le Bihan, H. eds. Langue bretonne, langues minorisées: avenir et transmission familiale. Rennes: T.I.R, pp. 79-98.
Khallaf, N. et al. 2023. Open-source thesaurus development for under-resourced languages: a Welsh case study. Presented at: LDK 2023 – 4th Conference on Language, Data and Knowledge, Vienna, Austria, 12-15 September 2023.

2022

Morris, J. and Young, K. 2022. Iaith – beth mae cyfnewid cod yn ei gyfleu?. [Online]. Golwg 360: Available at: https://golwg.360.cymru/gwerddon/2108980-iaith-beth-cyfnewid-gyfleu
Morris, J. 2022. Fundamental frequency range in the bilingual repertoire of traditional and new Welsh speakers. International Journal of Bilingualism 26(5), pp. 564-583. (10.1177/13670069221110)
Beltrachini, L., Cercignani, M., Morris, J., Rees, I., Papageorgiou, A. and Simpson, I. 2022. Gwylia dy dafod / Watch your Welsh. [Online]. Prifysgol Caerdydd / Cardiff University. Available at: https://gwyliadydafod.org/cy/index.html
Morris, J., Ezeani, I., Gruffydd, I., Young, K., Davies, L., El-Haj, M. and Knight, D. 2022. Welsh automatic text summarisation. Presented at: Wales Academic Symposium on Language Technologies 2022, Bangor, Wales, 28/01/2022Language and Technology in Wales, Vol. 2. Bangor: Banolfan Bedwyr
El-Haj, M., Ezeani, I., Morris, J. and Knight, D. 2022. Creation of an evaluation corpus and baseline evaluation scores for Welsh text summarisation. Presented at: 4th Celtic Language Technology Workshop (CLTW 2022), Marseille, France, 20 June 2022.
Ezeani, I., El-Haj, M., Morris, J. and Knight, D. 2022. Introducing the Welsh text summarisation dataset and baseline systems. Presented at: 13th ELRA Language Resources and Evaluation Conference (LREC 2022), Marseille, France, 20-25 June 2022.
Morris, J., Stenner, R., Palmer, G. and Foster Evans, D. 2022. Prawf darllen Cymraeg safonedig Consortiwm Canolbarth y De (Fersiwn 1.0). Project Report.

2021

Mayr, R. and Morris, J. 2021. Social and psychological factors in bilingual speech production: introduction to the special issue. Languages 6(4), article number: 155. (10.3390/languages6040155)
Mayr, R. and Morris, J. eds. 2021. Social and psychological factors in bilingual speech production. Basel: MDPI. (10.3390/books978-3-0365-2278-4)
Mayr, R., Siddika, A., Morris, J. and Montanari, S. 2021. Bilingual phonological development across generations: segmental accuracy and error patterns in second- and third-generation British Bengali children. Journal of Communication Disorders 93, article number: 106140. (10.1016/j.jcomdis.2021.106140)
Morris, J. 2021. Social influences on phonological transfer: /r/ variation in the repertoire of Welsh-English bilinguals. Languages 6(2), article number: 97. (10.3390/languages6020097)

2020

Morris, J. and Hejná, M. 2020. Pre-aspiration in Bethesda Welsh: a sociophonetic analysis. Journal of the International Phonetic Association 50(2), pp. 168-192. (10.1017/S0025100318000221)
Mayr, R., Roberts, L. and Morris, J. 2020. Can you tell by their English if they can speak Welsh? Accent perception in a language contact situation. International Journal of Bilingualism.. International Journal of Bilingualism 25(4), pp. 740-766. (10.1177/1367006919883035)
Mennen, I., Kelly, N., Mayr, R. and Morris, J. 2020. The effects of home language and bilingualism on the realization of lexical stress in Welsh and Welsh English. Frontiers in Psychology 10, article number: 3038. (10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03038)
Morris, J., Rees, I. W. and Prys, M. 2020. Amrywio. In: Cooper, S. and Arman, L. eds. Cyflwyniad i Ieithyddiaeth. Caerfyrddin: Y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, pp. 139-180.

2018

Rees, I. W. and Morris, J. 2018. Astudiaeth o ganfyddiadau tiwtoriaid Cymraeg i Oedolion o anawsterau ynganu ymhlith dysgwyr yr iaith. Gwerddon 27, pp. 39-66.

2017

Evas, J., Morris, J. and Whitmarsh, L. 2017. Welsh language transmission and use in families: [final report]. Project Report. [Online]. Caerdydd - Cardiff: Llywodraeth Cymru - Welsh Government. Available at: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2018-12/170612-welsh-language-transmission-use-in-families-en.pdf
Mayr, R., Morris, J., Mennen, I. and Williams, D. 2017. Disentangling the effects of long-term language contact and individual bilingualism: The case of monophthongs in Welsh and English. International Journal of Bilingualism 21(3), pp. 245-267. (10.1177/1367006915614921)
Morris, J. 2017. Sociophonetic variation in a long-term language contact situation: /l/-darkening in Welsh-English bilingual speech. Journal of Sociolinguistics 21(2), pp. 183-207. (10.1111/josl.12231)

2016

Durham, M. and Morris, J. eds. 2016. Sociolinguistics in Wales. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. (10.1057/978-1-137-52897-1)
Durham, M. and Morris, J. 2016. An overview of sociolinguistics in Wales. In: Durham, M. and Morris, J. eds. Sociolinguistics in Wales. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 3-28., (10.1057/978-1-137-52897-1_1)
Morris, J., Mayr, R. and Mennen, I. 2016. The role of linguistic background on sound variation in Welsh and Welsh English. In: Durham, M. and Morris, J. eds. Sociolinguistics in Wales. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 241-271., (10.1057/978-1-137-52897-1_9)
Morris, J. 2016. Porth esboniadur: Semanteg [Esboniadur Beirniadaeth a Theori]. [Online]. Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. Available at: https://wici.porth.ac.uk/index.php/Semanteg

2015

Morris, J. 2015. S. J. Hannahs (2013): The phonology of Welsh [Book Review]. Linguistische Berichte 242, pp. 197-199.
Mennen, I., Mayr, R. and Morris, J. 2015. Influences of language contact and linguistic experience on the production of lexical stress in Welsh and Welsh English. Presented at: 18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Glasgow, UK, 10-14 August 2015 Presented at The Scottish Consortium for ICPhS 2015, . ed.Proceedings of ICPhS 2015. London: The International Phonetic Association pp. Online.

2014

Morris, J. 2014. The influence of social factors on minority language engagement amongst young people: an investigation of Welsh-English bilinguals in North Wales. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2014(230), pp. 65-89. (10.1515/ijsl-2014-0027)

2013

Morris, J. 2013. Sociolinguistic variation and regional minority language bilingualism: An investigation of Welsh-English bilinguals in North Wales. PhD Thesis, University of Manchester.

2012

Van Hattum, M., Morris, J. and Hoffmann, D. 2012. Editorial: Proceedings of the 19th International Postrgraduate Linguistics Conference in Linguistics. In: Van Hattum, M., Morris, J. and Hoffmann, D. eds. Salford Working Papers in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics., Vol. 2. Salford: University of Salford, pp. 1-1.

2010

Morris, J. 2010. Phonetic variation in Northern Wales: preaspiration. Presented at: Second Summer School of Sociolinguistics, Edinburgh, Scotland, 14-20 June 2010 Presented at Meyerhoff, M. et al. eds.Proceedings of the Second Summer School of Sociolinguistics, The University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh pp. 1-16.

Research Themes

Language Variation and Change in bilinguals' speech

My research focuses primarily on language variation and change in the speech of Welsh-English bilinguals. A number of societal developments in the twentieth century have changed the demographics of Welsh speakers. Firstly, inward migration and language shift have resulted in a decline in the number of speakers who acquire Welsh in the home, particularly in traditionally Welsh-speaking areas. Secondly, the establishment of Welsh-medium education has meant an increase in ‘new speakers’ of Welsh across Wales. The aim of my research has been to examine the extent to which linguistic and extra-linguistic factors (such as sex, proportion of Welsh speakers in the community, and home language) influence phonetic and phonological variation in both English and Welsh. The work therefore takes a sociolinguistic approach to bilingualism and second language acquisition and compares how speakers produce their two languages. More recently, I have been looking at how speakers evaluate Welsh accents (with Robert Mayr and Ianto Gruffydd), the acquisition of sociolinguistic competence among young people in Welsh-medium education (with Mercedes Durham and Katharine Young), and stylistic variation in the bilingual repertoire.

The sociology of bilingualism

I am also interested in the sociology of language. I have published on attitudes towards Welsh and use of the language amongst young people in two towns in North Wales and I was part of a Welsh Government-funded research project on the transmission of Welsh. Another focus of this research strand is how identities intersect. For example, I have been working on a project which examines the experiences of LGBTQ+ speakers of Welsh and the way in which their identities influence each other (with Sam Parker).

The acquisition of Welsh as a second language

I published an article on Welsh for Adults tutors' attitudes towards learners' speech (with Iwan Wyn Rees) and have also examined speech production in adult learners. This research led to the project 'Watch your Welsh' which uses MRI technology to help learners with pronunciation. There is more information about this project here.

More broadly, I am interested in the influence of social and psychological factors on second language acquisition among children and adult learners of Welsh. I have published on the reasons for learning Welsh among learners and their motivation (with Charlotte Brookfield).

Resources and digital infrastructure

I have worked on a number of projects which have created Welsh-language resources and contribute towards digital infrastructure in the language. I have also led on projects to create Welsh reading and spelling tests as well as a digital thesaurus.

National Corpus of Contemporary Welsh (led by Dawn Knight)
ACC: Welsh Automatic Text Summarisation with Dawn Knight and Mo El-Haj and Ignatius Ezeani.
ThACC: Online Thesaurus of Contemporary Welsh with Dawn Knight, Mo El-Haj, Elin Arfon, and Nouran Khallaf.
Central South Consortium Welsh Reading Test with Rosanna Stenner , Geraint Palmer, and Dylan Foster Evans.
Central South Consortium Welsh Spelling Test with Rosanna Stenner , Geraint Palmer, and Dylan Foster Evans.
Watch Your Welsh website with Leandro Beltrachini, Mara Cercignani, Iwan Wyn Rees, Andreas Papageorgiou, and Ivor Simpson.

Current Projects

The social evaluation of Welsh accents with Robert Mayr and Ianto Gruffydd.
Social and psychological factors influencing Welsh learners' attitudes with Charlotte Brookfield.
LGBTQ+ speakers of Welsh with Sam Parker.
Speak for Yersel' Wales with Jennifer Smith, Mercedes Durham and others.
Designing an assessment tool for Welsh learners with Hui Sun and Jack Pulman-Slater.

Teaching at Cardiff University

I teach (or have taught) modules on the Welsh language and linguistics. These include:

Sgiliau Llafar yn y Gymraeg (Oral Skills in Welsh)
Defnyddio'r Gymraeg (Using the Welsh Language)
Cyflwyniad i'r Gymraeg (Introduction to the Welsh Language)
Diwylliant y Gymraeg (Culture of the Welsh Language)
Yr Ystafell Ddosbarth (The Classroom)

I have been module leader on the following modules:

Y Gymraeg yn y Gymru Gyfoes (The Welsh Language in Contemporary Wales)
Cymraeg y Gweithle a'r Gymuned (Welsh in the Workplace and Community)
Yr Iaith Ar Waith (The Language at Work)
Sosioieithyddiaeth (Sociolinguistics)
Caffael Iaith (Language Acquisition)
Blas ar Ymchwil (BA Research Project)
Ymchwilio Estynedig (BA Dissertation)

I also teach on the MA in Welsh and Celtic Studies and deliver training to PhD students on data analysis in linguistics.

Previous Teaching in English Language and Linguistics

I have taught on the following modules in English language and linguistics:

Introduction to Phonology
Discourse Analysis
Societal Multilingualism
English Dialects

Previous Teaching of Welsh for Adult Learners

I have taught on the following courses for adults who are learning Welsh:

National Sabbatical Scheme for Welsh Language Training
Welsh in the Workplace (Further Education)
GCSE Welsh Second Language (Further Education)
Welsh for Adults

I completed a BA in French and German Studies, MA in Languages and Linguistics, and PhD in Linguistics from the University of Manchester. During my undergraduate degree, I spent time at the University of Bourgogne (Dijon, France) and Basel University (Switzerland). My early work focussed on the relationship between language and identity in the German-speaking countries.

I began work on Welsh sociolinguistics and phonetics (sociophonetics) during my Master’s degree and my PhD examines the influence of linguistic and social factors in the speech of Welsh-English bilinguals.

I joined the School of Welsh as a research assistant in 2012. Before moving to Cardiff, I worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Manchester and as a lecturer in Welsh at Coleg Cambria, Wrexham. I have also worked as a research assistant on projects funded by the ESRC and British Academy.

Between September 2014 and August 2019, I was the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Lecturer in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at the School of Welsh. Since then, I have been Senior Lecturer and then Reader in Linguistics and Welsh Language.

Honours and awards

Shortlisted for the ‘Innovating Across Borders’ category, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Associate Lecturers Awards, 2019.
Shortlisted for Most Innovative Member of Staff Award, Cardiff University, 2016.

Professional memberships

British Association of Academic Phoneticians
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Departmental & University Service

Director of Research, School of Welsh (2022+)
Academic Partner, Ignite Project (2024-2026)
Co-Organiser of the Multilingualism Research Network (2019-2023)
Director of Postgraduate Research (2017-2022)
Chair, Cardiff University Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Branch (2018-2020)
Ethics Officer, School of Welsh (2014-2017)
Co-Organiser of the Sociolinguistics Reading Group (2013-2019)

I supervise postgraduate research students in the following areas:

Sociolinguistics
Language Variation and Change
Sociology of Language
Bilingualism
Second Language Acquisition
Phonetics and phonology

Current supervision

Katharine Young

Shawqi Bukhari

Mohammed Bashiri

Nia Eyre

Khadejah Alamri

Jonathan Davies

Kalbinur Tuerhong

Past projects

Array

Contact Details

MorrisJ17@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 29208 75394
John Percival Building, Room 1.74, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU

Research themes

Specialisms

Phonetics
Sociolinguistics
Bilingualism
Second Language Acquisition

A free standardised Welsh spelling test used to monitor children's progress in spelling has been launched

Dr Jonathan Morris (he/him) BA, MA, PhD, FHEA

Teams and roles for Jonathan Morris

Director of Research

Overview