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Professor Sara Pons-Sanz
(she/her)
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Teams and roles for Sara Pons-Sanz
Overview
My main area of research is English historical linguistics, especially the make-up medieval English vocabulary from different perspectives (etymology, sociolinguistics, stylistics, etc.).
After completing two BAs (BA in English Philology and BA in Spanish Philology) and the equivalent of an MA in English Philology at the University of Valencia (Spain), I pursued an MPhil and a PhD at Queens' College, Cambridge. I was then awarded a British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, which I took at the University of Nottingham (School of English).
Having spent six years in Nottingham (2004-2010), first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as a lecturer, I joined the Department of English, Linguistics and Cultural Studies at the University of Westminster, where I taught for over five years (2010-2016). I have been at Cardiff University since January 2016.
Publication
2026
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2026. Old English: stylistic aspects. In: Nesi, H. and Milin, P. eds. International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (3rd Edition). [Old English: Stylistic Aspects]. Amsterdam: Elsevier
2025
- Pattison, M., Pons-Sanz, S. M. and Waters, M. 2025. Implementing the EAT framework to enhance assessment literacy and feedback practices. Active Learning in Higher Education (10.1177/14697874251360577)
2024
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2024. Norse-derived terms in the Ormulum: A reappraisal. Early Middle English 6(1-2)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2024. Norse-derived terms in the Ormulum: A reappraisal. York: Arc Humanities Press.
- Krykoniuk, K. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2024. Trends in the development of vocabulary for EMOTION and COGNITION in English: A millennial perspective. Lexis – Journal in English Lexicology HS(3) (10.4000/12iz9)
2023
- Cole, M. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2023. Origin and spread of the personal pronoun 'they': La Estorie del Evangelie, a case study. In: Pons-Sanz, S. M. and Sylvester, L. eds. Medieval English in a Multilingual Context: Current Methodologies and Approaches. New Approaches to English Historical Linguistics Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 311-342., (10.1007/978-3-031-30947-2_11)
- Seiler, A., Benati, C. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. eds. 2023. Medieval glossaries from North-Western Europe: Tradition and innovation. Brepols.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2023. Speech representation in Robert Mannyng’s Handlyng Synne as a pedagogical tool. Viator 53(1)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2023. Legal glossaries (Old and Middle English). In: Seiler, A., Benati, C. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. eds. Medieval Glossaries from North-Western Europe: Tradition and Innovation. The Medieval Translator Brepols, pp. 272-281.
2022
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2022. Medieval multilingualism and the expression of emotion: fear in the Gawain-Poet's texts. English Language and Linguistics 26(2), pp. 361-398. (10.1017/S1360674320000350)
- Pons-Sanz, S. and Pattison, M. 2022. Case study: Enhancing student outcomes by improving student assessment literacy. Documentation. EAT-Erasmus. Available at: https://www.eat-erasmus.org/case-studies-al
2021
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2021. Norse-derived vocabulary in La estorie del evangelie. Folia Linguistica 55, pp. 461-491. (10.1515/flin-2021-2032)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2021. Aldred’s glosses to the notae iuris in Durham A.iv.19: personal, textual and cultural contexts. English Studies 102(1), pp. 1-29. (10.1080/0013838X.2020.1866305)
2020
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2020. Fights and games: terms for SPEECH in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 119(3), pp. 353-379. (10.5406/jenglgermphil.119.3.0353)
2019
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2019. Speech representation as a narrative technique in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Review of English Studies 70(294), pp. 209-230. (10.1093/res/hgy094)
2018
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. and MacCoinnich, A. 2018. The languages of Scotland. In: Royan, N. ed. The International Companion to Scottish Literature, 1400-1650. Glasgow: Scottish Literature International, pp. 19-37.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2018. Legal vocabulary in Early English translations of the Bible: a study of Johannine Terms. In: Teresi, L. and di Sciacca, C. eds. Studies on Late Antique and Medieval Germanic Glossography and Lexicography in Honour of Patrizia Lendinara. ETS Publications
2017
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2017. Reassessing the semantic history of OE brēad / ME brēd. English Language and Linguistics 21(1), pp. 47-67. (10.1017/S1360674316000058)
2016
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2016. A study of Aldred's multiple glosses to the Lindisfarne Gospels. In: Pons-Sanz, S. M. and Fernandez Cuesta, J. eds. The Old English Gloss to the Lindisfarne Gospels: Author, Language and Context. Buchreihe der Anglia / Anglia Book Series Vol. 51. Berlin and Boston, MA: De Gruyter, pp. 301-328.
- Fernandez Cuesta, J. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. eds. 2016. The Old English gloss to the Lindisfarne Gospels: Language, author and context. Buchreihe der Anglia / Anglia Book Series Vol. 51. Berlin and Boston, MA: De Gruyter.
2015
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2015. Old English style. In: Sotirova, V. ed. The Bloomsbury Companion to Stylistics. Bloomsbury Companions London: Bloomsbury, pp. 569-582., (10.5040/9781472593603.0040)
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2015. Norse-derived terms in Orm's lexico-semantic field of EMOTION. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 114(4), pp. 552-586. (10.5406/jenglgermphil.114.4.0552)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2015. Identifying and dating Norse-derived terms in Medieval English: approaches and methods. In: Askedal, J. O. and Nielsen, H. F. eds. Early Germanic Languages in Contact. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 203-221.
2014
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2014. The language of Early English Lterature: from Cædmon to Milton. Perspectives on the English Language. Palgrave Macmillan.
2013
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2013. The lexical effects of Anglo-Scandinavian linguistic contact on Old English. Studies in the early Middle Ages. Turnhout: Brepols.
2011
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2011. The etymology of the word-field of Old English hōre and the lexico-cultural climate of eleventh-century England. Nottingham Medieval Studies 55, pp. 23-48. (10.1484/J.NMS.1.102418)
2010
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2010. Arabic sources of Scandinavian history. In: Bjork, R. E. ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Sanchez, J. and Pons Sanz, S. M. 2010. Manual d`Anglès Medieval Tardà. Collecció Joan Fuster Materials Docents en Valenciá Vol. 109. Alacant: Universitat d'Alacant.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2010. Norse-derived vocabulary in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. In: Jorgensen, A. ed. Reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Language, Literature, History. Brepols, pp. 275-304.
2008
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2008. Norse-derived terms and structures in The Battle of Maldon. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 107(4), pp. 421-444.
2007
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. Aldredian Glosses to Proper Names in the Lindisfarne Gospels. Anglia: Journal of English Philology 119(2), pp. 173-192. (10.1515/ANGL.2001.173)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. Norse-derived vocabulary in late Old English texts: Wulfstan's works, a case study. North-Western European language evolution. Supplement. Odense: University Press of Southern Denmark.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. Two compounds in the Old English and Old Norse versions of the Prose Phoenix. Arkiv för nordisk filologi 122, pp. 137-156.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. A paw in every pie: Wulfstan and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle again. Leeds Studies in English 38, pp. 31-52.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. An etymological note on two Old English medical terms: ridesoht and flacg. Studia Neophilologica 79(1), pp. 45-53. (10.1080/00393270701299962)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. A reconsideration of Wulfstan's use of Norse-derived terms: the case of Þræl. English Studies 88(1), pp. 1-21. (10.1080/00138380601042659)
2006
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. OE māl as a gloss for L clasma in Aldhelmian Glossaries. Notes and Queries 53(4), pp. 395-398. (10.1093/notesj/gjl132)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. Anglo-Scandinavian trade or paganism? OE hæðen in the First Cleopatra Glossary. Modern Language Review 101(3), pp. 625-637. (10.2307/20466898)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. Sharpening, confiding and OE getryccað. Notes and Queries 53(2), pp. 146-150. (10.1093/notesj/gjl005)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. OE Fēs(I)an/MeFēsen revisited. Neophilologus 90(1), pp. 119-134. (10.1007/s11061-004-5362-8)
2005
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2005. The Norse origin of OE afol / ME afell: is evidence strong enough?. English Language Notes 43(2), pp. 1-8.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2005. Friends and relatives in need of an explanation: Gr. anagkaîos, L necessarius and PGmc *nauð-. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 104(1), pp. 1-11.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2005. An etymological note on OE of lı¯fe forrædan. ANQ: a Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews 18(2), pp. 7-9. (10.3200/ANQQ.18.2.7-9)
2004
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2004. For Gode and for worolde: Wulfstan's differentiation of the divine and worldly realms through word-formation processes. English Studies 85(4), pp. 281-296. (10.1080/00138380412331339108)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2004. A sociolinguistic approach to the Norse-derived words in the glosses to the Lindisfarne and Rushworth Gospels. In: Kay, C., Hough, C. and Wotherspoon, I. eds. New Perspectives on English Historical Linguistics: Selected Papers from 12 ICEHL, Glasgow, 21-26 August 2002., Vol. 2. Current Issues in Linguistic Theory Vol. 252. John Benjamins, pp. 177-192.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2004. Whom did al-Ghazāl meet? An exchange of embassies between the Arabs from al-Andalus and the Vikings. Saga-Book of the Viking Society for Northern Research 28, pp. 5-28.
2001
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2001. The Basque country and the Vikings during the ninth century. Journal of the Society of Basque Studies of America 21, pp. 48-58.
2000
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2000. Analysis of the Scandinavian loanwords in the Aldredian glosses to the Lindisfarne Gospel. Universidad De Valencia. Servicio De Publicaciones.
Articles
- Pattison, M., Pons-Sanz, S. M. and Waters, M. 2025. Implementing the EAT framework to enhance assessment literacy and feedback practices. Active Learning in Higher Education (10.1177/14697874251360577)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2024. Norse-derived terms in the Ormulum: A reappraisal. Early Middle English 6(1-2)
- Krykoniuk, K. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2024. Trends in the development of vocabulary for EMOTION and COGNITION in English: A millennial perspective. Lexis – Journal in English Lexicology HS(3) (10.4000/12iz9)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2023. Speech representation in Robert Mannyng’s Handlyng Synne as a pedagogical tool. Viator 53(1)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2022. Medieval multilingualism and the expression of emotion: fear in the Gawain-Poet's texts. English Language and Linguistics 26(2), pp. 361-398. (10.1017/S1360674320000350)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2021. Norse-derived vocabulary in La estorie del evangelie. Folia Linguistica 55, pp. 461-491. (10.1515/flin-2021-2032)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2021. Aldred’s glosses to the notae iuris in Durham A.iv.19: personal, textual and cultural contexts. English Studies 102(1), pp. 1-29. (10.1080/0013838X.2020.1866305)
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2020. Fights and games: terms for SPEECH in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 119(3), pp. 353-379. (10.5406/jenglgermphil.119.3.0353)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2019. Speech representation as a narrative technique in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Review of English Studies 70(294), pp. 209-230. (10.1093/res/hgy094)
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2017. Reassessing the semantic history of OE brēad / ME brēd. English Language and Linguistics 21(1), pp. 47-67. (10.1017/S1360674316000058)
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2015. Norse-derived terms in Orm's lexico-semantic field of EMOTION. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 114(4), pp. 552-586. (10.5406/jenglgermphil.114.4.0552)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2011. The etymology of the word-field of Old English hōre and the lexico-cultural climate of eleventh-century England. Nottingham Medieval Studies 55, pp. 23-48. (10.1484/J.NMS.1.102418)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2008. Norse-derived terms and structures in The Battle of Maldon. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 107(4), pp. 421-444.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. Aldredian Glosses to Proper Names in the Lindisfarne Gospels. Anglia: Journal of English Philology 119(2), pp. 173-192. (10.1515/ANGL.2001.173)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. Two compounds in the Old English and Old Norse versions of the Prose Phoenix. Arkiv för nordisk filologi 122, pp. 137-156.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. A paw in every pie: Wulfstan and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle again. Leeds Studies in English 38, pp. 31-52.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. An etymological note on two Old English medical terms: ridesoht and flacg. Studia Neophilologica 79(1), pp. 45-53. (10.1080/00393270701299962)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. A reconsideration of Wulfstan's use of Norse-derived terms: the case of Þræl. English Studies 88(1), pp. 1-21. (10.1080/00138380601042659)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. OE māl as a gloss for L clasma in Aldhelmian Glossaries. Notes and Queries 53(4), pp. 395-398. (10.1093/notesj/gjl132)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. Anglo-Scandinavian trade or paganism? OE hæðen in the First Cleopatra Glossary. Modern Language Review 101(3), pp. 625-637. (10.2307/20466898)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. Sharpening, confiding and OE getryccað. Notes and Queries 53(2), pp. 146-150. (10.1093/notesj/gjl005)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2006. OE Fēs(I)an/MeFēsen revisited. Neophilologus 90(1), pp. 119-134. (10.1007/s11061-004-5362-8)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2005. The Norse origin of OE afol / ME afell: is evidence strong enough?. English Language Notes 43(2), pp. 1-8.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2005. Friends and relatives in need of an explanation: Gr. anagkaîos, L necessarius and PGmc *nauð-. Journal of English and Germanic Philology 104(1), pp. 1-11.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2005. An etymological note on OE of lı¯fe forrædan. ANQ: a Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews 18(2), pp. 7-9. (10.3200/ANQQ.18.2.7-9)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2004. For Gode and for worolde: Wulfstan's differentiation of the divine and worldly realms through word-formation processes. English Studies 85(4), pp. 281-296. (10.1080/00138380412331339108)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2004. Whom did al-Ghazāl meet? An exchange of embassies between the Arabs from al-Andalus and the Vikings. Saga-Book of the Viking Society for Northern Research 28, pp. 5-28.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2001. The Basque country and the Vikings during the ninth century. Journal of the Society of Basque Studies of America 21, pp. 48-58.
Book sections
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2026. Old English: stylistic aspects. In: Nesi, H. and Milin, P. eds. International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (3rd Edition). [Old English: Stylistic Aspects]. Amsterdam: Elsevier
- Cole, M. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2023. Origin and spread of the personal pronoun 'they': La Estorie del Evangelie, a case study. In: Pons-Sanz, S. M. and Sylvester, L. eds. Medieval English in a Multilingual Context: Current Methodologies and Approaches. New Approaches to English Historical Linguistics Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 311-342., (10.1007/978-3-031-30947-2_11)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2023. Legal glossaries (Old and Middle English). In: Seiler, A., Benati, C. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. eds. Medieval Glossaries from North-Western Europe: Tradition and Innovation. The Medieval Translator Brepols, pp. 272-281.
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. and MacCoinnich, A. 2018. The languages of Scotland. In: Royan, N. ed. The International Companion to Scottish Literature, 1400-1650. Glasgow: Scottish Literature International, pp. 19-37.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2018. Legal vocabulary in Early English translations of the Bible: a study of Johannine Terms. In: Teresi, L. and di Sciacca, C. eds. Studies on Late Antique and Medieval Germanic Glossography and Lexicography in Honour of Patrizia Lendinara. ETS Publications
- Pons-Sanz, S. M. 2016. A study of Aldred's multiple glosses to the Lindisfarne Gospels. In: Pons-Sanz, S. M. and Fernandez Cuesta, J. eds. The Old English Gloss to the Lindisfarne Gospels: Author, Language and Context. Buchreihe der Anglia / Anglia Book Series Vol. 51. Berlin and Boston, MA: De Gruyter, pp. 301-328.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2015. Old English style. In: Sotirova, V. ed. The Bloomsbury Companion to Stylistics. Bloomsbury Companions London: Bloomsbury, pp. 569-582., (10.5040/9781472593603.0040)
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2015. Identifying and dating Norse-derived terms in Medieval English: approaches and methods. In: Askedal, J. O. and Nielsen, H. F. eds. Early Germanic Languages in Contact. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 203-221.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2010. Arabic sources of Scandinavian history. In: Bjork, R. E. ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Oxford: Oxford University Press
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2010. Norse-derived vocabulary in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. In: Jorgensen, A. ed. Reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Language, Literature, History. Brepols, pp. 275-304.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2004. A sociolinguistic approach to the Norse-derived words in the glosses to the Lindisfarne and Rushworth Gospels. In: Kay, C., Hough, C. and Wotherspoon, I. eds. New Perspectives on English Historical Linguistics: Selected Papers from 12 ICEHL, Glasgow, 21-26 August 2002., Vol. 2. Current Issues in Linguistic Theory Vol. 252. John Benjamins, pp. 177-192.
Books
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2024. Norse-derived terms in the Ormulum: A reappraisal. York: Arc Humanities Press.
- Seiler, A., Benati, C. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. eds. 2023. Medieval glossaries from North-Western Europe: Tradition and innovation. Brepols.
- Fernandez Cuesta, J. and Pons-Sanz, S. M. eds. 2016. The Old English gloss to the Lindisfarne Gospels: Language, author and context. Buchreihe der Anglia / Anglia Book Series Vol. 51. Berlin and Boston, MA: De Gruyter.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2014. The language of Early English Lterature: from Cædmon to Milton. Perspectives on the English Language. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2013. The lexical effects of Anglo-Scandinavian linguistic contact on Old English. Studies in the early Middle Ages. Turnhout: Brepols.
- Sanchez, J. and Pons Sanz, S. M. 2010. Manual d`Anglès Medieval Tardà. Collecció Joan Fuster Materials Docents en Valenciá Vol. 109. Alacant: Universitat d'Alacant.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2007. Norse-derived vocabulary in late Old English texts: Wulfstan's works, a case study. North-Western European language evolution. Supplement. Odense: University Press of Southern Denmark.
- Pons-Sanz, S. 2000. Analysis of the Scandinavian loanwords in the Aldredian glosses to the Lindisfarne Gospel. Universidad De Valencia. Servicio De Publicaciones.
Monographs
- Pons-Sanz, S. and Pattison, M. 2022. Case study: Enhancing student outcomes by improving student assessment literacy. Documentation. EAT-Erasmus. Available at: https://www.eat-erasmus.org/case-studies-al
Research
I am a historical linguist and work mainly on the medieval period. I am particularly interested in the following topics:
- The vocabulary of medieval English, with close focus on Norse-derived terms;
- English historical stylistics and sociolinguistics;
- Glosses and glossography;
- Germanic linguistics;
- Applications of historical linguistics in primary and secondary school classrooms.
Please see the Publications tab for further information.
Postgraduate students
I am interested in supervising doctoral projects on a topic broadly related to my areas of research. Plese see the Supervision Tab for further information.
Teaching
I teach various modules on topics associated with language variation and change, such as historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and stylistics.
Biography
Professional memberships
- Co-editor of the series New Approaches to English Historical Linguistics (Palgrave Macmillan)
- Member of the Advisory Editorial Board of NOWELE (North-Western European Language Evolution; John Benjamins)
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Member of Norway's Agder Academy of Sciences and Letters
- Affiliate of the Angus McIntosh Centre for Historical Linguistics
- Member of the International Association of University Professors of English
- Member of the International Society for the Study of Early Medieval England
- Member of the Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature
- Member of SELIM (Spanish Society for Medieval English Language and Literature)
Supervisions
I am interested in supervising doctoral projects on a topic broadly related to my areas of research:
- English historical linguistics (including historical dialectology, sociolinguistics, stylistics and glossography);
- (Historical) language contact;
- Medieval English studies;
- Germanic linguistics
- Pedagogical applications of historical linguistics.
I am currently (co-)supervising the following projects:
- Lydia Hedges (Cardiff University); provisional title: ‘Teacher Training in Oracy and Vocabulary Development in Primary Schools in Wales’ (Co-supervisor)
- Maria Ruprecht (Bristol University); provisional title: ‘A Glossary of Layamon's Brut’
- Marina Asián Caparrós (University of Zurich); provisional title: ‘Scandinavian Lexical Impact on Regional Variation and Scribal Choice in Middle English Poetry’
Past projects
Recent PhD dissertations I have (co-)supervised include:
- Wiebke Juliane Elter (University of Mannheim): ‘On the Integration of Scandinavian Loan Verbs into Medieval English’ (2025)
- Ellen Bristow (Cardiff University): ‘“Languages Connect Us”: Investigating the Impact of Explicit Instruction in English Derivational Morphology and Etymology on Welsh Pupils’ Word Decoding and Comprehension Skills’ (2023)
- Elisa Ramírez Pérez (Cardiff University): ‘The Restructuring of the Old English Second Weak Verbal Class: Evidence from Late Northumbrian’ (2023)
- Xoana Costa Rivas (University of Seville): 'Language Change in Late Old Northumbrian: The Strong Verbal System' (2021)
Contact Details
Pons-SanzS@cardiff.ac.uk
+44 29208 76128
John Percival Building, Room 3.33, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
+44 29208 76128
John Percival Building, Room 3.33, Colum Drive, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
