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Choosing the right topic for your language investigation is arguably the most important decision you will make in the entire NEA process. A well-chosen topic makes everything else easier: data collection is straightforward, analysis is rich and rewarding, and the write-up flows naturally. A poorly chosen topic, on the other hand, can leave you struggling with insufficient data, superficial analysis, and a sense of frustration. This lesson guides you through the process of selecting, narrowing, and refining your investigation topic.
A good investigation topic has several essential qualities:
| Quality | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Specificity | A focused topic allows detailed analysis within 2000 words |
| Feasibility | You must be able to collect enough data realistically |
| Linguistic interest | The topic must involve genuine language analysis, not just content analysis |
| Personal interest | You will spend months on this — choose something you care about |
| Theoretical grounding | There should be relevant linguistic research you can draw on |
Key Definition: Research question — a focused, answerable question that guides your investigation and determines what data you need to collect. Alternatively, you may frame your investigation around a hypothesis — a testable prediction about what your data will show.
Here are some proven topic areas that consistently produce strong investigations. Note that each broad area must be narrowed to a specific context:
This remains one of the most popular topic areas, but it must be focused. Do not simply investigate "whether men and women talk differently." Instead, narrow it to a specific context.
Strong examples:
Relevant theories: Lakoff (deficit model), Tannen (difference model), Cameron (social constructionism), O'Barr and Atkins (powerless language), Holmes (politeness and gender)
Investigating a specific child's language development can be extremely rewarding, provided you have access to a suitable subject. You will need to record or observe a child and transcribe their speech.
Strong examples:
Relevant theories: Piaget (stages of cognitive development), Vygotsky (zone of proximal development), Bruner (scaffolding), Chomsky (Language Acquisition Device), Tomasello (usage-based theory), Brown's stages of morphological development
Investigating how language is used to exercise, maintain, or resist power in a specific context.
Strong examples:
Relevant theories: Fairclough (synthetic personalisation, power in/behind discourse), Brown and Levinson (politeness theory), Grice (cooperative principle), Goffman (face)
Investigating attitudes towards regional or social varieties of English. This often involves collecting attitudinal data through questionnaires or matched-guise tests.
Strong examples:
Relevant theories: Trudgill (overt and covert prestige), Labov (linguistic variables and social stratification), Giles (accommodation theory), Standard Language Ideology
Investigating how language has changed over a specific period, often using historical texts or corpus data.
Strong examples:
Relevant theories: Aitchison (causes of language change), grammaticalisation, semantic change (amelioration, pejoration, broadening, narrowing), standardisation
Investigating language use in digital contexts — social media, messaging, forums, online communities.
Strong examples:
Relevant theories: Crystal (language and the internet), Herring (computer-mediated discourse analysis), Shortis (texting and digital language), Baron (language online)
Some topics consistently produce weak investigations. Avoid the following:
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