Welcome to PhilSoc

The Philological Society (PhilSoc) was established in 1830 and  is the oldest learned society in Great Britain devoted to the scholarly study of language and languages. As well as encouraging all aspects of the study of language, PhilSoc has a particular interest in historical and comparative linguistics, and in the structure, development, and varieties of Modern English.

Next Meeting

Mar
14
2026

March 2026

The expression of social gender identity in sex-based grammatical gender systems
Anna Thornton (University of L'Aquila)

This talk will be given at the University of Oxford, in Ertegun House.

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Latest Recordings

From the PhilSoc Blog

The 27th International Conference of Historical Linguistics

Written by Fae Hicks (University of Edinburgh), recipient of a travel and fieldwork bursary from the Philological Society. Thanks to the support of PhilSoc’s Travel and Fieldwork bursary I was able to present my research, The myth of phonetic erosion: grammaticalisation, … Continue reading

Edinburgh Symposium in Historical Phonology

Written by Fae Hicks (Edinburgh) In the depths of Scottish winter, 1st – 2nd December, we welcomed over 50 Historical Phonologists to Edinburgh for the 7th Edinburgh Symposium in Historical Phonology (ESHP). ESHP is a biannual event that brings together … Continue reading

Edinburgh Symposium in Historical Phonology Master’s Bursary 2024-25

Written by Sophie Krol (UCL), a recipient of the Philological Society’s Master’s Bursary 2024-25 It is thanks to the Philological Society and their extremely generous Master’s bursary – and to my supervisors at Newcastle University who brought my attention to … Continue reading

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Funding & Bursaries

Information about funding support available from PhilSoc may be found here