About
I joined the English Department at the University of Birmingham in 2010. Previously I have taught and lectured in English in the UK, New Zealand and Japan.
Qualifications
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PhD in Applied Linguistics (Lancaster University)
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Master of Research in Applied Linguistics (Lancaster University)
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Master of Professional Studies in Language Learning and Teaching (University of Auckland)
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Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and German (Hons) (University of Aberdeen)
Teaching
I teach on both the in-house and the distance MA programmes in TEFL and Applied Linguistics. Campus-based courses that I will be teaching in 2010/11 are:
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Psychological aspects of language
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Second language teaching and learning
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Language testing
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Research methods in corpus linguistics
Postgraduate supervision
I would be interested in supervising MA, MPhil and PhD research in the following areas:
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Corpus-based language research in general
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The combination of corpus-linguistics and psycholinguistics
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Corpus-based study of language change
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Corpus-based approaches to EAP/ESP
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or in any other area that fits with my research interest
Research
My research interests include psycholinguistics (sentence processing) and corpus linguistics.
A large part of my recent research has focused on the relationship between phenomenon of collocation as observed through corpora and how people process language. This has involved using corpora of learner language to extract instances typical of non-native collocation patterns. I have used eye-tracking experiments to investigate what additional burden such collocation patterns place on native speaker’s processing of a sentence.
I also work closely with colleagues in the fields of biomedicine. This collaboration has lead to the creation of The Centre for Biomedical and Health Linguistics - a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating communications in biomedical and health. Our work aims to build iterative linkages between linguists and those within the biomedical and health disciplines by providing web-based resources serving both linguists and those who actually work in the language(s) of biomedicine and health. Our team is involved in the development and analysis of corpora of targeted domains in biomedicine and health.
Publications
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Millar, N. (2012). 'Use the active voice whenever possible': The impact of style-guidelines in medical journals. Applied Linguistics.
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Budgell B., Millar N., Kwong A. (2011) A Diachronic study of the language of chiropractic. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association.
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Millar, N. (2011). The processing of malformed learner collocations. Applied Linguistics.
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Millar, N., Budgell, B., Kwong, A. (2011). Quantitative corpus-based analysis of the chiropractic literature - A pilot study. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association.
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Chiba, Y., Millar, N., Budgell, B. (2010). The Language of Midwifery and Perinatal Care: A quantitative analysis. Journal of the Japan Academy of Midwifery. 24(1), 1-10.
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Millar, N. (2009). Modal verbs in TIME: frequency changes 1923-2006. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics. 14(2), 191-220.
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Millar, N., & Lehtinen, B. (2008). DIY local learner corpora: Bridging gaps between theory and practice. JALT CALL Journal. 4(2): 61-72.
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Millar, N. , & Budgell, B. (2008). The language of public health - a corpus-based analysis. Journal of Public Health. 16(5), 369-374.
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Millar, N. (2007). The Kanda Learner Corpus. Studies in Linguistics and Language Teaching - Kanda University of International Studies. 17, 79-91.
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Millar, N. (2007).The development of a learner corpus at Kanda University of International Studies. Working Papers in Language Education - Kanda University of International Studies. 3: 75-85.
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Millar, N. (2006). Japanese learners' use of loanword cognates: a corpus-based study. The Journal of Kanda University of International Studies. 18: 479-496.