Christian Ilbury
Christian (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer in Sociolinguistics at the University of Edinburgh. His work explores the relationship between digital cultures and language variation and change. Most of his research has examined the digital and linguistic practices of youth and queer people.
His research interests include:
- Ethnography
- Language variation and change
- Digital communication
- Language and sexuality
- Language and gender style
Current and notable research projects/ publications:
I have published extensively on the linguistic practices of the LGBTQ+ community. Most of my work has interrogated how members of this community use variable patterns of language across offline/online spaces. This includes the following representative publications:
- Pritchard, M. & C. Ilbury. Forthcoming. The discursive construction of transphobia in the British and French press through the representation of Imane Khelif. Gender and Language.
- Ilbury, C. & O. Hooper. 2026. POV: You’re Gay in PE – Discourses of ‘gay trauma’ in social media narratives of physical education lessons. Sport, Education, and Society. [online first]
- *Khoo, J. & C. Ilbury. 2024. Navigating ‘Safe’ and ‘Non-Safe’ Queer Spaces: A Study of Style-Shifting in Singapore. Journal of Language and Sexuality, 13 (2): 201-226.
- Ilbury, C. 2022. U Ok Hun?: The Digital Commodification of White Woman Style. Journal of Sociolinguistics. 26(4): 483-504.
- Ilbury, C. 2019. ‘Sassy Queens’: Stylistic Orthographic Variation in Twitter and the Enregisterment of AAVE. Journal of Sociolinguistics. 24:245–264.