Dr Christine Jones BA, PGCE, PhD, SFHEA

I support the Dean of Faculty in all academic issues, providing general academic and professional leadership within the fields of quality assurance, teaching and learning and curriculum development and enhancement of the student learning experience. I work closely with the relevant Support Units to deliver appropriate quality systems across the University and play a central role in ensuring that the Faculty complies with academic regulations. I line manage the Heads of School and a number of academic staff from the Athrofa: Institute of Education.

I graduated with a degree in Welsh from the University of Wales Aberystwyth. I then moved to Saint David’s University College, Lampeter to undertake a PhD on the dialect of Pembrokeshire. On completion I undertook a PGCE course in University College Swansea before being appointed to a lecturing post in the Welsh Department in Saint David’s University College Lampeter.

Having started teaching Welsh learners in night classes, I developed my expertise in fields such as applied linguistics and sociolinguistics through teaching initially primarily linguistically focused modules on the BA in Welsh and the BA in Welsh Studies. I also completed a University of Wales Certificate in Teaching Welsh to Adults and qualifications to become an NVQ Assessor of Welsh during this time.

As well as lecturing, I undertook a wide range of additional roles within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Lampeter, such as that of Sub-Dean of the Faculty for four years. In addition I also undertook several External Assessor roles for bodies such as the WJEC and the University of Wales.

In 1999, I co-wrote the first on-line Welsh language course in the Department and later played a key role in developing two on-line undergraduate degree schemes within the Department, together with the Department’s on-line dictionary and grammar.  In 2007 I became Head of the Department of Welsh as well as Academic Staff Development Advisor for the Institution. 

In 2010 I was appointed to the role of Head of the School of Welsh and Bilingual Studies in the recently created University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

In 2015 I was appointed to my present role as Assistant Dean (Quality) in the . The Faculty works across both Swansea and Carmarthen campuses and my time therefore is split between these two sites.

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• British Association of Applied Linguistics

Whilst the focus of my present role is primarily educational management, I continue to teach postgraduate students on a range of courses.

Five students have successfully completed their PhD’s with me in the last five years, two through published works and three in the fields of socio-linguistics/ applied linguistics. I now have six students undertaking MPhil/PhD degrees in the following areas:

• Second language acquisition
• Dialect literature
• Language planning
• Socio-linguistics
• Education
• Language teaching methodology

I am also second supervisor to several other students and supervise MA Dissertations, primarily for the MA in Celtic Studies.

As Director of the Welsh medium PGCert Teaching in Higher Education, I also teach the following modules which are for staff new to teaching in HE: 

• UNHE7005C    Addysgu mewn Addysg Uwch 1
• UNHE7006C    Addysgu mewn Addysg Uwch 2

I am also the module lead for two modules on our EdD.

I am a recognised expert in the field of second language acquisition. As well as academic articles on subjects such as motivation and attitudes toward language learning and the role of the on-line language tutor, I have published over 25 books for adult learners of Welsh. These range from edited novels and short stories, to volumes on Welsh grammar, together with several course books and CD’s. 

Teach Yourself Welsh first published by Hodder & Stoughton in 1999, has sold over 35,000 copies world-wide and has been reprinted and revised on several occasions. My most recent edited volume published in 2016 was a handbook for Welsh for Adults tutors, discussing a range of teaching methods and techniques and recent developments in the field.

My other key academic research interests are sociolinguistics and dialectology, particularly sociolinguistic aspects of the Welsh dialect of Pembrokeshire.  I have published many academic articles in these fields and I am a regular contributor on TV and radio programmes discussing language related matters.  

I have also presented conference papers and published several articles on literary dialect and dialect literature, a subject which had previously received scant attention from a Welsh perspective. I am at present undertaking preliminary research for a further article on attitudes towards literary dialect.

I am a member of the Language, Literacy and Communication Centre for Research and Innovation and involved in various ongoing research projects connected with this Centre.

As indicated under research interests, my key areas of expertise include:

• Second language acquisition, particularly amongst adult learners
• Dialectology, particularly the Welsh dialect of Pembrokeshire
• Dialect literature
• Welsh grammar
• Sociolinguistics and aspects of bilingualism
• Second language teaching methods
• On-line learning

I particularly welcome inquiries from prospective research students who may wish to undertake a higher degree in one of these fields.

I was a member of a Group set up by the former Minister for Education and Skills to review Welsh for Adults provision between 2012-13. The group report: Raising our Sights was published in July 2013 

I was a Subject Advisor for Welsh to Adults for the Welsh Government between 2008-13.  I was responsible for monitoring a number of  projects  in the field of Welsh language resources such as:

• Cymraeg i’r Teulu  - WJEC 2009-13
• Cymraeg o’r Crud - Bangor University 2010

Editorial Advisor for Collins Spurrell 2009 and 2015 and Transparent Languages 2010-11, 2013

Regular reader for a number of academic Presses such as Routledge and the University of Wales Press, together with journals such as Gwerddon.

Select publications:

Recent single authored volumes

Welsh Grammar you really need to know, London: Hodder & Stoughton (2013), 272

Essential Welsh Grammar, London: Hodder & Stoughton (2010), 276

Teach Yourself Welsh Grammar, London: Hodder & Stoughton (2007), 226 

Recent co-authored volumes

Raising our Sights: a review of Welsh for Adults, Cardiff:  Welsh Government (2013), 97

The Complete Welsh Course, London: Hodder & Stoughton (2010), 346

Speak Welsh with Confidence, London: Hodder & Stoughton (2010), 3 CD’s and a booklet

Teach Yourself Welsh Conversation, London: Hodder & Stoughton (2007), 3 CD’s and a booklet

Recent edited volumes

Cyfoethogi’r Cyfathrebu: llawlyfr ymarferol i diwtoriaid Cymraeg i Oedolion cyd-olygydd Steve Morris, Cardiff: UWP (2016), 249

Goreuon y Ganrif – a selection of short stories and grammatical notes in the series Cam at y Cewri, Llandysul: Gomer Press (2004), 136

A selection of recently published articles

‘E-ddysgu a rôl yr e-diwtor’, Cyfoethogi’r Cyfathrebu: llawlyfr ymarferol i diwtoriaid Cymraeg i Oedolion Cardiff: UWP ( 2016), 214-226

‘Welsh: A Language in Crisis?’ Minority Languages in Europe, Ed. Alena Mizerola, Brno: Masaryk University Press (2009), 45-65

The section on the Welsh language for the Year’s Work in Modern Languages Vol 67, Manly Publishing for the Modern Humanities Research Association (2006), 491-496

‘Gal∙les i el ga∙les: una avaluació sociolingüística’, Europa parla (ii)‘Anuari de l’Agrupació Borrianenca de Cultura XV11 Eds.. Josep Guzmin, Joan Verdegal, (2006), 65-82.

‘Llafar Bro Maenclochog’, yn Mam-gu, Siân Hywêl a Naomi / Grandma, Vicar Howells and Madame Tussauds.Ed,. Hefin Wyn, Maenclochog: Clychau Clochog Society (2006), 369-381

A selection of recent external examining roles: 

• External Examiner for the PGCert in Translation Studies and Technologies Bangor University 2014-18
• External Examiner for PhD candidate, Cardiff University 2016
• External Examiner for the Certificate in Teaching Welsh to Adults, Cardiff University 2007-12
• External Examiner for the Foundation Degree in Translation, Glyndŵr University 2008-12

I am at present a member of the following editorial board

• Editorial Board of Res Celticae the linguistic periodical of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan

I am also a secondary school Governor and a member of Carmarthenshire County Council’s Schools Admission Forum.