Biography
B.A. Modern and Medieval Languages (French and German), Girton College, Cambridge
D Phil University of Oxford under the supervision of Professor Rebecca Posner
1982-1983 Junior Research Fellow, St Hilda's College, Oxford
1983-1998 Assistant Lecturer, then Lecturer in French Linguistics, University of Cambridge
1998-2005 Reader in French Philology and Linguistics, University of Cambridge
2005-2022 Professor of French Philology and Linguistics
2022- Emerita Professor of French Philology and Linguistics and Emerita Fellow of Murray Edwards College
Research
I work on the history of the French language and the history of linguistic thought, particularly in seventeenth-century France. I am especially interested in considering what effect, if any, metalinguistic texts have on language change in France and the extent to which the seventeenth-century so-called prescriptive texts reflect or shape the evolution of the language. I have also published on socio-historical linguistics and have worked extensively on possible sources of non-standard usages in seventeenth-century France.
My current research interests include language policy, standardization, codification and ideologies. Between 2016 and 2021, I was Principal Investigator on the multi-disciplinary research project, Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies, funded by the AHRC (www.meits.org). The project worked closely with policymakers and practitioners to promote the value of languages for key issues of our time and the benefits of language learning for individuals and societies. A follow-on AHRC funded research project Promoting Language Policy explored the economic value to the UK of speaking other languages and created a repository of UK language policy documents (www.promotinglanguagepolicy.org).
Publications
Ayres-Bennett, W. (1987) Vaugelas and the Development of the French Language. London, MHRA
Ayres-Bennett, W. (1996) A History of the French Language through Texts. London, Routledge
Ayres-Bennett, W. & Caron, P. (1996) Les Remarques de l’Académie Française sur le Quinte-Curce de Vaugelas 1719-1720. Paris: Presses de l’Ecole normale supérieure.
Ayres-Bennett, W. & Carruthers, J. with Temple, R. (2000) Problems and Perspectives: Studies in the Modern French Language. Harlow: Longman Linguistics Library.
Ayres-Bennett, W. (2004) Sociolinguistic Variation in Seventeenth-Century France. Cambridge, CUP
Ayres-Bennett, W. and Seijido, M. (2011) Remarques et observations sur la langue française: histoire et évolution d'un genre. Paris, Classiques Garnier.
Ayres-Bennett, W. (2011) Corpus des remarques sur la langue française (XVIIe siècle). Paris, Classiques Garnier Numérique.
Ayres-Bennett, W. (2018) Claude Favre de Vaugelas, Remarques sur la langue française. Paris: Editions Classiques Garnier.
Ayres-Bennett, W. & Carruthers, J. (2018) Manual of Romance Sociolinguistics. Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter.
Ayres-Bennett, W. & Sanson, H. (2020) Women in the History of Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ayres-Bennett, W. & Bellamy, J. (2021) The Cambridge Handbook of Language Standardization. Cambridge: Cambridge Unversity Press.
Ayres-Bennett, W. & Fisher, L. (2022) Multilingualism and Identity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ayres-Bennett, W. (2022) Corpus augmenté des remarques et observations sur la langue française (XVIIe siècle). Paris: Classiques Garnier Numérique.
Ayres-Bennett, W. (2022) Corpus des remarques et observations sur la langue française (XVIIIe siècle). Paris: Classiques Garnier Numérique.
Other Professional Activities
Vice-President of the Philological Society.
