Fae Hicks
Fae Hicks
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PhD student in Linguistics
University of Edinburgh
PhD student in Linguistics
University of Edinburgh
fhicks [at] ed [dot] ac [dot] uk
About me
About me
I am a PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh working on Theoretical Historical Linguistics supervised by Patrick Honeybone and Rob Truswell. I am interested in theoretical comparison in both phonology and syntax (and indeed, between phonology and syntax) specifically, how various theories of the synchronic mind can account for the nature and progression of linguistic change and how they can combine with theories of change.
My interest in the nature and causes of linguistic change on both an individual (i-language, grammar, competence) level and a capital-L-Language (English, French, Hindi, et c.) level have lead me to address broad philosophical questions like
What is a historical process?
What does it mean for one change to 'cause' another?
At what point can a change be considered 'complete'?
As well as more specific questions pertaining to the nature of historical developments in phonology and syntax such as
Is 'phonetic erosion' a phonological change?
Does phonological change cause syntactic change or vice versa?
Spoiler, the answer to both of these is a resounding no! My PhD combines elements of syntactic and phonological theory with theories of change and a sprinkling of linguistic philosophy to create a project that is very hard to categorise into a subfield. This very problem led my collaborator and I, to create ETHL (Edinburgh Theoretical Hisotrical Linguistics) a workshop catering to the intersection of historical and theoretical linguistics.
I am well grounded in both theoretical and historical linguistics. My background is in historical syntax having completed my Masters by research (MRes) with Giuseppe Longobardi at York on the parametric development of Latin. I have also recently started toying with phonological theory in a Logical Phonological analysis of the Scottish Vowel Length Rule.
Teaching
Teaching
I have tutored on a number of courses at the University of Edinburgh and have extensive experience teaching core linguistics (syntax, semantics, phonology) as well as experience teaching courses on the history of English and English sociolinguistics.
Moreover, I have guest-lectured in two Historical Linguistics honours courses, Historical Linguistics and Historical Phonology, delivering classes on the comparative method and the nature of phonological change.
Courses taught
Introduction to Linguistics and English Language 1A (2025-6)
Introduction to Linguistics and English Language 1B (2023-4)
Linguistic Theory and the Structure of English (2023-4; 2024-5; 2025-6)
English in Time and Space (2024-5; 2025-6)
Guest lectures
Historical Linguistics (2024-5)
Historical Phonology (2025-6)
Outreach & Service
Outreach & Service
I am committed to the building and maintenance of academic communities which are widely accessible. Through my organisational role in several conferences I have consistently aimed to keep registration fees low and as Chair of the Linguistics and English Language Postgraduate Conference at Edinburgh (LELPGC) in 2025 I was able to secure funding to offer bursaries to 5 students to support their attendance.
Through my role as Secretary of the Lingusitics Association of Great Britian Postgraduate Student Committee (LAGBPSC) I am running a workshop series on Applying to PhDs along with a fellow committee member. This series demystifies the hidden curriculum by providing prospective students all the knowledge that we have gained only since being in the system. We aim to make applying to a PhD accessible to all interested students, leveling the playing field by making the "insider information" to all - you can check out the workshops and resources here!
I am also working on a series of guides for Linguistics students - the first of which is The Linguist's Guide to PhD Applications written with Zara Fahim on behalf of the LAGBPSC.
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