Department of English - University of Turku

12/11/2025

Which English word makes our lecturer Derya Duran smile? This new Instagram video by Turun Sanomat will tell you the answer and teach the meaning of the word in an unforgettable manner. 🍁❤️

https://www.instagram.com/turunsanomat/reel/DQw5ws7jI3c/

12/11/2025

Turun Sanomat is running a series of articles in which teachers and researchers from the School of Languages and Translation Studies write once a month about a language-related topic. It's now our department's turn as lecturer Derya Duran reveals some reasons why Finns excel in English. Happy reading!

https://www.ts.fi/kulttuuri/6810841 (subscription to TS content needed)

Muutin Turkista Suomeen kuusi vuotta sitten työskennelläkseni yliopistossa. Odotin tuolloin, että kommunikointi tulisi olemaan vaikeaa. Kuvittelin käyttäväni kömpelöitä käsieleitä ja käännössovelluksia arjessa selviytymiseen. Sujuvaa englantia en osannut odottaa ja vieläpä kaikenikä...

02/09/2025

As part of the semester opening ceremony, our very own Pekka Lintunen was selected as the Supervisor of the Year at the university! The department wholeheartedly joins UTU Rector Marjo Kaartinen and the student union in congratulating Pekka on this wonderful and well-deserved achievement. 🥳👏👨‍🏫

19/06/2025

The annual MA Thesis Symposium has already become a tradition at our department. It provides an opportunity for students from all our MA tracks to share their research journey and present their completed or nearly completed MA thesis to a wider audience.

In the new EnglanTY post, Ira Hansen reports on this year's event together with two student presenters, Salli Salolahti and Kim Vo, who reflect on the challenges and triumphs of thesis writing.

👉 Read the full story here:

On 8 April 2025, students and staff members of the Department of English gathered for the annual MA Thesis Symposium. The event has been organized since 2013, so one could safely say that it is turning into a true tradition of the English Department.

12/06/2025

We’re excited to share an update from the ILFACT project (L2 Interactional Fluency Across Contexts), funded by the Research Council of Finland (2024–2028). This project explores how second language (L2) fluency works in real-time interactions — a crucial but under-explored area in language learning.

In May, the team continued data collection in Marburg, Germany, following earlier sessions in Finland. The team is grateful to amazing collaborators at Philipps University Marburg, especially Professor Sandra Götz, who made this possible. During the visit, Dr. Pauliina Peltonen, the PI of the project, also gave a guest lecture on social approaches to language learning and met with fellow researcher Dr. Loulou Kosmala.

Read the full story in EnglaTy blog:

L2 interactional fluency across contexts (ILFACT) is a research project focused on second language (L2) fluency in interactive settings. The project is conducted by members of the FlowLang research group and is funded by the Research Council of Finland (2024–2028). The project aims to provide info...

06/06/2025

A new text in the EnglanTY blog!

In the latest post, Maria Tervakangas reports her experiences from the Reading Visual Devices conference. Organised by the Early Modern Graphic Literacies (EModGraL) project, the conference brought together researchers interested in late medieval and early modern visual devices.

Read the full story here:

On 22 May, the foyer of Arcanum buzzed with anticipation as attendees gathered for the Reading Visual Devices conference organized by the Early Modern Graphic Literacies (EModGraL) project. The event began with a warm welcome from Marjo Kaartinen, Rector of the University of Turku and a member of th...

19/05/2025

Top hats and swords! Hanna Salmi, Sirkku Ruokkeinen, Sara Norja and Susanna Mäkinen representing in the Ceremonial Conferment of Doctoral Degrees last Friday. Congrats!

09/05/2025

We are thrilled to announce two well-deserved recognitions given to our colleagues for their dedication and excellence yesterday at the Faculty’s Humanities Day!

🌟 Professor Emerita Outi Paloposki received the prestigious Tiedon Helmi Award from The Finnish Association of Translators and Interpreters (SKTL), celebrating her long-standing impact on the field and her commitment to inspiring and helping colleagues.

🏅 University Lecturer Janne Skaffari was honoured with this year’s Majakka teaching award based on outstanding teaching merits during the previous calendar year. Janne has not only demonstrated excellence in teaching but has also been closely involved in developing the new national entrance exam.

The department warmly congratulates Outi and Janne on these remarkable achievements! 👏👏

28/04/2025

The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters has awarded this year's prestigious honorary award to Professor Emerita Krista Varantola for her pioneering work in linguistics and significant contributions to science. Varantola is both a PhD alumna and a Docent of the Department of English.

More information (in Finnish) available at

Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia jakoi perjantaina 25.4. vuotuisen kunniapalkintonsa (30 000 euroa). Palkinto myönnettiin vaikuttavan uran tehneelle Krista Varantolalle. Tieteellisestä elämäntyöstä jaettava palkinto on Suomalaisen Tiedeakatemian arvostetuin tunnustus.

10/04/2025

📚✨Are you curious to know how graphic features were used in historical texts and how they shaped the English language? Look no further than the new EnglanTY blog post, in which Matti Peikola, a co-editor of the recently published "Graphic Practices and Literacies in the History of English", explores what the interplay between graphic features and meanings reveals about the evolution of English communication.

👉 Read more about this fascinating topic and the full post here:

On 26 March, the Department of English celebrated over coffee and cake the latest publication of the Early Modern Graphic Literacies (EModGraL) research project: an edited peer-reviewed volume entitled Graphic Practices and Literacies in the History of English. The 350-page book is published by the....

27/03/2025

Hot off the press! Edited by Matti Peikola, Jukka Tyrkkö and Mari-Liisa Varila, Graphic Practices and Literacies in the History of English investigates early English multimodal practices and graphic literacies. In addition to two proud editors - who are ready to celebrate the publication in the photo - the new book also includes chapters by Aino Liira, Hanna Salmi and Janne Skaffari from our Department. More information about the book, including the table of contents, can be found at

https://www.brepols.net/products/IS-9782503600451-1

29/11/2024

Today, our recently retired Professor Outi Paloposki gave her farewell lecture entitled "Out(i)-dated notes: On work, retirement and after-life". Through a fascinating selection of texts, notebooks and other professional paraphernalia from past decades, Outi offered us glimpses of her journey, which has spanned decades - and surprisingly many continents! Congratulations on a job well done, and here's to all the future adventures as Professor Emerita! 🥂🍾🥳👩‍🎓🏖