In 2021 Dr Lorna Hiles Morris completed her PhD (Lexicography) in the Department as well as a term as Consolidoc fellow. She has recently been awarded the international A.S. Hornby Dictionary Award – a £15 000 two-year research grant for her proposed research into electronic dictionary devices for South African primary school children.

The aim of the A.S. Hornby Dictionary Award is to fund original research that produces clear practical benefits for learners of English. Each year the adjudicators look for and reward interesting and innovative proposals which link lexical research activities with the needs of language learners. Dr Morris's research follows on from her PhD, in which she designed entries for an electronic school dictionary that expressly supports learners who are not learning in their home language. Her new project, supported by the A.S. Hornby Dictionary Award, will take these designs and test them on electronic devices in schools. If the research produces positive outcomes, it will be a significant step in the development of a portable dictionary device for South African schools, supporting literacy in primary schools.

The Department is proud of Dr Morris's achievements and wishes her success as she continues her research.

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