Staff and students in English Language and Intercultural Communication recently enjoyed a guest lecture from Professor Laurie Bauer of Victoria University of Wellington.

Professor Bauer delivered an entertaining talk with the provocative title 'New Zealand English does not exist' to students studying Global English, and other interested parties including visitors from the University of Cambridge. We were regaled with Maori terms for the indigenous flora and fauna, beautifully illustrated, as well as a fairly unintelligible sample of Maori radio, so that the irony of the title soon became obvious: New Zealand English clearly is a distinct variety.

Professor Bauer is currently a visiting professor at the University of Newcastle and came to Anglia Ruskin at the invitation of Melanie Bell, Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics, with whom he shares research interests in English word-formation. Melanie was his guest at a conference in Wellington last year, where she was an invited speaker.

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