Theo Maniski is a principal lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at the University of Bedfordshire, and routinely works with the NHS as a communication consultant. He started teaching English language in the 1980s and has since worked with schools, colleges and universities in the UK and beyond. His academic interests lie in descriptive linguistics, conversation analysis and professional communication. He teaches a range of linguistics and phonetics modules at undergraduate and postgraduate level at home and abroad.