Meet our chair: Dr Beck Sinar
- Beck Sinar
- Sep 28
- 3 min read
At our AGM in April, Dr Beck Sinar was voted in as the new Chair of YASS. She lives in a Scandinavian-named village just outside York with her husband, two children, two dogs, cat, hamster, tropical fish, fully aquatic frogs and a resident hedgehog. She still loves to play with Lego and controversially prefers the Kit Kats over the Kvikk Lunsj. Let's find out a bit more about her.
What is your connection to York?
I came to study Linguistics with Literature at the University in 1997 because it's a top university in a truly beautiful city which is both modern and historical. Little did I know that I would stay to do a masters degree and then a PhD and end up working at the University myself.
What's your PhD in?
It's in the History of the English language, mostly focussing on earlier English (before 1750). So it includes Old English (before 1066), Middle English (1066-1500) and Early Modern English (1500-1750), as well as consideration of some bits of English today. There is a bit of Old Norse in there and I’m currently looking into reflexive pronouns in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish.
What do you do at the University?
I'm now Director of Studies and Senior Lecturer at the Norwegian Study Centre. Amongst other things, I teach and research representations of Yorkshire in TV, film and social media and the shared histories, cultures and languages of northern England and the Nordics, so a lot of what I do links really well to YASS.
What are your connections to Scandinavia?
I suppose this can be broken into professional links and personal interest. Let's start with the professional side. Through my work at the Norwegian Study Centre, I teach around 1000 students and welcome around 60 visiting academics and administrators from across the Norwegian institutions of higher education every year. We have recently opened up courses to the wider Nordic region, so I'm delighted to also be welcoming students from Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland.
In 2024 I was involved in a Festival of Ideas event with the Riding Lights Theatre, sponsored by YASS, which explored the works of Norwegian prize winning author Jon Fosse.
I'm also excited to be part of the new northern sea university consortium which includes the Universities of York, Newcastle, Durham, Leeds, Oslo, Bergen, Tromsø and Trondheim.
On a personal level, I love finding out about other countries and cultures. I have always been interested in "the north", especially places that have Germanic based languages. I also can't deny that I find the history of the Vikings fascinating.
I have been lucky enough to visit many places in Norway, including travelling economy (below even the cars) on the sadly-no-more Newcastle to Kristiansand ferry. Some of my Norwegian highlights are wild swimming in the Sognefjord, visiting the home of Ever Aasen, near Volda, and building campfires with school children on Fløyen in Bergen. I've been to Denmark and Iceland, with Sweden and Finland very much on the bucket list.
I am currently learning Norwegian which only adds fuel to the idea that I'm half Norwegian!
Copenhagen, November 2025
Why did you get involved in YASS?
My history with YASS goes back some way - I gave an invited talk in 2007 on the influence of Old Norse on the Yorkshire Dialect and between then and 2024 I attended some events, such as the fabulous Lucia service held annually at York Minster. In 2024 I got more involved by joining the committee, where I was voted in as Vice Chair. Showing what a small world it is, the then Chair had actually taught me about Icelandic (and other things) as an undergraduate!
What are your hopes for YASS?
As the newly elected chair of our long-established and much-loved society, I am both humbled and inspired by the responsibility entrusted to me. Our society has long thrived on friendship, curiosity, and a shared passion for exploring the rich connections between York and the Nordic countries. My hope is to build on this strong foundation by encouraging lively academic talks, fostering warm and inclusive social gatherings, and welcoming new and existing members into our growing community. Together, we will continue to celebrate cultural exchange, strengthen old ties, and create new ones, ensuring our society remains vibrant, engaging, and full of lasting friendships.
Have you got a question for Beck? Why not send a message to the YASS secretary or come along to one of our events and ask her yourself?
