Cercignani's philological interests have been mainly directed towards the history of the English language, with especial regard to the Elizabethan period.
As «the foremost authority» on Elizabethan pronunciation,[REF] Cercignani is often cited on puns, rhymes, and spellings in the more recent editions of Shakespeare's works,[REF] in most reference works on Shakespeare,[REF] and in various publications dealing with linguistic and literary questions from a historical point of view [REF].