PhD studentship in language standardization and variation (with a focus on one or more European and/or Asian languages) University of Nottingham

PhD studentship in language standardization and variation (with a focus on one or more European and/or Asian languages) University Of Nottingham, School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies (Modern Languages)

Applications are invited for a three-year PhD studentship in the School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies (CLAS) at the University of Nottingham (UoN). Applicants should have a research project focused on the status of one or more standard languages in Europe and/or Asia (past and/or present). Project proposals with a comparative and/or historical dimension are particularly welcome, but this is not essential. Please note projects should not be focussed solely or principally on English.

The studentship includes Home/EU fees, a stipend of £14,296 per year, and an additional budget to attend conferences and conduct research.

The studentship is part of a collaborative project, ‘Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies (MEITS)’, funded by the AHRC under the Open World Research Initiative to promote modern languages in the UK. The project comprises a team of 14 Co-Investigators, 14 Post-doctoral researchers and 6 PhD students who will be based at Cambridge, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Queen’s Belfast. There will also be a postdoc at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and at the University of Peking.

MEITS is an exciting multidisciplinary project, which includes six research strands which will explore multilingualism from a range of perspectives (S1. Arts of identity: literature, cinema, culture and citizenship in a globalizing Europe; S2. Standard languages, norms and variation: comparative perspectives in multilingual contexts; S3. Sociolinguistic perspectives on multilingualism: identity, diversity and social cohesion; S4. The influence of multilingual identity on foreign language learning; S5. Language learning across the lifespan: the role of age, language-specific factors and learning experience on language acquisition; S6. Multilingualism and cognition: implications for motivation, health and well-being). The project has a number of key non-HEI partners and there is an important policy and public engagement dimension to the work. We expect researchers to be open to exploring and developing new interdisciplinary approaches and, if necessary, to learn a new language.

The PhD studentship is part of Strand 2, Standard languages, norms and variation: comparative perspectives in multilingual contexts. The PhD student will be based at UoN and work under the supervision of Professor Nicola McLelland and a second staff member, depending on the language(s) of focus. The student will be offered the opportunity to contribute chapters and/or articles to the project’s books and journal issues, to deliver papers at the project’s conferences and colloquiums, contribute to the organization of postgraduate activities and project events. He/she may have the opportunity to intern with one of the grant’s external partners, and to spend time at the UoN’s China campus (in Ningbo) or Malaysia campus (outside Kuala Lumpur).

The School of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies (CLAS) is a leading centre for the study of modern languages and cultures, including linguistics, and has a diverse, friendly and stimulating community of undergraduates, postgraduates and early career researchers. It is home to the Centre for Contemporary East Asian Cultural Studies, and also has a division at the University of Nottingham’s Chinese campus in Ningbo, UNNC. Modern Languages is a friendly place to study and work, and has a vibrant academic community.

The full-time studentship begins October 1, 2016, or as soon as possible thereafter in 2016 or in early 2017, by negotiation. Further inquiries about the post should be addressed via email to Professor Nicola Mclelland nicola.mclelland@nottingham.ac.uk .

Applications are due by August 22nd^th, 2016, to nicola.mclelland@nottingham.ac.uk, and should include a CV, a project proposal of 1-2 pages, and two academic references (emailed directly by referees). Interview will take place in early/mid-September., at which point the successful candidate will apply to the School’s PhD programme. For more information on the Modern Languages PhD programme, click here