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Descriptive and documentary linguistics

Summary

My research aims to describe and explain the typologies of and relationships among Greater Mainland Southeast Asian and Himalayan languages. My descriptive work relies exclusively on primary field data, and I have interests in improving and extending ethnographic and linguistic fieldwork methodologies. I approach explanation primarily from a functional-diachronic perspective, viewing human language as a dynamic process whose contemporary grammatical “structures” are best understood as reified outcomes of earlier patterns of discourse and interaction.

Supervisor

Dr Mark Post.

Research location

Linguistics, School of Humanities (SOH)

Synopsis

Research interests

  • Languages of Greater Mainland Southeast Asia: Austro-Tai languages, Sinitic languages, Trans-Himalayan/Tibeto-Burman languages (especially in the Eastern Himalaya) Austroasiatic languages, Asian language isolates
  • Descriptive and documentary linguistics: fieldwork methodologies and technologies, lexicography, grammatology, language maintenance and revitalisation
  • Anthropological and evolutionary linguistics: human culture and the contextual evolution of linguistic structures, historical morphosyntax, language contact and genealogical linguistics
  • Functional-typological linguistics: experimental phonetics and phonology, quantitative frequency-distributional analysis, morphological typology, part-of-speech theory

Supervision

  • Phonological and/or grammatical descriptions of minority languages, especially of Mainland Asia
  • Functional and/or diachronic analyses of grammatical phenomena, especially in languages of Asia
  • Computer-assisted analysis of under-resourced Asian languages

Additional information

1. If you are interested in this research opportunity, you are encouraged to email the academic directly.  To find the academic’s email address, follow the link provided to their profile page.  Introduce yourself and provide some academic background. You may be asked for an academic transcript. Explain why you are interested in your area of research and, if appropriate, why you are interested in working with the recipient.

2. Write an initial research proposal.  (Refer to How to write a research proposal for guidance.)  In no more than 2000 words demonstrate how your research experience aligns with the supervisor’s and why you’re interested in this opportunity.

3. If you would like general advice in your subject area before submitting an application, contact an academic advisor listed here: https://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/study/postgraduate-research/postgraduate-research-contact.html

 

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Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 3171