University of Surrey

The Surrey Morphology Group

Dept. of English

MPhil/PhD Studentship

(For three years, subject to satisfactory progress)

FURTHER INFORMATION

The Surrey Morphology Group invites applications for a PhD Studentship funded by the European Research Council as part of the MORPHOLOGY project, for three years, starting either July 1 2009 or October 1 2009. The post-holder will register for a full-time PhD in the Group to work on the contribution of inflectional classes to morphological complexity. The supervisory team will consist of Professor Greville Corbett, Dr Matthew Baerman and Dr Dunstan Brown.

The MORPHOLOGY project investigates the contribution of inflectional morphology to linguistic complexity, and in particular the role of autonomous morphological systems, such as inflection classes and many-to-one correspondences, which constitute a level of structure distinct from the functional categories they express.

The studentship includes a maintenance grant of £13,290 per annum and will last for three years.

Selection criteria

The following criteria will be used to select the successful candidate:

Qualifications and Professional Memberships

A good first degree in a relevant discipline (Essential)

Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (Desirable)

Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge of one of the following: morphology; syntax; typology; computational linguistics

Strong interest in inflectional classes or morphological complexity.

Excellent inter-personal skills

Excellent presentation skills

Good administrative and organisational skills

Good IT skills

Able to work independently and as part of a team

Research

Many languages express different grammatical meanings through inflectional morphology, as in English walk, walk-s, walk-ed and walk-ing. It can be argued that inflection is one of the most uniquely human aspects of language: even animal communication may be said to have a lexicon and at least a rudimentary syntax, but only human language has inflectional morphology. Morphology thus has a unique potential to illuminate aspects of human cognition.

The MORPHOLOGY project investigates the extra complexity that autonomous systems introduce. These are systems which introduce a degree of complexity at cross-purposes with the meaning or function of the utterance. This complexity, though often idiosyncratic, is highly structured, and is determined by – and hence a reflection of – the human mind. The MORPHOLOGY project proposes a comprehensive investigation of morphological complexity and what it can tell us about the thought processes that produce it, drawing on the resources both of linguistic typology and of those branches of linguistics that deal with cognition.

The successful applicant will pursue a specific agreed topic related to inflectional classes within the overall project, and will benefit from being part of a larger research group.

Further information on Surrey Morphology Group may be found at our website: www.surrey.ac.uk/LIS/SMG

As a member of the Surrey Morphology Group the post-holder will be expected to attend regular supervisory sessions and other training activities organised for doctoral students.

Application process

To apply, please send: a covering letter explaining how you meet the criteria specified on the 'further intormation sheet'; one page outlining why you are interested in morphological complexity; and a CV including the names of two referees. These should be sent to Melanie Mullally, Surrey Morphology Group, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH or emailed to l.mack@surrey.ac.uk. Please include the reference MORPHOLOGY/PhD in your application and supply your postal address.

The closing date for applications is May 13 2009. Interviews are expected to be held on June 4 2009.

Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Matthew Baerman (m.baerman@surrey.ac.uk).

University of Surrey

edx212

2009-03-19

Dunstan Brown

University of Surrey