20.2121, Jobs: Anthropological Ling, Socioling, Language Documentation: Post Doc

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LINGUIST List: Vol-20-2121. Tue Jun 09 2009. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 20.2121, Jobs: Anthropological Ling, Socioling, Language Documentation: Post Doc

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1)
Date: 09-Jun-2009
From: Jeff Good < jcgood at buffalo.edu >
Subject: Anthropological Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Language Documentation: Post Doc, University at Buffalo, NY, USA
 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:25:23
From: Jeff Good [jcgood at buffalo.edu]
Subject: Anthropological Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Language Documentation: Post Doc, University at Buffalo, NY, USA

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University or Organization: University at Buffalo 
Department: Linguistics
Job Location: New York, USA 
Web Address: http://linguistics.buffalo.edu/

Job Rank: Post Doc  

Specialty Areas: Anthropological Linguistics; Language Documentation; Sociolinguistics 


Description:

Applications are invited for a two-year postdoctoral research position in
the Department of Linguistics at the University at Buffalo, in conjunction
with the NSF-funded project 'Towards an Areal grammar of Lower Fungom',
directed by Jeff Good. The project involves gathering both (i) basic
documentary and descriptive materials on the languages of the Lower Fungom
region of Northwest Cameroon and (ii) collecting ethnographic information
relevant to understanding the sociolinguistics of the region. The focus of
the work for the person to be hired for this position will be on the
ethnographic and sociolinguistic aspects of the project.

Applicants should have previous fieldwork experience and be willing to
engage in fieldwork under difficult conditions in Subsaharan Africa.
Ability to speak French will be helpful but is not required as the primary
contact languages will be English and Cameroonian Pidgin (which can be
learned in the field). Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in
anthropological linguistics or the sociolinguistics of non-Western
languages. Applicants with previous fieldwork experience in Subsaharan
Africa and some background in comparative and historical linguistics will
be preferred.

Starting salary is US $40,000, with a subsequent annual increase. The
planned start date for the position is the Fall of 2009, but this is
negotiable.


Project description

The Lower Fungom region of Cameroon is one of the most linguistically
fragmented areas of one of the most linguistically diverse countries on the
planet. In an area around half the size of Chicago, one finds at least
seven indigenous languages, five of which are not spoken elsewhere. The
region's languages are not well studied, and their names--Abar [mij], Fang
[fak], Koshin [kid], Kung [kfl], Mbu' [muc], Mundabli [boe], and Naki
[mff]--are virtually unknown, even to other linguists working in Cameroon.
These languages are clearly related to the Bantu languages that dominate
Subsaharan Africa, but the details of their genetic affiliations otherwise
remain largely obscure.

Based on the results of fieldwork conducted since 2004, it has become clear
that an important feature of the Lower Fungom region is the nature of the
communicative network holding among its thirteen villages that has allowed
such extensive linguistic diversity to flourish. Thus, in addition to the
traditional issues encountered when doing grammatical description and
comparative work on any group of understudied languages, a second set of
questions is raised when conducting fieldwork in Lower Fungom regarding the
sociolinguistic and historical forces that have created such extreme
diversity within such a small area. This project will, therefore, continue
the research already begun on the grammar and lexicon of the languages of
Lower Fungom and extend it by adding a sociolinguistic and anthropological
component to the work. The project will result in the creation of a
sociolinguistic survey of the region as well as detailed documentation and
description of three of its speech varieties that are only minimally described.


Application

Applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the project
director prior to submission. Applications will be accepted online
beginning June 9 at the University at Buffalo jobs site. Review of
applications will begin on July 1, and applications will be accepted until
the position is filled. The posting for this particular job can be found
at:
https://www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp?postingId=152224.


Application Deadline:  (Open until filled)
	  
Web Address for Applications: http://www.ubjobs.buffalo.edu/ 
Contact Information:
	Jeff Good 
	Email: jcgood at buffalo.edu 
	Phone: 716-645-0126 



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