26.3690, Jobs: Indo-European; Historical Linguistics; Lexicography; Morphology: Post Doc, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

Wed Aug 19 17:44:44 UTC 2015

LINGUIST List: Vol-26-3690. Wed Aug 19 2015. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 26.3690, Jobs: Indo-European; Historical Linguistics; Lexicography; Morphology: Post Doc, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History

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Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2015 13:44:25
From: Paul Heggarty [heggarty at shh.mpg.de]
Subject: Indo-European; Historical Linguistics; Lexicography; Morphology: Post Doc, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany

University or Organization: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History 
Department: Linguistic and Cultural Evolution
Job Location: Jena, Germany (Telecommute)
Web Address: http://www.shh.mpg.de/en
Job Title: Research Associate in Comparative Indo-European Linguistics
Job Rank: Post Doc; Researcher

Specialty Areas: Historical Linguistics; Lexicography; Morphology 

Required Language(s): Indo-European

Description:

Applications are invited immediately for a short-term postdoctoral research post as a ‘cognacy specialist’ in Indo-European.  Applicants should have completed, or be close to completing, a Ph.D. in the comparative linguistics of Indo-European.  

The post is to be filled as soon as possible from 1st September 2015, and will run until the end of December 2015, with the possibility of a further few months in the first half of 2016.  Some presence in Jena will be required, especially at first, and again in the lead-up to a conference in late November 2015.  Otherwise, much of your work could be done remotely, if necessary.  

You will join a one-year project to radically revise, improve and expand the existing IELex (1) legacy database of Swadesh lists for Indo-European languages, as recently used by Chang et al. (2015) in Language and Bouckaert et al. (2012) in Science, for example.  The objective is to create IELex 2, a new standard reference resource of cognacy in basic vocabulary, for as complete as possible a range of Indo-European languages, ancient and modern.  All existing IELex 1 languages will be thoroughly re-analysed, and new languages added, by a team of 20-30 specialists in each of the branches and main sub-branches of Indo-European.

You will complement their work by completely revising the cognate sets across the entire Indo-European family, for our 230 basic meanings.  For a better idea of your task, explore the old IELex 1 database (http://ielex.mpi.nl) and consider how it should be improved.  Choose some Swadesh meanings, and explore the ‘cognate classes’ for each. 

Initially you will help design an improved and more detailed database structure, and a new web interface for data entry and editing.  New fields are to be added, to refine how cognates are specified and distinguished:  e.g. where lexemes share a root, but differ in other morphemes and derivational processes, such as ablaut grade, reduplication, etc.  You will be in close contact with branch specialists, to clarify any questions from either side.

The ideal candidate will be experienced particularly in the lexicon and morphology, and not over-specialised in just a few branches of Indo-European.  Rather, you should have broad experience across as many branches as possible.  

Above all, IELex 2 is to be simply a database, school-neutral and theory-neutral.  You must have an open, balanced sense of the field, *without* commitment to any particular school, tradition or hypothesis.  Cognacy judgements are not to be influenced by any prior assumptions on still disputed clades, tree topologies or hypothesised external relationships.

Pay will depend on the applicant’s experience.  Exact forms of contract are negotiable.  

The Max Planck Society is concerned to employ more disabled people;  applications from disabled people are explicitly sought.  The Max Planck Society wishes to increase the proportion of women in areas in which they are underrepresented;  women are therefore explicitly encouraged to apply.

Please apply by email to Dr. Paul Heggarty (email below), with the following attachments:

- Your curriculum vitae.
- A description (max. 750 words) of your research interests and experience as relevant to the expertise required.
- An abstract (max. 750 words) of your Ph.D. topic, and any significant postdoctoral research since.
- A list of your publications, or a link to a personal website that shows them.  
- (optional) Up to two sample publications that help illustrate your suitability for this post.
- Names and contact details of two referees.

Application Deadline: 10-Sep-2015 (Open until filled)

Email Address for Applications: heggarty at shh.mpg.de 
Contact Information:
	Dr. Paul Heggarty 
	Email: heggarty at shh.mpg.de 

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