34.1370, Support: English; Language Acquisition; Phonetics; Phonology: PhD, Ghent University

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-34-1370. Mon May 01 2023. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 34.1370, Support: English; Language Acquisition; Phonetics; Phonology: PhD, Ghent University

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Date: 28-Apr-2023
From: Ellen Simon [ellen.simon at ugent.be]
Subject: English; Language Acquisition; Phonetics; Phonology: PhD, Ghent University


Institution/Organization: Ghent University
Department: Department of Linguistics
Web Address: https://www.ugent.be/lw/taalkunde/en

Level: PhD

Duties: Research

Specialty Areas: Language Acquisition; Phonetics; Phonology;
Phonetics, Second Language Acquisition, Experimental Linguistics,
Sociophonetics
Required Language(s): English (eng)

Description:

PhD position in Linguistics:
We welcome applications for a full-time position as doctoral
researcher in the Department of Linguistics at Ghent University. The
PhD student will be working on the project ‘Understanding accents: the
intelligibility of regional and non-native accents to English as a
Foreign Language learners’, funded by the Research Foundation –
Flanders (FWO). The starting date is preferably 1 October 2023, but is
subject to negotiation. The project runs over a period of 4 years.

Project description:
Listening to a language which is not one’s own native language can be
surprisingly difficult, even for advanced learners. This is especially
so when the speaker has an unfamiliar regional or non-native accent.
While listeners can easily deal with variation in their native
language, coping with accent variation in a non-native language is
more difficult. In the case of English, with its millions of native
and non-native speakers, language learners need to be able to
understand a wide variety of accents in English. The aim of the
project is to examine to what extent English as a Foreign Language
learners experience difficulties when listening to regional and
non-native accented speech, which aspects especially hamper
intelligibility and how we can train learners on the perception of
accented speech in English. To that end, you will run listening
experiments which will inform us on the perception of phonological
variation by non-native listeners, and set up training sessions to
enhance learners’ ability to understand accented speech. Through the
project, you will gain a deeper understanding of what causes
intelligibility problems and how these can be remedied through
training.

Research questions:
The main research questions are the following:
 - To what extent do EFL learners experience difficulties when
listening to regional and non-native accented speech?
 - How do EFL learners accommodate to regionally accented and
non-native accented vowel pronunciations in terms of their
phonological system?
 - How can we enhance advanced EFL learners’ multidialectal listening
skills through training and exposure to authentic speech materials?

Job profile:
 - You hold a MA degree in Linguistics or in a related discipline
(such as English studies, Psycholinguistics, Applied Linguistics) or
are expected to obtain this degree by the start of the project.
Holding a degree in English linguistics is an asset.
 - Your academic performance is excellent, as demonstrated by your
study results (grades), Ma thesis and/or publications.
 - As the project is situated in the fields of phonetics and
phonology, prior experience and/or a strong interest in these areas
(including phonological theory, second language phonology, acoustic
analysis, sociophonetics) are crucial.
 - You have strong analytical skills. Knowledge of and/or experience
with statistical analysis is an asset. Candidates should be willing to
get statistical training as part of their development.
 - You have an excellent command of spoken and written English and
either have an advanced degree in English or can demonstrate a C2
level of proficiency through a standardised test score (e.g. IELTS,
TOEFL).
 - You have a strong interest in the English language and in language
variation.
 - You are able to work independently and plan your work efficiently
both in the short and long term. However, you also like working in
close collaboration with colleagues.
 - You possess strong communication skills and proactively approach
tasks and responsibilities
 - You are expected to work on campus, with some remote work allowed.

For an overview of the PhD student's tasks and what we offer, please
visit: https://www.ugent.be/en/work/scientific/phd-student-28

To apply for this position, please send your application file (a
single pdf) to ellen.simon at ugent.be and bastien.de.clercq at vub.be. For
full application instructions, please see
https://www.ugent.be/en/work/scientific/phd-student-28.

Application Deadline: 10-Jul-2023

Contact Information:
Prof. Ellen Simon
ellen.simon at ugent.be



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