37.291, Jobs: English; Morphology, Phonetics, Phonology, Sociolinguistics, Syntax: 2 Postdoctoral Research Positions, University of Bern (Switzerland), University of Oxford (United Kingdom)

Wed Jan 21 12:05:02 UTC 2026

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-291. Wed Jan 21 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.291, Jobs: English; Morphology, Phonetics, Phonology, Sociolinguistics, Syntax: 2 Postdoctoral Research Positions, University of Bern (Switzerland), University of Oxford (United Kingdom)

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Date: 15-Jan-2026
From: David Britain [david.britain at unibe.ch]
Subject: English; Morphology, Phonetics, Phonology, Sociolinguistics, Syntax: 2 Postdoctoral Research Positions, University of Bern (Switzerland), University of Oxford (United Kingdom)

Job Location: Bern, Switzerland; Oxford, United Kingdom
Job Title: 2 Postdoctoral Research Positions

Minimum Education: PhD

Specialty Areas: Morphology; Phonetics; Phonology; Sociolinguistics;
Syntax

Specialty Language(s): English (eng)

Other Specialties: Dialectology, Language Variation and Change
Description:
We are seeking TWO highly motivated postdoctoral researchers to join
the team of CURLEW (Census of Urban and Rural Language in England and
Wales). CURLEW is a four-year project (from August 2026) funded by the
Swiss National Science Foundation as part of the International
Co-Investigator Scheme with the UK’s Economic and Social Research
Council (ESRC) and Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). It is
a collaboration between David Britain (Bern, PI), Paul Foulkes (York),
Adrian Leemann (Bern) and David Willis (Oxford).
The aim of CURLEW is to conduct a census of urban and rural language
in England and Wales, providing a rich snapshot of the English
language in these countries today using contemporary sociolinguistic
sampling techniques, studying a broad cross-section of the population,
young and old, urban and rural, speakers of different genders, social
classes and ethnic backgrounds. Modelled on the successful Swiss
Dialäktatlas, this project serves as a 21st-century counterpart to the
historic Survey of English Dialects from the 1950s and 60s.
The research team will collect, transcribe and analyse data from over
1000 speakers (8 in each of over 180 locations) across England and
Wales. Data collection will use a custom-developed smartphone app
where participants record responses under real-time remote
supervision. Data from CURLEW will help us fully understand how the
socio-economic and demographic changes of the past half-century have
steered language change across these countries. One of the postdoc
positions is supervised by Prof Adrian Leemann at the University of
Bern in Switzerland, the other by Prof David Willis at Oxford
University in the United Kingdom. Successful applicants will work
alongside one other postdoc in Bern and 5 PhD students in Bern, York
and Oxford, with day-to-day communication across the sites, as well as
regular team meetings, both online and in person.

Application Deadline: 20-Feb-2026
Web Address for Applications: https://www.curlew.info
Application Instructions:
More information about each position and about the project, as well as
information on how to apply can be found at www.curlew.info
Contact Information:
        Prof Adrian Leemann
        Email: curlew at unibe.ch

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