37.294, Support: English; Forensic Linguistics, Morphology, Phonetics, Sociolinguistics, Syntax: 5 PhD Positions, University of Bern, Switzerland

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-294. Wed Jan 21 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.294, Support: English; Forensic Linguistics, Morphology, Phonetics, Sociolinguistics, Syntax: 5 PhD Positions, University of Bern, Switzerland

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Date: 20-Jan-2026
From: David Britain [david.britain at unibe.ch]
Subject: English; Forensic Linguistics, Morphology, Phonetics, Sociolinguistics, Syntax: 5 PhD Positions, University of Bern, Switzerland


Institution/Organization: University of Bern, Switzerland
Web Address: https://www.curlew.info

Level: PhD

Duties: Research

Specialty Areas: Forensic Linguistics; Morphology; Phonetics;
Sociolinguistics; Syntax
Required Language(s): English (eng)

Description:

We are seeking FIVE highly motivated PhD 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.
The successful PhD students (2 in Bern with David Britain, 1 in Bern
with Adrian Leemann, 1 in Oxford with David Willis and 1 in York with
Paul Foulkes) will work alongside 3 Postdocs (2 in Bern, 1 in 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
Application Instructions:
More information about the CURLEW project, about each position at each
site, and how to apply can be found at https://www.curlew.info

Web Address for Applications: https://www.curlew.info




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