37.2908, Support: Western Nilotic; Morphology, Syntax, Typology: PhD, Surrey Morphology Group, University of Surrey

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-2908. Mon Sep 14 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.2908, Support: Western Nilotic; Morphology, Syntax, Typology: PhD, Surrey Morphology Group, University of Surrey

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Date: 11-Sep-2026
From: Matthew Baerman [m.baerman at surrey.ac.uk]
Subject: Western Nilotic; Morphology, Syntax, Typology: PhD, Surrey Morphology Group, University of Surrey


Institution/Organization: Surrey Morphology Group, University of
Surrey
Web Address: https://www.smg.surrey.ac.uk/

Level: PhD

Duties: Research, Project Work

Specialty Areas: Morphology; Syntax; Typology
Required Language(s): Western Nilotic (west2493)

Description:

Fully funded PhD studentship in West Nilotic Morphosyntax
The Surrey Morphology Group at the University of Surrey is inviting
applications for a PhD studentship that offers four years of funding
and extensive associated resources. The topic is the comparative
morphosyntax of the West Nilotic languages, and forms part of the
European Research Council-funded project ‘NILOMORPH: The evolution of
suprasegmental morphology in West Nilotic’. NILOMORPH sets out to
explain how linguistic evolution took a highly unexpected turn in the
West Nilotic languages of East Africa. Some languages within this
group have evolved systems of non-concatenative morphology in which
multiple grammatical categories are expressed simultaneously within a
single syllable, through specifications of tone, phonation, vowel
length and vowel quality. Comparative evidence suggests that this
evolved from a more conventional system of affixal morphology. The aim
of NILOMORPH is to investigate this evolution, employing a combination
of field linguistics, acoustic analysis, experimental linguistics,
computational simulation, typology, and the historical-comparative
method. The project is based jointly at the University of Surrey, the
University of Edinburgh and the French National Centre for Scientific
Research (CNRS), with partners in North America (University of Oregon,
Wayne State University, University of New Mexico, and University of
Toronto).
The PhD position is focused on the comparative morphosyntax of the
West Nilotic languages. The reconstruction of West Nilotic
morphological evolution naturally presupposes an understanding of its
grammatical system and its evolution, which includes a number of
typologically striking and poorly understood categories. These include
an ‘Austronesian-type’ voice system in a number of languages (Van Urk
2015, Andersen 2015, Remijsen, Ismael, Ayoker 2025) and a ‘marked
nominative’ case system that shows great variation across the family.
The PhD candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with
members of the project team who are engaged in descriptive work in
West Nilotic languages (primarily Dinka, Nuer, Reel, Shilluk, Thuri,
and Burun varieties), as well as conduct independent fieldwork.
The position is based at the University of Surrey, within the Surrey
Morphology Group (SMG). In addition to the collaborative activities
within the NILOMORPH project, the successful candidate will benefit
from the research environment of the SMG, a world leading centre for
research on morphological theory, typology and description.
Award:
The award is open to both UK and international candidates, and covers
tuition fees and a maintenance stipend at the standard UKRI rate for
up to four years of PhD study. In addition, the award offers funds for
conference attendance, and the possibility to conduct independent
fieldwork.
Eligibility:
The award is open to both UK and overseas students. Applicants are
expected to hold a minimum of a upper second-class (2:1) UK degree (or
international equivalent) and an MA in Linguistics or related field in
which linguistics is central. In exceptional cases, students with an
excellent first degree will be considered without the need for an MA.
Criteria:
The successful candidates will be selected on the basis of the
following criteria:
1.      Excellent overall performance at undergraduate level;
2.      Expertise in morphological and syntactic description and
analysis
3.      Ability to meet the English language entry requirements for
the PhD Linguistics;
4.      Optionally, familiarity with the study of West Nilotic
languages.
The expected to start date will be in January or April 2027.
The deadline for applications is 25 October 2026. Candidates are asked
to apply via the University of Surrey platform, and in addition to
send a CV along with a one-page statement of interest to Alison
Stubley a.stubley at surrey.ac.uk. To apply please use the address listed
below. Additional information about the PhD program in Linguistics is
available at https://www.surrey.ac.uk/postgraduate/linguistics-phd.
If you have any questions, please write to Matthew Baerman
<m.baerman at surrey.ac.uk>.

Application Deadline: 25-Oct-2026

Web Address for Applications:
https://sits.surrey.ac.uk/live/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RPA80Q0004D&code2=0042

Contact Information:
Matthew Baerman
Contact Email: m.baerman at surrey.ac.uk



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