4-year PhD research assistantship in Sign Linguistics (LSCLab, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona)

Wed Aug 7 12:00:30 UTC 2013

 (Apologies for multiple postings)
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*4-year PhD research assistantship in Sign Linguistics (Formal Syntax and
Semantics, Typology, Catalan Sign Language)*

The *LSCLab* unit, part of research group GLiF (Formal Linguistics Group)
at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona), announces an opening for a
4-year research assistantship associated to the project *Clause combining
in sign languages: the grammar of complex sentences in Catalan Sign
Language in a crosslinguistic and crossmodal perspective 2*(ClauseCombiSL2,
FFI2012-36238), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and
Competitiveness.

Clause combining, i.e. the grammatical mechanisms that integrate clauses
into bigger sentential units, has received little attention to date in sign
languages (SLs). This project builds and expands on the previous one,
ClauseCombiSL1. After having described and analyzed several prototypical
cases of subordination in Catalan SL (LSC) such as relatives, embedded
declaratives and conditionals, the new phase of this project intends to
cover a broader range of structures by addressing two main questions: (a)
what are the morphosyntactic properties of the Complementizer Phrase region
of complex sentences, also known as left (and right) periphery, and how
does it interact with the syntactic derivation in the inflectional domain?;
(b) what are the core interface properties of syntax and prosody and to
what extent and how do the two modules interact in human language? We try
to answer them on the basis of original descriptive work in LSC and from
now on also in Spanish SL (LSE), thus allowing for comparative analysis of
two closely related SLs. The answers are formulated against the background
of Linguistic Typology, by using the analytical tools provided in
Linguistic Theory and they should therefore contribute to a better
understanding of clause combining mechanisms of human language,
irrespective of the modality (visual-gestural vs. aural-oral).

This project follows up on three previous projects that focused on research
into SLs, and more extensively into LSC, from the point of view of
Theoretical Linguistics. At present it involves three senior researchers,
one postdoctoral researcher, three Deaf LSC research assistants and two PhD
students and it is based at the Department of Translation and Languages
Sciences (Universitat Pompeu Fabra). The project includes members from the
Department of General Linguistics (Universitat de Barcelona), the
Department of Spanish, Linguistics and Literary Theory (Universidad of
Sevilla) and UMR 7023 (CNRS & Paris 8).

The basic eligibility requirement for this research assistantship is a
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent by the end of June 2013. An MA degree in
Linguistics will be considered an asset.

The interested candidates should:

-have a background in Sign Linguistics, especially in formal syntax and
semantics,

-be proficient in a sign language and, if it is not LSC, be ready to learn
it,

-be ready to carry out his/her own research on a topic related the group’s
project, leading to a PhD,

-be willing to conduct fieldwork and contribute to the research activities
of the group and the Department,

-be ready to teach a limited amount of hours, if required by the Department,

and

-have a good command of English and some knowledge of Catalan or Spanish,
or be ready to acquire it.

The position includes a monthly stipend, coverage by the Social Security
system, and university fees related to doctoral study. The assistantship
also includes the possibility of applying for grants for short-term stays
abroad. Annual renewal of the assistantship will depend on successful
progress in the doctoral program and collaboration on the research project.
The first 24 months have the status of a scholarship and the following 24
months have a work-contract form.

As the application for these assistantships will be handled through the
Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, individuals who are
interested in applying should contact Josep Quer (josep.quer at upf.edu) as
soon as possible, and in any case no later than August 21st, 2013.
Interested candidates are requested to send him their CV and a sample
writing or a brief expression of interest.

The Ministry’s application period will be open in the beginning of
September just for 10 days. Since the details have not been made public
yet, the official documents required for the application (typically, a copy
of a valid passport, a certificate of the degree, a CV and a document of
admission to our Postgraduate Program) should be prepared in advance.

Contact information: josep.quer at upf.edu

Universitat Pompeu Fabra (http://www.upf.edu) is a small, research-oriented
university located in the center of Barcelona, with a highly international
faculty and student body.

For more information about *LSCLab* and *GLiF*, as well as about our
Postgraduate Programs, visit our websites:

*LSCLab*: http://parles.upf.edu/en/content/catalan-signs-language-laboratory

*GLiF*: http://www.upf.edu/glif/
<http://parles.upf.edu/glif/htm/frameset.htm>

*MA Program in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics:*
http://www.upf.edu/masterlinguistica/en/

*Doctoral Program in Translation and Language Sciences:*
http://www.upf.edu/dtcl/en/formacio/postgrau/Doctorat.html
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