From nh36 at soas.ac.uk Fri Aug 1 22:03:49 2025 From: nh36 at soas.ac.uk (Nathan Hill) Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2025 22:03:49 +0000 Subject: [Tibeto-burman-linguistics] PhD position in Tibeto-Burman linguistics in Dublin Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to report that my colleague here at Trinity College Dublin is able to offer a funded PhD position (fee waiver and stipend) to work on two languages of Bhutan. Please see below and the link. https://www.tcd.ie/media/tcd/slscs/docs/PhD-vacancy-Lo-Rig-project.pdf Job Description PhD in Descriptive Linguistics ?Description of the endangered M?npa language of Bhutan? Post Title: PhD Researcher in Descriptive Linguistics Post Status: 48 months, full-time Starting Date: March 2026 Department/Faculty: School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences Reports to (supervisor): Associate Professor Tim Bodt Location: Trinity College Dublin (Dublin, Ireland) Stipend: Maintenance stipend of ?25,000 per-annum with tuition fees (EU and non-EU) covered by the project; in addition, relevant fieldwork expenses, conference travel, and relocation expenses will also be covered by the project. Closing Date: 30 September 2025 23:00 GMT ________________________________ Summary of Post Doctoral researcher in Descriptive Linguistics for ERC project ?Lo-Rig? The School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences is seeking to recruit a highly motivated and outstanding doctoral researcher for a period of four years (48 months). Candidates are given the opportunity to work on a structured PhD in descriptive linguistics, writing a grammatical description of the M?npa language of Bhutan based on a corpus of natural speech and elicitation. We are seeking applicants who are intrinsically motivated to work on the European Research Council-funded project ?Lo-Rig.? ________________________________ Description of the endangered M?npa language of Bhutan The five-year project ?Lo-Rig: Biactantial agreement in the endangered Gongduk and M?npa languages of Bhutan? is based at Trinity?s School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences (SLSCS). The Lo-Rig project will use elicited and natural speech data from two of Bhutan?s unique languages, Gongduk and M?npa, to produce exhaustive descriptive grammars. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and has a counterpart organisation in Bhutan, the Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies (CBS). The PhD researcher will report to the Principal Investigator (PI) and be supported in the field by a Bhutanese Senior Researcher (SR) and a Research Assistant (RA). Other team members include a Postdoctoral Researcher and a Research Assistant based in Trinity, and a second Research Assistant in Bhutan working with the PI on Gongduk. Gongduk and M?npa are two Sino-Tibetan languages of Bhutan with no known relatives within the language family. Despite their unique morphosyntactic feature of biactantial verbal agreement, both languages have been largely overlooked in the literature and are at high risk of extinction. Creating descriptive grammars?based on natural-speech corpora?before they disappear is therefore essential. Linguistic description will enable ground-breaking typological and historical research, allow comparison of their verbal agreement systems with those of other Sino-Tibetan languages, and help indigenous communities promote their linguistic heritage and counteract language loss. Technological advances present both risks and opportunities for safeguarding Bhutan?s linguistic heritage?one of the nation?s identity cornerstones. The Lo-Rig team will apply and develop innovative methods (e.g., Automatic Speech Recognition) to speed up transcription and analysis of under-resourced languages, train Bhutanese linguists for sustainability, and produce materials to promote these languages. The PhD researcher will focus on M?npa, spoken by roughly 250 people in three speech communities in central Bhutan. The student will select one community (Jangbi/Phumzur/Wangling, Riti, or Cungseng) for a complete grammatical description while collecting comparative data on the other two varieties? verbal-agreement systems. ________________________________ Applicant Profile Applicants should have a strong interest in the topic and be intrinsically motivated to work on the project. Major research activities include: 1. Collecting video- and audio-recordings of natural speech and elicitation across a wide range of speakers, in cooperation with the Senior Researcher and Research Assistant in Bhutan. 2. Transcribing and translating these recordings (and secondary data) in close cooperation with the Research Assistant and the speech community. 3. Analysing the data?using tools such as PRAAT, ELAN and FLEx?in consultation with the Research Assistant and the community. 4. Publishing peer-reviewed articles and a final PhD dissertation covering phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, pragmatics, semantics and discourse analysis of M?npa. 5. Cooperating with the PI and postdoc on Automatic Speech Recognition models for M?npa. 6. Assisting in developing language-revitalisation materials. 7. Helping organise three workshops and an international conference hosted by CBS in Bhutan. The researcher may be asked to contribute to other Lo-Rig activities as the project evolves. Extended periods (typically three months per year) living in M?npa-speaking villages?starting September?November 2026?should be expected. We welcome enthusiastic candidates eager for high-level training in descriptive linguistics and a cutting-edge PhD dissertation at Trinity?s SLSCS. ________________________________ Qualifications * Preferably an MA, MSc or MPhil in (descriptive) linguistics or cognate fields (other backgrounds considered if criteria are met). Knowledge * Essential: proficiency with standard office applications. * Highly desirable: experience with audio/video editing (e.g., Audacity, Adobe Premiere Pro, Cyberlink), transcription/translation software (ELAN), linguistic analysis tools (FLEx, PRAAT), Python, deep-learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow), and website design/maintenance (e.g., WordPress, Dreamweaver). Experience (highly desirable) * Handling large linguistic datasets (audio, video, metadata). * Drafting and copy-editing academic publications. * Organising and managing academic events (workshops, conferences). Skills * Excellent analytical skills and interdisciplinary approach. * Ability to structure and pursue an independent research project. * Strong motivation to publish. * Excellent written and spoken English. * Good organisational skills. Additional Desirable Attributes * Proven ability to live and work in remote rural communities. * Knowledge of Bhutanese languages?especially spoken Dzongkha, Lhotshamkha (Nepali), Mangdep, Khengkha, and written Dzongkha or Tibetan. Personal Attributes * Excellent interpersonal skills for engaging with diverse backgrounds. * Effective teamwork. * Flexibility in working hours. * Clear understanding of, and interest in, project goals. ________________________________ PhD Programme at Trinity?s SLSCS The successful candidate will join Trinity College Dublin?s vibrant PhD programme, benefiting from logistical, academic and intellectual support, fee coverage and basic expenses. Training includes department research-training, masters-level courses, and attendance at international workshops and summer schools. Collaboration with supervisors is close; teaching-support experience for undergraduates may also be possible. ________________________________ Application Procedure Informal enquiries: Dr Tim Bodt (tim.bodt at tcd.ie). Applications must include: 1. Motivation letter/expression of interest (max 1?2 pages). 2. Full CV. 3. Names and contact details of two referees. 4. At least one example of written work in English demonstrating analytical and writing skills. 5. Official transcripts of all completed higher-education degrees. 6. Proof of English proficiency: IELTS 6.5 overall / 6.0 in each band or TOEFL iBT 90 overall / 21 in each section. Send your application by 30 September 2025 (23:00 GMT) to Dr Tim Bodt (tim.bodt at tcd.ie) with the subject line ?PhD Application ? Lo-Rig.? ________________________________ Institutional Background Information Trinity Centre for Asian Studies (TCAS) TCAS promotes Asian Studies nationally and internationally, aiming to be Ireland?s leading knowledge centre for scholars, policymakers and business leaders. It teaches Chinese, Japanese and Korean across Trinity and offers evening language courses for the public. Its flagship postgraduate programme is the one-year M.Phil. in Chinese Studies. Alumni work in business, technology, government, NGOs or pursue doctorates. Further information: www.tcd.ie/Asian/ Centre for Language and Communication Studies (CLCS) Founded in 1979, CLCS researches linguistics, applied linguistics, phonetics, speech science, computational linguistics and NLP, and teaches linguistic components across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It has five taught postgraduate programmes; research spans phonetics/phonology, linguistic interfaces, language pedagogy, bilingualism, and language-technology applications. Further information: www.tcd.ie/slscs/centre-for-language-and-communication-studies/ School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences (SLSCS) SLSCS fosters inclusive diversity through the study of language, communication, speech and swallowing. Its vision is to be an internationally recognised reference point for scientific study characterised by a focus on communication diversity and inclusion, aiming to: * Foster critical curiosity about human language and communication. * Provide a nurturing learning environment for excellence. * Work collaboratively to realise research-teaching synergies. * Inform policy on linguistic diversity, multilingualism, Irish and Irish Sign Language, communication and swallowing impairment. Teaching and research areas include Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, Speech Science and Phonetics, Speech and Language Pathology, Dysphagia, Deaf Studies, Irish Sign Language, English Language Teaching, Irish Language Technology and Asian Studies. Further information: www.tcd.ie/slscs/ Trinity College Dublin Founded in 1592, Trinity offers programmes across 24 schools and three faculties. A student body of 20,000+ represents all Irish counties and over 120 nationalities. Trinity combines tradition and innovation, is home to Nobel laureates, and accounts for one-fifth of Irish university spin-outs, contributing to Ireland?s innovation-driven economy. Equal Opportunities Policy Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, is an equal-opportunities employer. Employment policies do not discriminate on grounds such as gender, civil status, family status, age, disability, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or membership of the Traveller community. ----- Nathan W. Hill Professor in Tibetan and Historical Linguistics Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures SOAS, University of London Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, UK https://www.soas.ac.uk/about/nathan-w-hill -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: