15 October: fyi -- tenure track, South Africa
Index of October 2000 | Index of year: 2000 | Full index
The Department of Linguistics seeks to appoint TWO full-time, tenure-track
candidates at the level of Lecturer or Senior Lecturer, one in each of the
following areas:
1. computational / semantics / psycholinguistics;
2. language variation / phonetics / historical linguistics.
The candidates should:
* have completed the PhD degree;
* exhibit evidence of active linguistic research, optimally related to Africa.
Vision:
The Department of Linguistics at Wits has established itself
internationally through ground-breaking instrumental phonetics work on
Khoisan languages. It has also been a centre for work on the
phonology, morphology and semantics both of Zulu, Venda, and other
south-eastern Bantu languages, and of South African English.
The department is in the process of actively consolidating and
extending its research focus within the Southern African Linguistics
community. We are at present refining a vision which builds on the
department's 30-year history of research and teaching in the context
of South Africa -- at first a politically and intellectually embattled
South Africa, but since 1994 a country of new and enormous regional,
continental and international academic potential.
The vision being articulated will lead the department into 2001 with
one -- possibly more than one -- moderately large research programme
in place. This research programme underpins the new teaching and
research focus which has been formulated -- under intense discussion -
by the current Linguistics staff (faculty): to immediately expand the
department's role in the training of skilled linguistics fieldworkers
at both undergraduate and graduate levels; to establish an accessible
archive of Southern African linguistic materials; to make preparations
for fieldwork that will ultimately lead to dialect mapping on a
significant scale.
These new directions will continue to require skilled and committed
researchers -- comprehensively trained in theoretical linguistics, but
with a sharp eye for the empirical linguistic landscapes of Southern
Africa, both urban and rural.
The Linguistics Department at Wits University is uniquely positioned
in the economic, geographic and indeed linguistic heartland of South
Africa, in the midst of communities speaking ten or more languages.
Yet the university is also within striking distance of monolingual
African speech communities radically different in social and
linguistic composition. Thus, the prospective researchers/teachers in
the department have at hand a wide range of accessible language
consultants and research sites.
Johannesburg is fortunate to be able to offer the comforts of a large,
modern city, while retaining a distinctly African profile within the
wider South African context. The Wits Linguistics Department intends
to actively develop its research and teaching mission in this African
context. We seek, therefore, two highly trained, motivated individuals
who will contribute significantly to the building of a robust South
African Linguistics programme in Johannesburg at the start of the 21st
century.
Duties: teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels,
research, and departmental duties.
Salary and Benefits: in accordance with University scales, with excellent
benefits (health insurance, pension, life insurance,
annual bonus (13th check), annual leave, sabbatical,
housing and vehicle subsidies, and so on).
Enquiries: Dr. Nhlanhla Thwala (nthwala@hotmail.com);
Dr. Simon Donnelly (104simon@muse.wits.ac.za).
Interested Linguists are strongly encouraged to seek further information
about the posts, and about the department.
Starting date for both posts: 1 January 2001 (possibly subject to negotiation).
To apply, candidates should submit a letter of interest; detailed CV with
names, addresses and contact numbers of three referees; certified copies of
degrees / diplomas, to:
The Linguistics Search Committee
Department of Linguistics, University of the Witwatersrand
P/Bag 3, Wits 2050 SOUTH AFRICA
Index of October 2000 | Index of year: 2000 | Full index