2 March: fyi -- phd funding (pragmatics), NL
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The Faculty of Philosophy is seeking a PhD candidate for the ERC funded
research project BLENDS (Between Direct and Indirect Discourse--Shifting
Perspective in Blended Discourse) of Dr. Emar Maier.
PROJECT
The ability to talk about what others say or think is a key aspect of
human cognition. For instance, reported speech constructions (he said
it was raining) are claimed to be part of what sets human language
apart from that of apes and other animals. In addition, the
acquisition of this construction has been related to the acquisition
of Theory of Mind, i.e. the ability to reason with the fact that other
people have beliefs and desires distinct from one's own. BLENDS tries
to unravel how speech reporting in natural language works. It rejects
the traditional rigid distinction between direct discourse (John said,
'I'm a fool') and indirect discourse (John said that he's a fool), and
proposes an alternative framework of "Blended Discourse". We test this
proposal empirically in signed languages, child language and Ancient
Greek.
The position advertised is for the child language subproject, called
"The acquisition of the direct--indirect distinction". Its aim is to
investigate if, when, and how children acquire an adult-like
conception of the distinction between direct and indirect
discourse. The hypothesis is that children start out with a flexible
reporting mode where they can freely mix the reporter's and reportee's
perspectives.
REQUIREMENTS
The ideal candidate has
- an interest and background in experimental linguistics and formal semantics
- an MA or MSc degree in a field relevant to the project (e.g. linguistics,
philosophy, A.I. psychology,...),
- fluency in Dutch and English
- an interest and background in working with children
A detailed outline of the research project can be requested by sending an email to
filosofie@rug.nl.
The PhD position is for a period of four years on a full time
basis. The gross monthly salary will range between 2042 euro per month
in the first year to 2612 euro per month in the fourth year. The
successful applicant will be working under direct supervision of
Dr. Emar Maier (Faculty of Philosophy) with co-supervision of
promotores Prof. dr. Igor Douven (Faculty of Philosophy) and
Prof. dr. Petra Hendriks (Faculty of Arts). The objective of the
appointment is to conceive of and conduct child language experiments,
publish the results in research articles, and write a dissertation on
the acquisition of reported. speech. The preferred starting date is
July 1st 2011.
RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed
an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of
higher education. The current project will be co-hosted by the
Department of Theoretical Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy, and
the Semantics and Cognition group within the CLCG (Center for Language
and Cognition Groningen) of the Faculty of Arts. Hence, the
successful candidate will be based partly at the Faculty of
Philosophy, and partly at the Faculty of Arts.
APPLICATION
To apply for the position, please send an email to filosofie@rug.nl and attach
- a curriculum vitae, detailing academic qualifications, grades, and a list of
publications if applicable,
- a letter explaining your motivation, your interest in the project, and your
competence in the research field,
- a writing sample of about 5,000 words as well as your MA/MSc thesis,
- the name and contact details of two referees.
The closing date is May 1, 2011. Interviews will be held later in May.
Application Deadline: 01-May-2011
Web Address for Applications: http://www.sites,google.com/site/emarmaier/blends/job
Contact Information:
Emar Maier
filosofie@rug.nl
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