The Changing Signs & Signs of Change project is part of the research activities of the MIDI Research Group.
The MIDI Research Group focuses on the study of language and interaction as a social and/or conceptual practice as it can be observed in different interpersonal settings involving, for instance, spontaneous workplace, mundane and other social interactions, as well as research interviews and experimentally controlled face-to-face conversations.
The research group adopts an empirical, usage-based approach to the study of language, involving different methods of data collection such as the design, transcription, and annotation of linguistic and multimodal corpora and fieldwork practices. With regard to data analysis, the research group's interest lies both in qualitative and quantitative methods of interpretation. As an empirical basis for its research, the group uses corpora and data sets in a variety of languages such as Dutch, English, Flemish Sign Language, French, German, and Italian.
The MIDI research group is part of the Research Unit of Linguistics, one of the research units within the Faculty of Arts. You will become part of a vibrant community of PhD researchers and postdoctoral scholars within the research unit and the faculty.
You will also become a member of the Flemish Sign Language group, a small yet highly dynamic team of deaf and hearing colleagues based at the Antwerp campus of the Faculty of Arts, and responsible for research and teaching related to Flemish Sign Language.
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Project
The focus of this FWO-Vlaanderen funded project is on the dynamics of language change in Flemish Sign Language (VGT). The innovative design of this project is to approach the topic from two interrelated angles: 1) variation in VGT and 2) contact, with the surrounding majority spoken language, i.e. Dutch and with the historically related French-Belgian Sign Language (LSFB). We hypothesize that the unique linguistic characteristics of sign languages (SLs), coupled with ongoing contact and pressure from majority spoken languages (SpLs), contribute to the rapid pace of change observed in SLs compared to SpLs. By investigating these phenomena in a signed language, we aim to provide insights into the complex interplay between variation, contact, and the dynamics of language change in (minority and face-to-face) human languages in general, and to make a unique contribution to language policy discussions within the domain of sociolinguistics.
The research team will consist of Prof. Dr. Myriam Vermeerbergen (KU Leuven) and Prof. Dr. Mieke Van Herreweghe (Ghent University), as applicants and supervisors of the project, two part-time postdoctoral researchers, a part-time technician, and two PhD students. We are currently looking for two PhD students: one will focus on the study of language contact and will be based at Ghent University under the supervision of Mieke Van Herreweghe; the other will focus on variation in Flemish Sign Language and will be based at KU Leuven, Antwerp Campus, under the supervision of Myriam Vermeerbergen. The current job description concerns the second PhD researcher.
Profile
Your tasks:
- You will conduct academic research within the framework of this project, with the aim of obtaining a doctoral degree.
- You will be enrolled as a PhD student at KU Leuven and follow the doctoral programme in Linguistics.
- You will publish academic articles related to your research project.
- You will present your research findings at national and international conferences.
- You will also present your findings to the (Flemish) Deaf community.
- You will take on a limited number of teaching and teaching-support tasks.
For this Phd position, we are looking for an enthusiastic researcher with the following qualifications:
- You hold a Master’s degree relevant to conducting research in linguistics. You must have obtained the degree by the time the position starts.
- You have advanced proficiency in at least one sign language, preferably Flemish Sign Language.
- You have advanced academic reading and writing skills in English.
- A good knowledge of Dutch is an asset.
- You have strong theoretical understanding and analytical skills in the field of linguistics.
- You are able to work independently and also function well within a team.
- Previous experience with (sign) linguistic research is an asset.
- Experience with ELAN is an advantage.
We encourage applications from deaf signers who meet the required qualifications and have a strong interest in the project.
Offer
- We offer a full-time, four-year PhD position. An initial contract of one year will be provided and, upon positive evaluation, extended (to a maximum of 4 years in total).
- The appointment preferably starts on 1 October 2025.
- You will be employed as a doctoral scholarship holder. Legally, it is required that you reside in Belgium.
- You will share an office with fellow researchers at the Antwerp campus of the Faculty of Arts.
Doctoral training Arts Faculty
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Myriam Vermeerbergen, tel.: +32 3 502 15 70, mail: [email protected].
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