We welcome research proposals for the following PhD project areas:
- Multilingualism
In Northern Ireland there are a number of multilingual communities, with different characteristics and needs. (a) what is the impact of age of onset on the acquisition of a second language? (b) Are all areas of language affected equally by the age of onset, cf. vocabulary vs. syntax? (c) What is the role of input in the acquisition of more than one language, in terms of frequency, quality and quantity of input? (d) what is the impact of the different typological/morphological features of the two (or more) languages, in terms of transfer of linguistic features from one language to the other during the process of acquisition?
Contact: Dr Christina Sevdali
- Synchronic and diachronic syntax
We welcome applications to study any aspect of the morpho- syntax of any language from both a synchronic and diachronic perspective. Both theoretically informed projects within the framework of Generative Grammar and descriptive projects would be suitable. Applicants are invited to contact potential supervisors for more specific information on appropriate research questions.
Contact: Professor Raffaella Folli
- Language acquisition and language processing
Projects in this area will focus on the experimental investigation of language; how it is acquired by children and processed by typical adults
Contact: Dr Juliana Gerard
- Language disorders
We welcome projects with a focus on developing our understanding of the nature or presentation of language and communication disorders in children and young people or in the development of linguistic assessment or intervention for these groups.
Contact: Dr Victoria Singer
- Semantics, syntax, and dialects of English
Projects in this area will focus on the relation between structure and meaning, possibly as it differs among dialects of English.
Contact: Dr Richard Stockwell
Applicants should hold, or expect to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class Honours Degree in a subject relevant to the proposed area of study.
We may also consider applications from those who hold equivalent qualifications, for example, a Lower Second Class Honours Degree plus a Master’s Degree with Distinction.
In exceptional circumstances, the University may consider a portfolio of evidence from applicants who have appropriate professional experience which is equivalent to the learning outcomes of an Honours degree in lieu of academic qualifications.
If the University receives a large number of applicants for the project, the following desirable criteria may be applied to shortlist applicants for interview.
The University offers the following levels of support:
The following scholarship options are available to applicants worldwide:
These scholarships will cover full-time PhD tuition fees for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance) and will provide a £900 per annum research training support grant (RTSG) to help support the PhD researcher.
Applicants who already hold a doctoral degree or who have been registered on a programme of research leading to the award of a doctoral degree on a full-time basis for more than one year (or part-time equivalent) are NOT eligible to apply for an award.
Please note: you will automatically be entered into the competition for the Full Award, unless you state otherwise in your application.
The scholarship will cover tuition fees at the Home rate and a maintenance allowance of £19,000 (tbc) per annum for three years (subject to satisfactory academic performance).
This scholarship also comes with £900 per annum for three years as a research training support grant (RTSG) allocation to help support the PhD researcher.
Due consideration should be given to financing your studies. Further information on cost of living
Folli, R. and Harley, H., (2020), A Head Movement Approach to Talmy's Typology, Linguistic Inquiry, Vol. 51, No. 3, 15.07.2020, p. 425-470.
Alexopoulou, T. and Folli, R. (2020), Topic-strategies and the internal structure of nominal arguments in Greek and Italian. Linguistic Inquiry, Vol. 50, No. 3, 01.06.2019, p. 439-486.
Folli, R. and Harley, H., (2007), Causation, obligation and argument structure: On the nature of little v, Linguistic Inquiry 38.2: 97-238.
Devlin, M., Folli, R., Henry, A. and Sevdali, C. (2015) Clitic right dislocation in English: cross-linguistic influence in multilingual acquisition, Lingua, vol 161, 101-124
Anagnostopoulou, E. and Sevdali, C., 2020. Two modes of dative and genitive case assignment: Evidence from two stages of Greek. Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 38(4), pp.987-1051.
Anagnostopoulou, E. and Sevdali, C., 2015. Case alternations in Ancient Greek passives and the typology of Case. Language, pp.442-481. Gerard, J. (2021). Adjunct control and the poverty of the stimulus. In Non-canonical Control in a Cross-linguistic Perspective (Vol. 270, pp. 221–257). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Gerard, J. (2022). The extragrammaticality of the acquisition of adjunct control. Language Acquisition, 29(2), 107–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/10489223.2021.1971231
Gerard, J., Lidz, J., Zuckerman, S., & Pinto, M. (2017). Similarity-Based Interference and the Acquisition of Adjunct Control. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01822
Kennedy, L., Romoli, J., Tieu, L., Moscati, V., Folli R., (2019) Beyond the scope of acquisition : A novel perspective on the isomorphism effect from Broca's aphasia, Language Acquisition, Vol. 26, No. 2, 03.04.2019, p. 144-152.
Kane , F., Kennedy, L., Sevdali, C., Folli R., Rhys, C. (2019) Language Made Fun: Supporting EAL students in primary education, Teanga: Special Edition: Multilingualism in the Early Years. Vol. 10 Special Issue. ed. Irish Association for Applied Linguistics, 2019. p. 113-125.
Stockwell, Richard. 2022. Contrast and verb phrase ellipsis: the case of tautologous conditionals. Natural Language Semantics 30: 77-100.
Stockwell, Richard, & Carson T. Schütze. 2022. The puzzling nuanced status of who free relative clauses in English: A follow-up to Patterson and Caponigro (2015). English Language and Linguistics 26(1): 185-202.
Submission deadline
Monday 26 February 2024
04:00PM
Interview Date
between 18 March and 23 April 2024
Preferred student start date
16 September 2024
Telephone
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Email
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