Graduate Fellowships in Linguistics

The theme group Language Variation and Language Change (LVLC) concentrates on synchronic and diachronic variation and change in a wide variety of languages, primarily Germanic, Romance, Slavic and Finno-Ugric. The group has two main points of focus: language contact and historical linguistics. With respect to language contact, members concern themselves with contact-induced change, including dialect contact and Sprachbund phenomena. The linguistic effects of language contact are of particular relevance at present, i.e. at a time when people are increasingly exposed to other languages as a result of rapid globalization and increased migration. These effects can be studied from different perspectives, both synchronically and diachronically. Estonian, Spanish and South Slavic are areas of particular focus in Groningen.

With respect to historical linguistics, members focus particularly on grammaticalization, historical morphology and syntax, and linguistic reconstruction. These issues are addressed using the "bottom-up approach", i.e. starting with the collection and analysis of a solid body of data and examining its implications for specific theoretical claims in both formal and functional linguistics. Germanic (particularly North-Germanic) is the focus of historical linguistics in Groningen.

The LVLC research group welcomes project proposals concerning either language contact or historical linguistics, pertaining to any of the above-mentioned language (sub)families. Possible topics regarding language contact include lexical and/or grammatical changes in the target language or dialect, areal dialectology, language attitudes, the impact of English as the new global lingua franca, or the emergence of new varieties among urban teens. Within historical linguistics, we welcome empirically-oriented proposals on issues of lexical, phonological, morphological, syntactic or semantic change, including grammaticalization.

For further information, contact Muriel Norde ().