LINGUIST List 22.5101 Sat Dec 17 2011 Support: Sociolinguistics: PhD Student, Queen Mary, University of London Editor for this issue: Matthew Lahrman <mattlinguistlist.org> To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.cfm. Directory         1.     Devyani Sharma , Sociolinguistics: PhD Student, Queen Mary, University of London Message 1: Sociolinguistics: PhD Student, Queen Mary, University of London Date: 15-Dec-2011 From: Devyani Sharma <d.sharmaqmul.ac.uk> Subject: Sociolinguistics: PhD Student, Queen Mary, University of London E-mail this message to a friend Department: Psychology/Linguistics Web Address: http://www.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/linguistics/ Level: PhD Duties: Project Work Specialty Areas: Sociolinguistics Description: The aim of this project is to map changing psychological processes and language features of multiple generations of British Bangladeshis in East London, along with White British Londoners, to determine the causal factors that drive intergenerational psychological and linguistic change. The psychological component of the project builds on recent work in cultural psychology demonstrating significant variation in the psychological processes of Western (e.g. British) and non-Western (e.g. Asian) people (Heine & Norenzayan 2006), with Westerners showing more analytic cognition and independent social orientation than non-Westerners' holistic cognition and interdependence. Yet it is unknown how these psychological differences are maintained over time. By studying how and why non-Western immigrants to a Western country shift from non-Western to Western psychological processes, we can begin to address this question. The student will administer various cognitive tests to multiple generations of British Bangladeshis and their White British counterparts, building on pilot work conducted by Dr Mesoudi (see Mesoudi et al. in prep). The sociolinguistic component of the project builds on Dr Sharma's recent work with Punjabi-speaking British Indians in West London (Sharma, 2011; Sharma & Sankaran, in press), which has revealed gradual inter-generational dialect change that is driven by broader changes in demographics and race relations. The student will conduct a similar investigation of language use among Bengali-speaking British Bangladeshis in East London to ascertain whether language and dialect shift in this community is gradual or abrupt. The student will integrate these psychological and sociolinguistic findings and theories, to explore the interactions between cognition and language. The student will receive training in the methods of both cultural psychology and sociolinguistics from Dr Mesoudi and Dr Sharma respectively, and will take courses run by London Social Science (the Queen Mary/Goldsmiths ESRC Doctoral Training Centre), including key quantitative (e.g. statistical analysis) and qualitative (e.g. interview techniques) training. Both the Biological and Experimental Psychology Group and the Department of Linguistics provide postgraduate students with a vibrant and stimulating academic environment including regular reading groups and seminars. Applications are invited from candidates with, or expecting to obtain, at least an upper-second class honours degree (or equivalent non-UK degree) in an area relevant to the project (e.g. psychology, linguistics). Candidates with suitable Masters-level training are particularly welcome to apply, as are international (non- EU) students. Please direct informal enquiries to either Dr Alex Mesoudi (a.mesoudiqmul.ac.uk) or Dr Devyani Sharma (d.sharmaqmul.ac.uk). Applications Deadline: 31-Jan-2012 Web Address for Applications: http://www.qmul.ac.uk/courses/courses.php?course_id=551&dept_id=25&pgc Contact Information:         Devyani Sharma         d.sharmaqmul.ac.uk         Phone:+44-207-882-8338 Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue Page Updated: 17-Dec-2011       About LINGUIST    |   Contact Us       While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.