University or Organization: UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Department: Language and Culture
Job Location: Troms, Norway
Web Address: https://en.uit.no/enhet/isk?p_dimension_id=210121
Job Title: Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Multilingualism and Language Learning
Job Rank: Post Doc

Specialty Areas: General Linguistics

Required Language(s): English (eng)
Norwegian Bokmål (nob)
West Scandinavian

Description:

The advertised postdoc is part of the Learning domain in C-LaBL. This domain studies the interplay of multilingualism and learning within individuals, exploring how linguistic distance between languages interacts with language exposure and experience, with a clear focus on educational aspects such as literacy and academic achievement. To this end, we will undertake a series of controlled interventions and carefully planned experiments tapping into various aspects of linguistic competence. We will collect background information by combining detailed questionnaires on language exposure and experience with available register data from Statistics Norway and link them to measures of language competence and acquisition outcomes to assess their relative impact. Three language situations will be at the center of our attention, each unique in terms of linguistic distance between the varieties they involve:
(i) the acquisition of English by Norwegian children and adolescents,
(ii) multilectalism and multilectal literacy among Norwegian children and adolescents, and
(iii) the linguistic attainment of students of Sámi and the role of the educational system for Sámi language revitalization.

The current postdoc position will be associated with the second of these three situations. The investigations will target students in different parts of Norway who have different language experiences depending on the local/regional dialect and main written variety of Norwegian (Bokmål or Nynorsk) used in school and local community. The students’ practices in private written communication will also be highlighted since dialect writing and code switching are common in this domain. Students with other home languages than Norwegian (also known as heritage speakers) will be an integral part of the investigations. Studies of metalinguistic awareness and language separation will be at the center of attention, and we will seek to unveil how these competencies are modulated by different dialect and literacy experiences. Effects on scholastic achievement will also be probed. The investigations will be coordinated with the subproject that looks at the acquisition of English by students in Norwegian schools.

The candidate will be expected to contribute to the planning of new aspects of the project as it develops. They will work closely with the research team but also need to be able to work independently and take day-to-day responsibility for project management. Duties include contributing to the recruitment of participants; planning and execution of fieldwork (including in schools and/or other relevant settings); organizing and analyzing data sets; disseminating results and collaborating actively with other researchers of the Learning domain and C-LaBL at large.

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Øystein A. Vangsnes ([email protected]), Professor Merete Anderssen ([email protected]), or Head of Department Cathrine Theodorsen ([email protected]).

Application Deadline: 31-Jan-2025
Mailing Address for Applications:

Web Address for Applications: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/269695/postdoctoral-research-fellow-in-multilingualism-and-language-learning
Contact Information:
Dr. Marie-Josée H. Halsør
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +47 77 64 46 59