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ISCApad Archive » 2013 » ISCApad #179 » Jobs » (2103-05-01) PhD student Learning Pronunciation Variants in a Foreign Language (full time) Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands |
ISCApad #179 |
Friday, May 10, 2013 by Chris Wellekens |
PhD student Learning Pronunciation Variants in a Foreign Language (full time) Faculty of Arts, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands Vacancy number: 23.12.13 Closing date: 24 May 2013
Responsibilities As a PhD student in this project you will investigate the interplay between exemplars and abstract representations, which is expected to vary with processing speed and experimental task, and to evolve during learning. The student will investigate these issues with behavioural experiments investigating how native speakers of Dutch learn pronunciation variants of French words with schwa deletion. Learning a foreign language implies learning pronunciation variants of words in that language. This includes the words' reduced pronunciation variants, which contain fewer and weaker sounds than the words' canonical variants (e.g. 'cpute' for English 'computer'), and which are highly frequent in casual conversations. The learner has to build mental representations (exemplars and possibly also abstract lexical representations) for these variants. Importantly, late learners will build representations that differ significantly from native listeners' representations, since reduction patterns in their native language will shape their interpretation of reduction patterns in the foreign language. The goal of this Vici project is to develop the first, fully specified, theory of how late learners of a foreign language build mental representations for pronunciation variants in that language. The dissertation will consist of an introduction, at least three experimental chapters that have been submitted to high impact international journals, and a General Discussion.
What we expect from you · You have or shortly expect to obtain a Master's degree in a field related to speech processing, such as phonetics, linguistics, psychology-, or cognitive neuroscience; · you have an excellent written and spoken command of English; · you have demonstrable knowledge of data analysis; · you preferably have knowledge of the phonetics / phonology of French; · you preferably have knowledge of the phonetics / phonology of Dutch.
What we have to offer We offer you: - full time employment at the Faculty of Arts, Radboud University Nijmegen - in addition to the salary: an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus; - the starting salary will amount to €2,042 gross per month on a full-time basis; the salary will increase to €2,612 gross per month on a full-time basis in the fourth year (salary scale P); - you will be appointed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated; - if the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2 years (on the basis of a 38-hour working week); - you will be classified as a PhD student (promovendus) in the Dutch university job-ranking system (UFO).
Further information - On the research group Speech Comprehension: http://www.ru.nl/speechcomprehension - On the project leader: http://mirjamernestus.nl - Or contact Prof. dr. Mirjam Ernestus, leader of the Vici project, telephone: +31 24 3612970, E-mail: m.ernestus@let.ru.nl
Applications It is Radboud University Nijmegen's policy to only accept applications by e-mail. Please send your application, including your letter of motivation, curriculum and transcripts of your university grades and stating vacancy number 23.12.13, to vacatures@let.ru.nl, for the attention of Mr drs. M.J.M. van Nijnatten, before 24 May 2013.
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