One of the research projects at CTexT is a project focussing on various aspects of impolite language, viz. What the Swearword! Multidisciplinary Research on Taboo Language (ethics approval number: NWU-00632-19-A7). This project was incepted in 2019, with the following subprojects (status indicated between square brackets; main field of research indicated between curly brackets):

·        Project website: https://vloek.co.za [completed; but maintained]

·        Swearing in entertainment and the media [completed] {linguistics}

·        Encyclopaedic constructicons of Afrikaans (Vloekepedia) and Dutch (TabooLex) swearing [ongoing] ޼omputational lexicography}

·        Swearing, linguistic innovation, constructionalisation and language change [ongoing] {linguistics, using corpus linguistics as main methodology}

·        Swearing and the bilingual mind [ongoing] {psycholinguistics}

·        Swearing in sport [new in 2025] {sociolinguistics; neurolinguistics}

The project’s completed outputs include 7 scholarly articles, 4 peer-reviewed conference papers, 3 keynote papers at conferences, 5 conference papers, and 4 datasets. Collaborators include researchers from various campuses and faculties at the NWU, University of Pretoria (South Africa), Institute for the Dutch Language / Leiden University (The Netherlands), University of Luxembourg (Luxembourg), and University College London (UK).

CTexT has secured multi-year funding for a postdoctoral fellow to work on the project in their field of interest / specialization. One of the main foci of the fellow would be to take lead in the project on swearing in sport, which is provisionally conceptualised as a project on (a) the nature and prevalence of swearing in individual vs. team sports {sociolinguistics} and (b) the neuro-psychological effect of swearing on sport performance {neurolinguistics}. It will be the fellow’s responsibility to firstly determine the viability of such a project, and then to (re)conceptualise the project in such a way that it is not only viable, but that it also fits their own interests.

The ideal fellow would be a researcher with a keen interest in multidisciplinary research: someone who likes to collaborate with other people in a variety of fields on a variety of aspects related to taboo language usage. They should be an eager and energetic learner who can be involved in various projects, while still being able to prioritise and plan to deliver outputs of the highest quality. Under all circumstances, the fellow should be able to conduct research within the strict parameters of ethical research practice.

In addition to having a strong interest in language, the fellow should also be highly skilled in using a variety of (advanced) statistical techniques, because it will be expected of them to also advise and collaborate on statistical matters in other subprojects. They should also have a proven track record of publishing independently (or as first author) in local and/or international journals or peer-reviewed conference proceedings. Since it might be expected of them to supervise under-/postgraduate students, experience in student supervision will be a bonus. See the sections below for details on minimum, recommended and additional requirements.

The fellow will work primarily under supervision of Gerhard van Huyssteen (https://gerhard.pro), while they will also be actively supervised by other members of CTexT, or collaborating colleagues in other research units.

In addition to a competitive postdoc bursary, NWU and CTexT also offer an annual budget for research costs, plus a travel allowance. While CTexT’s office is a vibrant environment with energetic and enthusiastic researchers, lecturers, developers, and (project) managers, we offer flexibility in terms of work-from-home arrangements. The successful candidate will be issued with a laptop, and the university’s cloud computing and other facilities will also be available to them.

This postdoctoral fellowship is funded by NWU, who provides a bursary for a period between one and three years, to be negotiated, and subject to satisfactory performance. CTexT will host the appointed fellow for the duration of the contract; information on CTexT is available at https://humanities.nwu.ac.za/ctext. For more information on the North-West University, please visit https://www.nwu.ac.za/.

 The postdoctoral fellow must:

·        have completed a doctoral degree related to linguistics, computational linguistics, computational lexicography, neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, or any related field with concepts and methods (such as statistical modelling) that could be applied to linguistics, and specifically taboo-language usage;

·        have completed such a doctoral degree within the last five years at a university other than the North-West University;

·        be highly skilled in advanced statistical modelling, and be able to convey complex statistical concepts in understandable terms to fellow researchers (using R, SPSS, or JASP);

·        have a proven track record of applying for ethical clearance, and managing research with high ethical values;

·        have a proven track record that they can significantly contribute to high-quality research outputs – both independently and in research teams;

·        give evidence of scholarly performance, including a relevant publication record (preferably in ISI-listed or IBSS-listed journals);

·        demonstrate excellent presentation skills in front of expert audiences;

·        demonstrate a very high level of spoken and written English language proficiency, as well as sound conceptual and writing skills; and

·        be energetic and enthusiastic, showing a keen interest in other fields beyond their own specialisations.

Recommended requirements: The postdoctoral fellow should ideally:

·        have a basic knowledge of one or more adjacent subject fields, such as psychology, neurology / neuroanatomy, computer science, statistics, data science, digital humanities, etc.;

·        have a proven track record in publishing in peer-reviewed conference proceedings, and/or presenting papers at local and/or international conferences;

·        have some teaching experience at an undergraduate level;

·        have some experience in supervising under-/postgraduate students;

·        have a formal training record (e.g., a certificate) in conducting ethical research;

·        be able to convey complex ideas to laypeople via modern communication channels (e.g., blogs, vlogs), or talks at community events;

·        be fluent in either Afrikaans or Dutch – preferably both in spoken and written academic language;

·        be fluent in a programming language, preferably Python; and

·        demonstrate that they can take initiative in starting up and managing new research projects.

Additional requirements: Three or more of the following skills/expertise will distinguish the ideal postdoctoral fellow from others:

·        Experience in a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods;

·        Basic or advanced knowledge of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS);

·        Basic or advanced knowledge of constructionist approaches to grammar and language;

·        Basic or advanced knowledge of corpus linguistics;

·        Basic or advanced knowledge of computational lexicography;

·        Knowledge of human anatomy, physiotherapy, biokinetics, or sport science;

·        A proven track record in applying for research funding;

·        Fluency and/or basic knowledge of other Germanic languages, sign languages, or other South African languages;

·        Fluency in a variety of programming languages;

·        A keen interest in popular scientific communication, including visualisation of research results;

·        Being ambitious.

To apply for this contract engagement, please provide via email the following documentation:

·                  A research statement (not more than 2,000 words) about the research you would be interested in pursuing, given the above parameters (i.e., indicate your research focus and interest, the big research questions you would like to pursue, theories and methodologies that are of interest to you; etc.);

·                  A detailed CV, including a complete publication record;

·                  A copy of your best scholarly publication that you would like potential panel members to read;

·                  The names and contact details of three referees;

·                  A copy of your PhD qualification (a certified copy will be required from the successful candidate); and

·                  A copy of ID or Passport (a certified copy will be required from the successful candidate).

Kindly submit the above listed documents to Mr. Jason Neumann (jason.neumann@nwu.ac.za).

Deadline:                               17 October 2024

Enquiries:                              Contact the project leader for more information about the research project:

Gerhard B Van Huyssteen

Research Professor

Faculty of Humanities

North-West University

Potchefstroom, South Africa

Phone number: 27 82 562 4814

Email: gerhard.vanhuyssteen@nwu.ac.za