I’m a cognitive psychologist. Don’t tell me this isn’t a stroopwafel.

I'm hiring! 2 x postdocs in Cognitive Anthropology, Archaeology and Linguistics, to work on the cultural history of Australia and Papua. More details in link below, and please do repost or share elsewhere!
www.isle.uzh.ch/en/jobs/post...

I've had it up to here with Czechs making everything diminutive, even 'it'. You'll get taught 'to je ono' for 'that is it', and I'm prepared for 'to je vono' in casual speech, but I've now heard a friend say 'to je vončo'.

👀

2 ace post-doc positions at UQ on Prof Felicity Meakins' Australian Research Council Laureate project: ‘Amplifying Indigenous Ecological Knowledge in Western Science with Language’.

Get on it!

uq.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/uqcare...

Australian Census on University Staff Wellbeing results are out. Every uni recorded scores indicating high/very high psych risk.

And in news surprising no one, "only senior execs and deans rated their workplaces as medium or low risk while all other staff groups reported high-risk conditions."

So happy and relieved for you guys! 🥰

Australian Journal of Linguistics Volume 46, Issue 1 of Australian Journal of Linguistics

📣The latest issue of the Australian Journal of Linguistics, Volume 46, Issue 1 (2026), is now available online and in print.

Explore the full issue here: www.tandfonline.com/toc/cajl20/4...

#AJL

New paper out! "Strengthening language through first language mathematics education". A collaborative effort between three communities in the Northern Territory (with speakers of Pitjantjatjara, Tiwi and Anindilyakwa), linguists and an education researcher.
doi.org/10.1075/aral...

Semiotic paradox alert!

Dan Fox: “What Happened When I Began to Speak Welsh” Dan Fox on learning his family’s many-layered language and picking up a portable inheritance.

beautiful essay on learning a minority heritage language yalereview.org/article/dan-...

So great to see this monumental volume out - over 1000 pages of work in honour of Jane Simpson. Including a chapter on word order flexibility in Pitjantjatjara by myself, Rachel Nordlinger, Gabriela Garrido Rodríguez and Evan Kidd doi.org/10.22459/PV....

Very excited to announce that our three Special Issues on Vanuatu languages are out in Te Reo. Thank you to all the authors, reviewers, my co-editors, our brilliant typesetter, and NZLingSoc. 43 authors, 5 introductions, 25 articles and a book review... nzlingsoc.org/journal/curr...

while I'm at it, this conference paper by me and Cris Edmonds-Wathen came out a while ago too (Research Reports Vol 1). We describe a novel use of the Man and Tree task to understand children's spatial reasoning. Longer, linguisticky version is in the works so consider this a preview...

Real-time thematic role assignment in Pitjantjatjara: an eye-tracking study Languages differ in how core argument roles are marked and in the cues guiding their real-time comprehension. This study investigated thematic role assignment in Pitjantjatjara – an Australian Pama...

new paper just out! An online sentence comprehension study in Pitjantjatjara, an ergative, free word order language doi.org/10.1080/2327...

ANU Press Coming Soon. Cover image of Projecting Voices Studies in Language and Linguistics in Honour of Jane Simpson

Coming soon! Innovative research on Australian Indigenous languages, inspired by Jane Simpson.

This title combines theory and practical insights on language rights, showcasing the richness and diversity of Australian linguistics.

Register your interest: doi.org/10.22459/PV....

Teenage student becomes Indigenous language teacher at outback NSW school Jaz Fusi has been passionate about learning Paakantyi language for most of her life. Now, she teaches it to her local school's teachers and is eager to see other kids do the same.

“Indigenous teenager teaches Paakantyi language to teachers at Menindee school” 👏🏼

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Our paper is now available at Glossa Contact!

Cross-linguistic priming in comprehension facilitates change in adjective-noun order:

Eye-tracking evidence from Romani-Romanian and Romani-Serbian bilinguals

#linguistics

www.glossacontact.org/index.php/gc...

new paper out! in which we describe the huge amount of work it took to develop the corpus of the Australian mixed language Gurindji Kriol, and how this enabled novel quantitative research. one for the data-heads 🤓

This article (that I wrote) is good & I hope some linguists will read it. It's a reinterpretation of Krauss's influential 1992 paper 'The World's Languages in Crisis.' Here's a short quick thread with two key insights from the paper.

scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/emancipation...

They should try listening to their constituents' voices instead

AI slop and the destruction of knowledge This week I was looking for info on what cognitive scientists mean when they speak of ‘domain-general’ cognition. I was curious, because the nuances are relevant for something I am researching at t…

AI slop and the destruction of knowledge irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...

Linguists know babies come from the 14th century diminutive of 'babe', but the origin of that word (and hence all babies) is ultimately uncertain.

Position Statement on Generative AI in teaching... Position Statement on Generative AI in teaching and research   The Linguistics Discipline in the Department of Languages and Cultures at La Trobe University have developed a discipline-specific posi...

The Linguistics Discipline at La Trobe University have developed a discipline-specific position statement on the role of generative AI in our classrooms.

www.superlinguo.com/post/7908973...

Repeal Job-Ready Graduates Policy Now: Restoring Equity in Higher Education - Online petition We sign this petition in solidarity with those who signed the Open Letter to the Prime Minister on 28 July 2025…

We are so close to reaching our target of 2500 signatures on this petition calling for the repeal of Job-Ready Graduates! If you care about equity in higher education and want the BA to be affordable and accessible for *all* students, please sign! www.openpetition.org/au/petition/...

Why the ANDC Matters? - The ANDC is Australia’s leading centre for lexicographical research, jointly funded by ANU and Oxford University Press. - It is the definitive authority on Australian English—documenting regionalisms, Aboriginal English, and producing landmark publications like the Australian National Dictionary. - Its widely celebrated “Word of the Year” initiative connects Australians with their evolving language and identity. - For ANU, it provides immense national and international visibility—while operating as a low-cost, high-impact asset. The Cost of Closure: - Damage to Australian English: Halting systematic documentation of our unique national language. - Setback for Indigenous Languages: Undermining efforts to research and preserve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. - Erosion of National Identity: Undermining the role of language in shaping how Australians see themselves, their history, and their culture. - Damage to ANU’s Reputation: Compromising its mission as a national university and leader in cultural heritage research.

The latest round of cuts at ANU include an outrageous plan to close the Australian National Dictionary Centre (ANDC). ANU has forgotten its vital function as the national university.

Please sign this petition urging ANU to reconsider and protect the ANDC:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

hello world. new paper out!