Job Description

Posting number: 2026-02170

Department: University of Hawai'i at Manoa - CALL - Department of Linguistics

Job classification: MANOA 9-MO FACULTY

Posting type: Open

Categories: Higher Education, Faculty

Summary

Title: Assistant Professor (Sociolinguistics)

Hiring Unit: Department of Linguistics, College of Arts, Languages & Letters

Location: Manoa

Date Posted: October 09, 2026

Closing Date: Continuous recruitment, first review on December 1, 2026

Salary Information: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Monthly Type: 9 Month

Tenure Track: Tenure Track

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Temporary/Permanent: Permanent

Other Conditions

Full-time, tenure track position in Linguistics, with specialization in sociolinguistics, to begin Fall 2027, pending position clearance and availability of funds. We seek a colleague whose research centers on language variation and change in language contact situations. The successful candidate will examine linguistic and social factors that affect language maintenance, shift, or revitalization, for situations involving contact of spoken and/or signed languages, which could include pidgins, creoles, home or village sign languages, language varieties, or low-resource languages. Desired research foci include one or more of the following: the sociolinguistics of revitalization; typological perspectives on language contact; the sociolinguistics of multimodal contact; and computational sociolinguistics, including the application of social network modeling or the investigation of the sociolinguistic impacts of language technology and new media.

The successful candidate will also contribute to the department’s strong commitment to language sustainability in the Pacific, Asia, and beyond; the study of language through data-driven methods, including experimental, documentary, and computational approaches; and community engagement in language work. Researchers with expertise in the languages of Oceania are especially encouraged to apply. The Department of Linguistics at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa offers BA, MA and PhD degree programs in Linguistics. For more information, see: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/linguistics/.

Our campus welcomes all students but given our responsibilities to the community in which we operate, as part of our strategic mission, we strive to become a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning, a place that is committed to integrating Native Hawaiian language, culture and/or values into its academic and campus environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and teach undergraduate/graduate courses in the designated area of specialization and in general areas based on the needs of the department.
• Supervise and mentor graduate and undergraduate students.
• Serve on department committees, including chairing graduate committees.
• Conduct and publish original scholarly research in an area of specialization.
• Pursue opportunities for external funding.
• Strengthen the department’s research and teaching in sociolinguistics and language contact, including by convening research groups and organizing international meetings.
• Contribute service at the department, college, university, and community levels.
• Other duties as assigned by the Department Chair.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate (PhD or equivalent) in Linguistics, Anthropology, Applied Linguistics or related field from a college or university of recognized standing. (ABD will be considered, but doctoral degree must be awarded by August 1, 2027).
• Experience, expertise, and evidence of an active research program in sociolinguistics.
• Evidence of relevant teaching experience or demonstrated ability to establish a successful teaching program.
• Evidence of engagement with language communities, including collaborative, community-based, or community-directed research, teaching, and/or service.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collegially.

Desirable Qualifications

• Expertise in one or more other areas that will broaden or enhance the strengths of our linguistics community, including but not limited to: language revitalization/reclamation, language policy, language documentation, language acquisition, sign language linguistics, linguistic typology, historical linguistics, computational and experimental methods.
• Expertise in the languages of Oceania.
• Demonstrated excellence in teaching, training, and supervision of graduate and undergraduate students.
• Record of and/or demonstrated commitment to securing external funding.

To Apply

Click on the “Apply” button on the top right corner of the screen to complete an application and attach the following REQUIRED documents:

• A letter of application (2-3 pages);
• Curriculum Vitae;
• Teaching statement (1-2 pages including a concise summary of teaching evaluations if available);
• Research statement (1-2 pages);
• A statement that summarizes evidence of engagement with one or more language communities through research, teaching, and/or service (1-2 pages);
• Names and contact information for three references;
• Copies of up to three key written scholarly works; and
• Copies of graduate course transcripts (unofficial copies acceptable, official transcripts required upon hire).

Inquiries

Amy Schafer, Department Chair; 808-956-3226; lingdc@hawaii.edu

Examples of duties

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, including on the basis of veteran and disability status. For more information, visit: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/policies/

Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks.

In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office.

Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/