An Indian-origin expert in linguistics, whose work on Bengali dialects is widely recognised, has been chosen to head a new faculty at the University of Oxford.
Aditi Lahiri, currently a professor of Linguistics at Oxford, will head the new Faculty of Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics to be launched on August 1.
Lahiri's work includes 'A study of the Bengali dialect of the Kandi subdivision of Murshidabad' (1979) published by the University of Calcutta.
The new faculty will be made up of a core of dedicated linguistics staff, with support from other academics in related faculties, such as classics and modern languages, who have linguistics expertise.
Lahiri said: "I am delighted to be heading the new faculty at such an exciting time. It will be a unique institution, combining general linguistics, comparative philology and phonetics, embracing members from various different departments.
"Although this is the beginning of a new chapter, it is also a continuation of a long and successful tradition of the study of linguistics, philology and phonetics at Oxford.
"Eminent scholars in the field have passed through this University, and the new faculty plans to maintain cutting-edge inter-disciplinary research, including language study from ancient to modern, as well as extending to the fields of cognitive science, computing, and experimental psychology."
The Head of Oxford University's Humanities Division, Sally Shuttleworth, said: "Oxford has a long history in the field of linguistics and the creation of the new faculty will help bring together all our excellent work in this area."
The Head of Oxford University's Humanities Division, Sally Shuttleworth, said: "Oxford has a long history in the field of linguistics and the creation of the new faculty will help bring together all our excellent work in this area."