Jonathan Edward Hodgess Roper

Jonathan Edward Hodgess Roper is an Associate Professor of English and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu's Institute of Cultural Research within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He holds a PhD in English Verbal Charms from the University of Sheffield (2003), an MA in Modern English Language and Cultural Tradition (1997), and a BA Hons in Russian Studies and Classics from Keele University (1995).

His research focuses on Comparative Folklore, Verbal Charms, Oral Literature, Dialectology, Ethnography, Cultural Studies, and Formulaic Language. Roper's work extensively explores the intersections of folklore with linguistics, anthropology, and cultural history, particularly through regional dictionary analysis and oral tradition documentation.

Analysis of Roper's recent publications reveals consistent themes in folklore materiality, linguistic anthropology, and cultural preservation. His works demonstrate strong emphasis on:

• Formulaic structures in oral traditions
• Ethnolinguistic documentation through dictionaries
• Regional folklore studies (particularly Devon and Newfoundland)
• Historical analysis of Victorian folklore practices
• Interdisciplinary approaches to charm studies

Roper has supervised doctoral and master's students including Alevtina Solovyeva (PhD 2021), Kashif Farooqi (MA 2022), and Paul Cowdell (MA 2006). He has led research projects such as 'Speech Genres in Newfoundland' (2024-2025) and participated in major grants like 'Vernacular Interpretations of the Incomprehensible' (2020-2024).

Administratively, Roper chairs the ISFNR Committee on Charms and serves on editorial boards for Folklore, Journal of American Folklore, and Commentationes Archivi Traditionum Popularium Estoniae. His international collaborations include honorary positions at the University of Sheffield (2002-2015).