معرفی
Professor Janet C.E. Watson is a leading scholar in Semitic linguistics at the University of Leeds, affiliated with the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures. She is the co-director of the Centre for Endangered Languages, Cultures and Ecosystems (CELCE) and leads major international projects on Modern South Arabian languages. Her work bridges linguistics, anthropology, and environmental studies.
Her research focuses on the documentation and analysis of endangered languages in southern Arabia, particularly Mehri, Śḥerɛ̄t (Jibbali), Harsusi, and Bathari. She employs instrumental phonetics, acoustic analysis, and community-based methodologies to study phonology, morphology, and the relationship between language and nature. Her fieldwork spans Oman and Yemen, often in collaboration with local scholars and communities.
The recent articles reflect a strong trend in laboratory phonology, language documentation, and computational approaches to under-resourced languages. Key themes include emphatic consonants, silent articulations, spatial language, and the integration of traditional ecological knowledge into linguistic analysis. Her work is increasingly interdisciplinary, connecting language with biodiversity, cultural heritage, and digital preservation.
- Fellow of the British Academy (2013)
- Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships (2007–2008, 2010–2011, 2019–2021)
- British Academy Small Research Grant
- British Council International Research Fellowship (host, 2023)
Professor Watson has supervised numerous PhD students working on Arabic dialects, Mehri, and language revitalization. Her grants include major funding from the Leverhulme Trust, British Academy, AHRC, and King Faisal Centre. She collaborates with institutions in the UK, Oman, Yemen, USA, and Europe. She founded the Language@Leeds Leadership Chair and co-founded CELCE with Prof. Jon Lovett.
She leads multimodal documentation projects, including the creation of an Arabic-based script for unwritten languages, children’s e-books in Mehri, and digital archives at ELAR (SOAS). Her team includes local researchers, PhD students, and international collaborators, emphasizing community engagement and capacity building.
