معرفی
Professor Mari Jones serves as Professor of French Linguistics and Language Change in the Department of French at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics. She holds a Fellowship at Peterhouse College and maintains visiting positions at the University of Bamberg (Linguistics) and University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand), while also serving as a Fellow of the International Centre for Language Revitalisation.
Her research centers on endangered languages, with particular expertise in French linguistics, language death theory, and dialectology. Jones has conducted extensive fieldwork on Welsh, Breton, and Insular/Mainland Norman dialects, focusing on language change, contact phenomena, and standardization processes. Her work demonstrates exceptional commitment to documenting linguistic diversity and developing revitalization frameworks for minority languages, especially Norman varieties in the Channel Islands.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent thematic focus on language endangerment, with increasing emphasis on technological applications and policy frameworks since 2013. Her scholarship bridges theoretical linguistics with practical community-based revitalization, showing particular strength in Norman dialect documentation and cross-linguistic comparisons of obsolescence patterns.
Scientific recognition includes:
- 2016 Vice-Chancellor's Impact Award for School of Arts and Humanities
- 2021 Cambridge SU award for Inclusive Practice
- Fellowship of the Learned Society of Wales
- Fellowship of the International Centre for Language Revitalisation
Professor Jones actively supervises graduate research and directs major funded projects including an AHRC-supported network on urban language structures in France, alongside collaborations with Caen and Rennes universities. She founded the Cambridge Endangered Languages and Cultures Group and the Cambridge Conferences in Language Endangerment series, establishing vital infrastructure for endangered language research.
Her leadership extends to community engagement through the Cambridge Language Collective and Polyglossia Magazine, while her inclusive teaching practices earned specific student recognition in 2021. Current initiatives focus on Norman language preservation in Normandy and Channel Islands through the 'Patrimoine Linguistique en Normandie' project.
