Michael Franjieh

Dr. Michael Franjieh is a Research Fellow at the Surrey Morphology Group and a Sustainability Fellow at the Institute for Sustainability, University of Surrey. He holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London, and specializes in the documentation and description of Oceanic languages, particularly those of Vanuatu. His research focuses on nominal categorization, morphology, and grammaticalization, with an interdisciplinary approach investigating the emergence of grammatical gender from classifiers in Oceanic languages. Current projects include the ESRC-funded 'Optimal Categorisation' project and the 'Sustainable Endangered Language Maintenance in the South Pacific.'

His educational background includes a BA (Hons), MA, and PhD from SOAS, University of London, with expertise in psycholinguistics and language policy. His work bridges theoretical linguistics with practical applications, such as vernacular language teaching and literacy development in Vanuatu communities. Collaborations with Prof. Greville Corbett and Dr. Alexandra Grandison further emphasize cognitive and diachronic perspectives in language structure.

Publications highlight classifier systems, possessive constructions, and language documentation, often involving community engagement. His research trends emphasize interdisciplinary methods, combining experimental psychology with traditional linguistic analysis to explore nominal classification origins. Projects like the Fanbyak DoReCo dataset and free-listing techniques reflect a strong commitment to semantic fieldwork and endangered language preservation.

No scientific awards are explicitly mentioned. He contributes to academic teams and projects without listed advisees, focusing on collaborative research and institutional sustainability initiatives.

His affiliation with the Surrey Morphology Group and Institute for Sustainability underscores interdisciplinary work at the intersection of language structure, culture, and environmental stewardship.