Reza Arab

Dr Reza Arab is a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the School of Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, University of Queensland. He serves as the Major Convenor for the English as an International Language (EIL) program, focusing on language practices that shape belonging, identity, and cross-cultural interaction in institutional contexts.

Education:

• PhD in Applied Linguistics, Griffith University (2021)

His research spans pragmatics, cultural linguistics, and discourse analysis with emphasis on:

• Humour studies in prison discourse, media, and political communication
• Cultural semantics of Persian concepts (e.g., 'salt' and 'taste')
• Ethnopragmatics of Persian speech practices (Hāzer Jāvabi)
• Metaphors of national belonging in Indigenous contexts
• Political communication accessibility for migrant communities

Recent publications (2021-2025) demonstrate methodological diversity through corpus analysis, ethnographic fieldwork, and cultural-linguistic frameworks. Key trends include cross-linguistic studies of epistemic markers, documentation of endangered language practices, and applied research on humour as a coping mechanism in confined spaces.

Dr Arab actively supervises higher degree research students. His projects receive funding from:

• The University of Queensland
• Australian Linguistics Society
• Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research
• European Commission (Erasmus Mundus)

He contributes to the Language Data Commons of Australia (LDaCA) and Korean Studies Centre, currently leading the project 'Making Democracy Accessible: Rethinking Political Communication for Australia’s Migrant Communities' through community partnerships.