The Linguistics research department at the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities (ACDH), an institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) – Austria’s leading non-university research and science institution – is offering a position as

 

Master Student (f/m/x) - Bavarian dialectology and dialectometry

 (40%, 16 hours per week)

 

The position is embedded in the FWF-funded project “Bavarian Dialects in Austria and South Tyrol in the 20th Century – Quantitative Analyses Based on the WBÖ Corpus (BASyQ)”. The project uses dialectometric and geostatistical methods to investigate the geographic structure and dynamics of the Bavarian base dialects in Austria and South Tyrol. It draws on the historical source material of the Dictionary of Bavarian Dialects in Austria (WBÖ) — around three million citation slips, mostly from the first half of the 20th century, which are available as an XML/TEI database and publicly accessible via the Lexical Information System Austria (LIÖ). The central question is which geographic structures emerge across the linguistic levels of phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon, and how these relate to existing dialect classifications. 

Your Tasks

• Supporting database searches on selected phonological, morphological, syntactic, or lexical phenomena
• Supporting the preparation and classification of database citations
• Assigning survey locations to a geographic reference network
• Contributing to the manual review and correction of automatic annotations of example sentences
• Contributing to the creation of maps and visualizations, and to the content preparation of results for online presentation
• Literature research and acquisition, formal proofreading and corrections

Your Profile

• You are currently studying for a diploma, MA or teaching degree in German studies / German Philology or Linguistics (with a focus on German studies)
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: dialectology, variation linguistics, corpus linguistics, digital humanities
• Confident use of standard office software (especially spreadsheets) and computers in general, accurate spelling
• Openness to the latest developments in the field of digital humanities
• Advantageous: experience in data management, programming or scripting skills (R or Python), GIS skills, very good English skills, (East Upper German) dialect competence

Our Offer

• Access to unique historical language material
• Collaboration with international experts in dialectology and dialectometry
• An international, diverse team in the heart of Vienna
• Flexible, family-friendly working hours
• Independent, self-directed work with room for your own ideas and initiative
• Open communication and corporate culture (open-door policy)

 

The minimum annual gross salary for this position is EUR 38.653,72 (full-time based), in accordance with the collective agreement of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). For part-time employment, the salary will be adjusted on a pro rata basis in line with the agreed working hours. The start of employment is planned for 1 February 2027 and is limited to one year, with the option of extension. 

Please upload your application (including CV, cover letter, current transcript of records (studies), other certificates, proof of software skills if applicable, and references) via our ÖAW online platform. Deadline November 15th, 2026.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) pursues a non-discriminatory employment policy and values equal opportunities, as well as diversity. Individuals from underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.