Dr Paul Sidwell

I am semi-retired a researcher and consultant in linguistics, these days pivoting to farm life at Nelligen, near Batemans Bay, NSW. I specialize in Southeast Asian language history, forensic linguistics, and applied research for security and law-enforcement (via the business Language Intelligence email language.intel@gmail.com). 2012 to 2016 I was an Australian Research Council Future Fellow at the Australian National University (College of Asia and the Pacific). I specialise in Austroasiatic linguistics, authoring books on the Katuic, Bahnaric, Palaungic & Khasian branches, and I am actively preparing works on Nicobarese, Khmuic, Pakanic, Pearic, and Munda branches.

My research and publishing activity is broader in scope than just Austroasiatic and extends to insular Southeast Asia.

My most recent significant contributions are major handbooks (co-edited with Mathias Jenny) the Brill Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages and deGruyter The Languages and Linguistics of Mainland Southeast Asia: A comprehensive guide.

My long term research aim is to update/revise the reconstruction of proto-Austroasiatic, the hypothetical ancestor of the Austroasiatic language phylum. My May 18 2018 presentation to SEALS28 regarding AA cultural lexicon can been downloaded here, and the slides for my 7 Dec. 2018 talk at the MPI Jena workshop In Schleicher's Footsteps on PAA culture/migration can be downloaded here.

Professional appointments/projects

  • 2019-2021 Honorary Associate, Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney.

  • 2017 onward: Partner, Language Intelligence.

  • 2017-2018: Honorary Lecturer, Australian National University.

  • 2016: Consulting Linguist, Center for Research in Computational Linguistics (Bangkok), DARPA/LORELEI Project.

  • 2012–2016: ARC Future Fellow, Australian National University, Austroasiatic Lexicon Project.

  • 2007–2011: Center for Research in Computational Linguistics (Bangkok), Director of Mon-Khmer Language Project.

  • 2001–2004: ANU, Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow

  • 2005–2007: ANU Visiting Research Fellow, funded by Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig

  • 2001: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Collaborating Scientist

Active projects / Research resources/tools

Boards / Committees / Associations (current/ongoing positions)