Dr Paul Sidwell

I am a Canberra based researcher and consultant in linguistics, specialising 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 key works on Nicobarese, Khmuic, Pakanic, Pearic, and Munda branches.

My research and publishing activity is much broader in scope and extends to insular Southeast Asia.

My most recent significant contribution was to edit and write for (with Mathias Jenny) the Brill Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages.

My main research aim is to update/revise the reconstruction of proto-Austroasiatic, the hypothetical ancestor of the Austroasiatic 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)