Alex François

Language documentation & description. Pacific lgs & cultures. Language change & history. Linguistic typology. Grammar, lexicon, texts. Oh and also, languages.

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@aryaman2020 What I love most about language is how it creates and handles semantic categorization, bringing the world's infiniteness to a manageable finiteness - and how every language finds a different solution.
I find that beauty both in the Grammar and in the Lexicon.

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@CultissimeOff 5/5 🥳

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@CultissimeOff 5/5 🥳 merci

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@hiramring @thomas_wier @14ilovejews88 @colingorrie @kvali_app indeed, if I simulate a connection with a Singapore VPN, the connection can be very slow, or even out-of-work... I'm not sure why.
EvoSem apparently works for most other countries though. (a VPN could help perhaps?)

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@hiramring @thomas_wier @14ilovejews88 @colingorrie @kvali_app should be working 🤔

https://t.co/QmiWRuy6SQ

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@thomas_wier @14ilovejews88 @colingorrie @kvali_app 2/2
EvoSem 2.0 (in the making, not public yet) will have more data, with - perhaps - a bias towards more loanwords.
For Georgian we'll have 2657 words:
252 listing 'Georgian' itself as source,
423 Old G., 138 p-G-Zan, 146 p-Kartvelian.
The rest (loanwords) = 1698 = 64%.

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@thomas_wier @14ilovejews88 @colingorrie @kvali_app 1/2
Our EvoSem project has a sample of lexicon for over 3300 languages (mostly from Wiktionary).
Our Georgian data, organised by proto-lg of origin, has 381 words, incl. 126 <pr-Georgian-Zan, 144 <pr-Kartvelian, and 111 (29%) borrowed <other families.
https://t.co/2avSEDpT38

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@Cayden_Cline PPN *s → HAW /h/ usually, so yes indeed, the expected form would have been **/ha'u/.
That said, unexpected reflexes do occur.

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

And here's a cartoony intro to our paper on Vanuatu storytelling traditions 🪄

👇

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

1/5 📖 Myths, tales or history?
On two storytelling traditions in Vanuatu

In a new article written with Sandrine Bessis, we compare over 400 oral narratives from North vs. Central Vanuatu — and the results were unexpected. 🧵👇

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

1/5 📖 Myths, tales or history?
On two storytelling traditions in Vanuatu

In a new article written with Sandrine Bessis, we compare over 400 oral narratives from North vs. Central Vanuatu — and the results were unexpected. 🧵👇

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

5/5
We argue this contrast reflects differences in social organisation. Spirits are central to northern cultures vs. genealogy and historical memory are key to land rights in Central Vanuatu.

📑 SB & AF (2025). Myths, tales or history? Te Reo 68(3).

👉 https://t.co/d1NFCChpbV

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

1/5 📖 Myths, tales or history?
On two storytelling traditions in Vanuatu

In a new article written with Sandrine Bessis, we compare over 400 oral narratives from North vs. Central Vanuatu — and the results were unexpected. 🧵👇

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

4/5
🔹 Central Vanuatu (Shepherds) islands have no origin myths.
Instead, narratives focus on oral history ~ “mythistory”: genealogy, named places, migrations, volcanic events, and encounters with Polynesians.

Stories are anchored in human history.

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

✨ HéLiCéO is hiring again ✨

With so many projects of linguistic & cultural databases, we are now consolidating our team by hiring a second engineer:

- Contract: 1 year, starting 1 Feb 2026
- Apply before 21 Dec 2025

Come work with us in Paris 🥳
https://t.co/kjyunTqsTk

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

✨ HéLiCéO is hiring again ✨

With so many projects of linguistic & cultural databases, we are now consolidating our team by hiring a second engineer:

- Contract: 1 year, starting 1 Feb 2026
- Apply before 21 Dec 2025

Come work with us in Paris 🥳
https://t.co/kjyunTqsTk

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

HéLiCéO, the new project I am leading on Pacific languages, is hiring an IT engineer to develop and maintain digital resources for language and cultural comparison.

Applications are open till 31 May, job starts 1 Sept.

Come work with us in Paris! ✨

https://t.co/6Iy0gGf5dm

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

✨ HéLiCéO is hiring again ✨

With so many projects of linguistic & cultural databases, we are now consolidating our team by hiring a second engineer:
- Contract: 1 year, starting 1 Feb 2026
- Deadline: 21 Dec 2025

Come work with us in Paris 😎🤩

👉 https://t.co/kjyunTqsTk

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

HéLiCéO, the new project I am leading on Pacific languages, is hiring an IT engineer to develop and maintain digital resources for language and cultural comparison.

Applications are open till 31 May, job starts 1 Sept.

Come work with us in Paris! ✨

https://t.co/6Iy0gGf5dm

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

@SeongwooKANG2 @CNRS En réalité, la plupart des candidats ont accompli 1 ou plusieurs postdocs après la thèse.
Mais bonne nouvelle: les recrutements ont lieu tous les ans: vous pourrez candidater dans qqs années.

Bon courage pour la thèse 📚📖

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

Come work in Paris with the LATTICE dept✨

If you wish to develop your research on #linguistics or #NLP with us, LATTICE might support your application to the national “Chercheurs” competition of @CNRS, for a permanent “chargé de recherche” position.

🔎 https://t.co/KoaQCo2dse

[Alex François @AlexF_languages]

Come work in Paris with the LATTICE dept✨

If you wish to develop your research on #linguistics or #NLP with us, LATTICE might support your application to the national “Chercheurs” competition of @CNRS, for a permanent “chargé de recherche” position.

🔎 https://t.co/KoaQCo2dse