Dr. Marwan Jarrah is an Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of English
Language and Literature at the University of Jordan and the current Dean of the School of
Foreign Languages. A specialist in theoretical syntax and the Arabic language, Dr. Jarrah’s
scholarship contributes significantly to understanding syntactic theory, the interface between
syntax and pragmatics, and, most recently, the development of child language acquisition
resources for underrepresented linguistic varieties.
Dr. Jarrah earned his PhD in Linguistics and English Language from Newcastle University (UK)
in 2017. His current research is rooted in the Minimalist Program and addresses core issues in
syntactic theory, including Phase Theory, Criterial Freezing, structural variation, and the syntaxpragmatics interface. He has extended his interest in syntactic structures to include comparative
and typological studies across Arabic dialects. His work reflects a commitment to integrating
theoretical insight with empirical data drawn from spoken Arabic, a language family historically
underrepresented in generative linguistic models.
Dr. Jarrah is the principal investigator of a major funded research project titled "Building a
Child Language Corpus of Vernacular Jordanian Arabic," supported by an 8000 JD grant
from the Deanship of Scientific Research at the University of Jordan. This project aims to fill a
critical gap in Arabic child language documentation by compiling naturalistic data on child
language use in everyday Jordanian Arabic settings. The corpus will serve as an open-access
resource for scholars investigating first language acquisition, dialect variation, and the syntactic
development of Arabic in childhood.
The child language corpus initiative intersects with Dr. Jarrah’s secondary research interest in
first language acquisition. He explores how early grammatical patterns in Jordanian Arabic
emerge and stabilize, particularly regarding object drop, topicalization, and variation in
negation—topics he has already addressed in his corpus-based research on adult Arabic. His
work is especially notable for applying generative approaches to language data typically
marginalized in mainstream linguistic theory.
In addition to his corpus-building efforts, Dr. Jarrah maintains an impressive publication record
with over 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters published in leading journals such as
Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, Journal of Linguistics, Lingua, Studia Linguistica, and
Canadian Journal of Linguistics. His contributions also include chapters in authoritative volumes
like The Oxford Handbook of Expressivity and the Routledge Handbook of Language and
Religion.
His scholarly influence extends internationally through invited talks at institutions such as the
University of Massachusetts Amherst and participation in leading conferences like LAGB (UK),
the Annual Symposium on Arabic Linguistics (USA), and the Societas Linguistica Europaea. His
paper presentations on child-related linguistic phenomena—such as the syntax of expressive
demonstratives and verbal negation in Jordanian Arabic—have enriched cross-linguistic debates
in both syntactic theory and language acquisition.
In parallel with his research, Dr. Jarrah is a dedicated educator. He teaches graduate and
undergraduate courses in syntax, morphology, psycholinguistics, pragmatics, phonology, and
research methodology. His teaching approach blends formal theory with empirical analysis,
training students to work with both elicited and corpus-based data. He actively mentors graduate
students, many of whom pursue research in Arabic syntax and child language.
Dr. Jarrah’s service to the academic community is equally substantial. He has held several
leadership roles at the University of Jordan, including Vice Dean for Quality Assurance and
Head of the English Department. As of September 2024, he serves as Dean of the School of
Foreign Languages, overseeing academic strategy and international collaborations.
He is also a member of several prestigious linguistic societies, including the Linguistics
Association of Great Britain (LAGB), the Arabic Linguistics Society (ALS), the Societas
Linguistica Europaea (SLE), and the Philological Society (UK). His editorial and peer review
contributions span leading journals such as Linguistic Inquiry, Journal of Pragmatics, Folia
Linguistica, Syntax, and Lingua, reflecting his standing in the international linguistics
community.