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Mr. Alim Hosein
Senior Lecturer
Department of Language and Cultural Studies
Email
alazho@yahoo.co.uk

Education 

  • MA Applied Linguistics (Ind.)
  • B.A. English (Dist.), (UG)

 

Occupational History

  • 1984 – present: Lecturer, University of Guyana
  • 2013 - 2015: Dean Faculty of Education and Humanities
  • 2007-2010: Head, Department of Language and Cultural Studies
  • 2000-2003: Head, Department of Language and Cultural Studies
  • 2003-2005: Coordinator, Language Centre, UG
  • 2005-2006: Deputy Dean, UG
  • 1981-1982: Teacher of Art, Central High School
  • 1975- 1981: Teacher of Art, Cummings Lodge Second School

 

Awards, Fellowships, and Research Grants

  • Fulbright/LASPAU Scholarship (for M.A. Degree) – Fulbright, 1988
  • Award for Distinguished Service – University of Guyana, 2004
  • Long Service Award (25 years): 2011
  • Long Service Award (30 years): 2016

 

Selected Research

  • 2016: Language, Linguistics and Guyanese Society: 2016 and Beyond.
  • 2016: Colonial and Pre-Colonial Art in Guyana.
  • 2016: The Art of the 1970’s in Guyana.
  • 2014: Apology Strategies used in Face-Threatening Situations in Guyana.
  • 2013: Nostalgia in Guyanese Art and Literature
  • 2012:  Creole Phonology
  • 2012: Contemporary Amerindian Art
  • 2011: “Like W’en Cow Buss Rope: Guyanese Idioms”.
  • 2011: “The Pursuit of Vision: Naipaul and Writing”.
  • 2010: “Reduplication in Guyanese”
  • 2009: Demographics and the development of the Creole language and in Guyana
  • 2006:  “Contemporary Amerindian Art” 
  • 2006: “Sorry: Apologising in Guyana”.
  • 1997: East Indian Poetry
  • 1996: “Language and Identification: The Use of English and Creolese by Caribbean Writers”.
  • “Are Caribbean Creole Situations Cases of Diglossia?”
  • 1995: “The Nigger and the Nobleman: the Use  of Mythology in Martin Carter’s  Four Poems and Demerara Nigger”.

 

Ongoing Research

  • East Indian Immigration to British Guiana, 1874
  • Colonial and Pre-Colonial Art in Guyana
  • Lexical and Semantic Expansion in Guyanese Creole – the word “Corner”
  • Sandhi Phenomenon in Guyanese.
  • Aspects of decreolisation in Guyanese language.
  • Use of nostalgia/the past in Guyanese Art and Literature.

 

Publications

  • “Attenuating Agency: The Use of Apology Strategies used in Face-Threatening Situations in Guyana”  (accepted for publication, Journal of Education and Humanities).
  • “Language, Linguistics and Guyanese Society: 2016 and Beyond” (to be published by Ministry of Education, Guyana).
  • “Guyanese Phonology: Linguistic Idealisation vs. Cultural Evolution”. In Celebrating Multiple Identities, Vol. 2. Willemstad: University of Curacao, 2016.
  • “Nostalgia in Guyanese Art and Literature”. In Faraclas, N. et al, eds. Transcultural Roots Uprising. Eastern Caribbean Islands Cultures Conference, 2013.
  • “As New and as Old”. The Arts Journal, Vol. 9, Nos. 1&2, 2013.
  • “Nostalgia in Guyanese Art and Literature”. In Faraclas, Nicholas et al, eds. Transcultural Roots Uprising. Eastern Caribbean Islands Cultures Conference, 2013. 
  • “Is There Evidence of Decreolisation in Guyanese Phonology?” In Faraclas, Nicholas et al, eds. Double Voicing and Multiplex Identities. Eastern Caribbean Islands Cultures Conference, 2012. 
  • “Reduplication and Language Change in Guyana” In Allsopp, Jeanette and John Rickford, eds.  Language, Culture and Caribbean Identity. Kingston: Canoe Press, UWI,  2012.
  •  “The Great Dark: The Artist and Society.” Journal of Education and Humanities, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2008.
  • “The Body Politic: Sex and Power in Jhanjat and Buxton Spice”. The Arts Journal  Vol. 1, No. 1, 2004.
  • “Art Since Independence – A Reflection of Social Issues” In Arif Ali, ed., Guyana. London: Hansib, 2006.
  • 1988- 2012: numerous criticisms, reviews, presentations, commentaries on Guyanese Art.
  • “The Creative Mind: Technical and Stylistic Aspects” (On the work of Stanley Greaves). In Overcoming the Void?  Georgetown: Castellani House, 1997.
  • 1988: “The Phonology of Arawak Based on the 1867 Arawak Glossary”. Proceedings of the  Conference on Amerindians, Guyana.
  • 1988- present: numerous criticisms, reviews, presentations, commentaries on Guyanese Art in Sunday Stabroek newspaper.

 

Technical Reports and Monographs

  • “From Colony to Nation”. Georgetown: National Gallery of Art, May 2016.
  •  “Circa 1970: The Crossroads”. Georgetown: National Gallery of Art, February 2016.
  •  “Amerindian Art in Guyana”. Georgetown: National Gallery of Art, September 2015.
  •  “Independent Pathway”. Georgetown: National Gallery of Art, May 2015.
  •  “The Spirit of Revolution”. Georgetown: National Gallery of Art, February 2015.
  • “More Than Words III”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 3, Edition 5, 2015.
  •  “More Than Words II”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 3, Edition 4, 2015.
  •  “More Than Words I”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 3, Edition 3, 2015.
  •  “The World of Aural Sex”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 3, Edition 2, 2015.
  •  “Animal Language”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 3, Edition 1, 2015.
  •  “The Gift of Tongues”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 2, Edition 4, 2014.
  •  “Biased? Prejudiced? Me?”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 2, Edition 3, 2014.
  •  “Language Prejudice”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 2, Edition 2, 2014.
  • “Attitudes to Guyanese”. Insight. Georgetown: Insight Inc., Vol. 2, Edition 1, 2014.
  • “Guyanese Language”. Heritage Guyana. Georgetown: National Trust of Guyana, Issue #4, 2014.
  • “Art Exhibitions in Guyana”. Catalogue Essay, Guyana Visual Arts Exhibition, 2012.

 

Publications Edited

  • 50 Nation Builders of Guyana. Georgetown: Ministry of Education, 2016 (to be published).
  • 50 creative Icons of Guyana. Georgetown: Ministry of Education, 2016 (to be published).
  • Faces of Guyana. Georgetown: Ministry of Education, 2015.
  • Panorama: A Portrait of Guyana. Georgetown: Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, 2013.

 

Conferences

  • 2016 – “Idioms and Language Development in Guyana”. (Presented at Society for Caribbean Linguistics 21 Biennial Conference, Kingston, Jamaica).
  • 2016 – “The Evolution of Guyanese Creole”. Colloquium on Creole Languages, University of Guyana.
  • 2012 - “Nostalgia in Guyanese Art and Literature”.  (Presented at XV Eastern Caribbean Islands Cultures Conference, St. Martin, USVI ) .
  • 2012: “Phonological Change in Guyanese: Linguistic Idealisation vs. Cultural Evolution”. (Presented at 19th Biennial Conference of Society for Caribbean Linguistics, Bahamas).
  • 2011: “Guyanese Phonology” (Presented at XIV Eastern Caribbean Islands Cultures Conference, Grenada).
  • 2010: “Reduplication in Guyanese” (Presented at 18th Biennial Conference of Society for Caribbean Linguistics, Barbados).
  • 2009: “Revolutions of a Writer: Naipaul and Writing”.  (Presented  at XXVIII Conference on West Indian Literature, University of Guyana).
  • 2009: “Private and Public”. (Presented at XII Eastern Caribbean Islands Cultures Conference, Dominica).
  • 2008: “Art and Existence – Contemporary Lokono Art in Guyana”.  (Presented  at XI Eastern Caribbean Islands Culture Conference, Curacao).
  • 2008: “Attenuating Agency: The Use of Apology Strategies in Face-Threatening Situations in Guyana”.  (Presented at 17th Biennial Conference of Society for Caribbean  Linguistics/Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics, Cayenne, French Guiana). 
  • 2000: “Jhanjat and Buxton Spice”. (Presented at  XIX Conference on West Indian Literature, Guyana.
  • 1998: “The Location of the Ancestral in Guyanese Art”. (Presented at Caribbean Association of Professionals and Scholars Conference, Guyana).
  • 1996: “The Scattered Skeleton. The Theme of ‘Ancestor’ in Guyanese Literature”. (Presented at XIV Conference on West Indian Literature, Trinidad).
  • 1994: “Language and Identification”. (Presented at XIII Conference on West Indian Literature, Puerto Rico).
  • 1994: “Diglossia in the Creole Continuum” (in collaboration with Amna Mohamed). (Presented at Society for Caribbean Linguistics/Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics Joint Conference, UG). 
  • 1992: ”The Art of Consciousness: Martin Carter and the Liberated Imagination”. (Presented at XI Conference on West Indian Literature, Guyana).
  • 1988: “Poetry and Identity: Poems Written by Guyanese East Indians”. (Presented at Language  Literature Conference, UG).
  • November 2012: “Reflections on Edgar Mittelholzer” Introductory Presentation to Edgar Mittelholzer Lecture Series, 2012.

 

Public Lectures

  • August 2016: Artists and Independence – Talk at Opening of Main Street Artists’ Jubilee Exhibition, Pegasus Hotel.
  • October 2009: Our Language Our Heritage – on the development of creole language in Guyana.  Featured Public Lecture  for Heritage Month. National Trust, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. National Museum.
  • Dec. 1, 2008 - Presented paper on Protection and Preservation of Languages – Venezuelan Centre for Culture and Cooperation Seminar on Language.
  • 2007: Lecture on Creole Languages. Guyana Heritage Society Annual Lecture.
  • Oct. 2003: “The Artist, Community and Change”. Feature Address, Guyana Forum for Lifelong Learning Leadership Seminar.

 

Organisations

  • 2014-2016:  Chair, Board of Management, National Gallery of Art.
  • 2013-2014:  Member, Board of Management, National Gallery of Art.
  • 2012 - Director, Guyana Visual Arts Competition and Exhibition, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. 
  • 2008 - Member,  Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence Country Nominating Committee
  • 2008 - Member, Guyana Prize for Literature   Management Committee, Government of Guyana/University of Guyana
  • 2000 - Member, Board of Studies, E.R. Burrowes School of Art, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
  • 1990 - Member, Society for Caribbean Linguistics