Ms. Marah Jaraisi

• MA English Language and Linguistics, University of Bar Ilan, 2021 
• BA English Linguistics and Literature, University of Haifa, 2016 

Before joining the department as a research fellow, I was an M4C-AHRC and ERC-funded PhD student working on documenting aspects of the linguistic life in the Kufr Qassem deaf community. During my doctoral studies, I also worked as a Postgraduate Teaching Associate, leading seminars for the Grammar and Discourse module.

My current work explores how deaf signers from different sociolinguistic backgrounds use spatial resources to visually construct and tell narratives. I focus in particular on the Kufr Qassem deaf community, where the local sign language is endangered, situating their language practices within broader typological diversity. Since 2018, I have been conducting research in this community with the goal of documenting and understanding language use from multiple perspectives.