Curriculum Vitae

DR. AMIR RASHAD BIN MUSTAFFA

Senior Lecturer
  • Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics
    Faculty of Languages and Linguistics
  • armus
  • 0379673116

BIOGRAPHY

Amir is a syntactician who mainly conducts research on the syntax of copular constructions but also has an interest in other areas of grammar such as extraction, expletives, morphosyntax, historical syntax, and typology (especially that of the Austronesian languages). He was awarded a PhD in Linguistics and English language by the University of Edinburgh and an MA in Linguistics by University College London, the thesis of both of which focused on copular constructions in Malay specifically. In addition to his expertise in Malay theoretical/descriptive morphosyntax, he is also au fait with the literature on English morphosyntax and has a firm grasp on phonology as well as pedagogy, owing to his Bachelor's degree in TESL from UiTM.

. . . .

Those looking to conduct research in the fields of syntax, morphology, and their applications in other areas, are welcome to enquire. I am able to supervise students who would like to focus on languages other than English or Malay as well.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • LINGUISTICS STRUCTURE
    Generative grammar, Syntax, Morphology, Morphosyntax, Nonverbal predication, Copular constructions, Phonology
  • MALAY LANGUAGE
    Malay syntax, Malay grammar, Malay morphosyntax, Classical Malay, Old Malay, Kata pemeri
  • LANGUAGE IN TIME AND SPACE(INCL.HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS,DIALECTOLOGY)
    Old Malay language, Typology, Historical syntax, Historical phonology
  • APPLIED LINGUISTICS
    Teaching English as a second language (TESL), English language teaching (ELT)

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION

  • Doctoral Degree (PhD)
    Edinburgh University, United Kingdom
  • M.A, (MASTER OF ARTS IN LINGUISTICS)
    University College, University of London, UK
  • BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (HONS) (TESL) FIRST CLASS, (EDUCATION (HONS) (TESL))
    Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

  • UM Programme Coordinator: Pemerkasaan Bahasa Melayu di Institut Pengajian Tinggi
    01 Sep 2024 - 31 Jul 2026 (National)
  • Member: Master of Arts Curriculum Review Committee
    03 May 2024 - 31 Dec 2025 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • Member: Universiti Malaya Intensive English Programme (UM IEP) Development Task Force
    19 Sep 2024 - 31 Dec 2024 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • Ahli: Jawatankuasa Penulisan Teks Ucapan Konvokesyen (JKPTUK) Universiti Malaya Ke-64
    15 Jul 2024 - 08 Dec 2024 (University Malaya)
  • Course Coordinator: Structure of English (TQA7003, 2023/2024_2)
    04 Mar 2024 - 07 Jul 2024 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • Course Coordinator: Structure of English (TQA7014, 2023/2024_2)
    04 Mar 2024 - 07 Jul 2024 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • Exercising The Function of Dean
    02 May 2024 - 02 May 2024 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • Course Coordinator: Structure of English (TQA7003, 2023/2024_1)
    09 Oct 2023 - 11 Feb 2024 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • Course Coordinator: Structure of English (TQA7014, 2023/2024_1)
    09 Oct 2023 - 11 Feb 2024 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • UM Programme Coordinator: Pemerkasaan Bahasa Melayu di Institut Pengajian Tinggi
    01 May 2023 - 31 Dec 2023 (National)
  • SULAM Coordinator (Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
    16 Jul 2023 - 31 Dec 2023 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
  • Wakil Perantara UMExpert (Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)
    28 Aug 2023 - 31 Dec 2023 (Faculty)
  • Jawatankuasa Kecil Penulisan dan Teks Ucapan Konvokesyen (JKPTUK) Universiti Malaya Ke-63
    21 Jun 2023 - 03 Dec 2023 (University Malaya)
  • Jawatankuasa Penulisan Prakata Aluan dalam Projek Terjemahan Buku Antologi Sajak Fakulti Bahasa & Linguistik Bersama Kedutaan Peru
    12 Sep 2023 - 20 Sep 2023 (International)
  • Course Coordinator: Structure of English (TQA7003, 2022/2023_2)
    13 Mar 2023 - 16 Jul 2023 (Faculty)
  • Course Coordinator: Language Acquisition (TIX2021, 2022/2023_2)
    13 Mar 2023 - 16 Jul 2023 (Faculty)
  • Course Coordinator: Syntax (TOA7004, 2017/2018_1)
    11 Sep 2017 - 12 Jan 2018 (Dean Office, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics)

MEMBERSHIPS

  • MALAYSIAN ASSOCIATION OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS (MAAL) - LIFETIME, MEMBER
    Since 2023 (National)

AWARD AND STEWARDSHIP

  • FLL Promising Star Award 2023
    Faculty of Languages & Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, 2023 (University)
  • Skim Latihan Akademik IPTA (SLAI) Fellowship
    Universiti Malaya, 2018 (International)
  • De Gruyter Best Paper Awards
    De Gruyter Academic Publishing, 2018 (International)

PUBLICATIONS

Article in Journal
  1. Mustaffa, A.R. (2018). Silent Syntactic Structures in Malay: Copular Clauses. Journal of Modern Languages, 28, 20 43. Retrieved from https://ejournal.um.edu.my/index.php/JML/article/view/13172
ESCI
  1. Mustaffa, Amir Rashad (2020). Null Expletives in Malay, GEMA ONLINE JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE STUDIES. 20(2), 224-243. doi:10.17576/gema-2020-2002-13
Scopus
  1. Mustaffa A.R. (2020). Null expletives in Malay, GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies. 20(2), 224-243. doi:10.17576/gema-2020-2002-13
Books
  1. Mathews, P., Mustaffa, A.R., Gopinath, A., Nair, P. (Eds.). (2024). Malaysia and India. Navigating Shared Heritage. Malaysia-India Heritage Society.
Chapter in Books
  1. Mustaffa, A.R. (2024). The Influence of Sanskrit on the Malay Language: Language Transcending Religion. In P. Mathews, A.R. Mustaffa, A. Gopinath, P. Nair (Eds.). Malaysia and India. Navigating Shared Heritage (pp. 112-125). Malaysia-India Heritage Society.
Other Publications
  1. Mustaffa, A.R. (2004). Recognising the Importance of Bahasa Melayu. /b ts nd ba ts/. https://sway.cloud.microsoft/UQ1rBoWq8b0N1mjx?ref=email - Mass Media(Newspaper,Radio,Tv,Popular Magazine)
  2. Mustaffa, A.R. (2024, January 3). Pempengaruh media sosial wajar jadi ejen martabat bahasa Melayu. Berita Harian. - Mass Media(Newspaper,Radio,Tv,Popular Magazine)
  3. Mustaffa, A.R. (2024, September 13). Evolution, naturally. UM Research Plus. https://www.umresearchplus.com/evolution-naturally/ - Mass Media(Newspaper,Radio,Tv,Popular Magazine)
  4. Mustaffa, A.R. (2023, October 10). New archeological discovery of a temple offers hope amidst loss in Kedah's Bujang Valley. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2023/10/10/new-archeological-discovery-of-a-temple-offers-hope-amidst-loss-in-kedah039s-bujang-valley - Mass Media(Newspaper,Radio,Tv,Popular Magazine)
  5. Nik Mat, N.S. & Mustaffa, A.R. (2023, December 08). Dealing with surplus of PhD graduates. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2023/12/08/dealing-with-surplus-of-phd-graduates - Mass Media(Newspaper,Radio,Tv,Popular Magazine)

RESEARCH INTEREST

  • Grammar (Syntax, Morphology, Morphosyntax)
  • Diachronic Linguistics (Historical Syntax, Historical Phonology)
  • Nonverbal Predication (Copular Constructions, Copulas, Kata Pemeri)
  • Cleft Constructions (Clefts, Pseudoclefts)
  • Generative Syntax (Theoretical Syntax, Minimalist Syntax, Principles and Parameters, Government and Binding, Cartography)
  • Phonology (Phonological Theory, Sound Changes)
  • Information Structure (Focus, Topic, Contrastivity, Givenness)

PAPER PRESENTED

PLENARY SPEAKER
  1. The Influence of Sanskrit on the Malay Language, Malaysia India Heritage International Conference, Malaysia-India Heritage Society in collaboration with the Indian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur (International) (19 Aug 2023 - 19 Aug 2023)
ORAL PRESENTER
  1. Overt Expletives in Malay, 21st AILA World Congress, International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA) (International) (11 Aug 2024 - 16 Aug 2024)
  2. Silent Syntactic Structure in Clefts in Malay: Evidence from Corpus Data, AUA International Conference on Corpus Linguistics 2023, Universiti Malaya (International) (24 Nov 2023 - 25 Nov 2023)
  3. Silent Syntactic Structures in Malay, The 12th Free Linguistic Conference 2018, FLC Group (International) (10 Jul 2018 - 11 Jul 2018)
  4. Elided Expletives in Malay, Linguistic Society of Korea (LSK) Conference, Linguistic Society of Korea (International) (28 Jun 2018 - 29 Jun 2018)

ACADEMIC/PROF. SERVICES

Evaluation
  1. (2024) Journal Article Review: Journal of Modern Languages, National, (Reviewer)
  2. (2024) Research Project Examination (Phd): Assessment of Mock Proposal Defence (Tvx8001 - Phd Research Methodology), University, (Internal Examiner)
  3. (2024) Proposal Defence (Phd): a Corpus Analysis of Anomalous Collocations in The Classical Minangkabau Language, University, (Internal Examiner)
  4. (2024) Research Project Examination (Master's): Chinese Efl Learners' Perceptions of Using Douyin for Learning Spoken English, University, (Internal Examiner)
  5. (2024) Research Project Examination (Master's): Language Attitudes Towards China English Among Chinese Students in China and Malaysia, University, (Internal Examiner)
  6. (2024) Research Project Examination (Master's): Chinese University Students’ Attitudes Towards China English, University, (Internal Examiner)
  7. (2024) Proposal Defence (Phd): a Comparative Study of Arabisms in Malay Vocabulary, University, (Internal Examiner)
  8. (2024) Candidature Defence (Phd): Analisis Bahasa Ucapan Benci Di Indonesia: Kajian Linguistik Forensik, University, (Internal Examiner)
  9. (2024) Thesis Examination (Phd): Tahap Penguasaan Kosa Kata Bahasa Melayu Dalam Kalangan Pelajar Tingkatan Satu Bukan Penutur Jati, University, (Internal Examiner)
  10. (2024) Research Project Examination (Phd): Assessment of Mock Proposal Defence (Tvx8001 - Phd Research Methodology), University, (Internal Examiner)
  11. (2024) Thesis Examination (Master's): a Systemic Functional Analysis of Clause Complexing Relations in Libyan Secondary School Textbooks, University, (Internal Examiner)
  12. (2023) Candidature Defence (Master's): An Acoustic Study of The Variants of /R/ in Klang Valley Malay, University, (Internal Examiner)
  13. (2023) Proposal Defence (Phd): Cross-Linguistic Influence in The Syntactic Features of Malay-English Bilinguals Learning Mandarin as a Third Language, University, (Internal Examiner)
  14. (2023) Journal Article Review: Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching (Nus), International, (Reviewer)
  15. (2023) Candidature Defence (Phd): Tahap Penguasaan Kosa Kata Bahasa Melayu Dalam Kalangan Pelajar Bukan Penutur Jati Tingkatan Satu, University, (Internal Examiner)
  16. (2023) Thesis Examination (Master's): English Language Syntactic Complexity in Chinese-L1 and Malay-L1 Students’ Masters Dissertations, University, (Internal Examiner)
  17. (2023) Proposal Defence (Phd): Rhythmic Variability in Penang Malay, University, (Internal Examiner)
  18. (2023) Research Project Examination (Master's): Gender Differences in Language Use Among American Adolescents in The Breakfast Club, University, (Internal Examiner)
  19. (2023) Proposal Defence (Master's): An Acoustic Study of The Social Variants of /R/ in Klang Valley Malay, University, (Internal Examiner)
  20. (2023) Book Review: Unimas Publisher, National, (Reviewer)
  21. (2023) Candidature Defence (Master's): Pitch Realisation and Creaky Phonation of Malaysian Mandarin Tones, University, (Internal Examiner)
  22. (2023) Candidature Defence (Master's): Syntactic Complexity Comparison of Linguistic Ma Dissertations by Chinese-L1 and Malay-L1 Students, University, (Internal Examiner)
  23. (2023) Journal Article Review: Journal of Modern Languages, National, (Reviewer)
  24. (2018) Journal Article Review: Journal of Language and Communication, National, (Reviewer)
Contribution to event
  1. (2024) Panelist: The International Language Symposium 2024 - Sustainable Language Teaching and Learning With The Rise of Artificial Intelligence: Current Challenges and Innovations, International, (Panelist/Moderator)
  2. (2023) Penulis Teks Ucapan: Majlis Pelancaran Terjemahan Buku Antologi Sajak Fakulti Bahasa & Linguistik Bersama Kedutaan Peru, International, (Event Coordinator)
  3. (2023) Moderator: Tongji-UM Symposium On Frontiers in Applied Linguistics of Global Asia, International, (Panelist/Moderator)
  4. (2023) Abstract Panel Reviewer: Postgraduate & Undergraduate International Research Conference 2023 by Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, International, (Panelist/Moderator)
  5. (2023) Sharing Session About Phd Journey, University, (Panelist/Moderator)
Media appearance
  1. (2024) Appearance in Dbp Blog (Dewan Bahasa 24/04/2024): Pemartabatan Bahasa Melayu Melambangkan Nilai dan Identiti Malaysia, National, (Interview)
  2. (2024) Interview On National Tv (Rtm): "Martabat Bahasa Melayu Demi Nilai dan Identiti Malaysia", National, (Interview)
  3. (2023) Appearance in Newspaper (Utusan Malaysia 26/08/2023): Sanskrit, Jawi dan Bahasa Pertiwi, National, (Discourse)
  4. (2023) Appearance in Press Release (High Commission of India 19/08/2023): The Influence of Sanskrit On The Malay Language, International, (Discourse)
  5. (2023) Interview On National Radio (Bfm): "is English Proficiency in Malaysia Strong Enough?", National, (Interview)

SUPERVISION

Postgraduate Student
  1. (2024) GENRE DIFFERENCES IN SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LINGUISTIC FEATURES BETWEEN CHINESE EFL LEARNERS AND NATIVE ENGLISH WRITERS, GUANJUN DUAN
  2. (2024) EVIDENTIALITY BASED DIFFERENTIAL CASE MARKING IN ATAYAL IN TAIWAN, HUIHUI NIU
  3. (2024) Animacy Effect on Speech Production by Arab Speakers of English, MONA ALTHOBAITI
  4. (2024) THE INFLUENCE OF SANSKRIT LANGUAGE TO MALAY LANGUAGE FROM SEMANTICS POINT OF VIEW, MOHD FAHMI BIN AZIZULLAH
  5. (2024) Analysing the Syntax of Machine-Translated Texts: Investigating Copular Clauses and Verb Affixation in Malay Translations, TEE ZHI JIE
  6. (2024) Code-switching among ESL teachers in rural secondary school: An insight on the Structure, Functions, and Impacts., ADAM GEORDREY JAMES MAIRODI

TEACHING

Master
  1. (2024) TQA7003 - Structure of English
  2. (2024) TQA7014 - Structure of English
  3. (2023) TQA7003 - Structure of English
  4. (2023) TQA7014 - Structure of English
  5. (2017) TOA7004 - Syntax
Bachelor
  1. (2023) TIX2021 - Language Acquisition
  2. (2022) TIX1032 - Introduction to Linguistics
  3. (2022) TIX2020 - Introduction to Sociolinguistics

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ACTIVITIES

  • Bentara Bagi Istiadat Konvokesyen Universiti Malaya Ke-64, (30 Nov 2024 - 08 Dec 2024) (University)
  • Production of Learning Materials On Entrepreneurship by Institute of Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, (22 Feb 2024 - 15 Mar 2024) (University)

COURSE ATTENDED

Internal / External Course
INTERNAL COURSE- ORGANIZED BY PTJ
  1. EMERALD TEACHING AND LEARNING 2023, Universiti Malaya (20 Feb 2023 - 24 Feb 2023)
  2. ASSESSING WRITING , Dewan Persidangan Fbl (02 Nov 2023 - 02 Nov 2023)
  3. EMERALD RESEARCH AND SUPERVISION 2023, Cube Universiti Malaya (28 Feb 2023 - 02 Mar 2023)
CONFERENCE
  1. AILA 60TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD CONGRESS KUALA LUMPUR 2024, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (11 Aug 2024 - 16 Aug 2024)
External Course
INTERNATIONAL
  1. Equality & Diversity Essentials Course, Edinburgh, United Kingdom (30 Dec 2021 - 30 Dec 2021)
  2. Sesi Perkongsian: Pengajaran Bahasa Melayu di China, Universiti Malaya (06 Feb 2024 - 06 Feb 2024)
NATIONAL
  1. IELTS Teaching Workshop, Xiamen University Malaysia (08 Jan 2017 - 12 Jan 2017)