Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO PhD

Associate Professor in Linguistics

Dr Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO (Ph.D. University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, 2011) is, currently, an Associate Professor in Linguistics at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Department of Applied Linguistics (LNG), Suzhou, China, where he teaches Historical Linguistics (LNG307) and History of English (LNG105).

Before joining XJTLU, he was a Senior Lecturer in Historical Linguistics at the Linguistics and Multilingual Studies Programme (LMS), School of Humanities (SoH), College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CoHASS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, where he was teaching Historical Linguistics, Etymology, Language and Oral Tradition, Historical Semantics, and History of Cryptography. At NTU, he was also the Latin Language Lead Coordinator at the Centre for Modern Languages (CML).

He got his Master of Arts in Classical Philology and Historical Linguistics (with a Dissertation on the History of the Latin Language) and his PhD in Historical Linguistics, Greek and Latin Philology and Literature, and Comparative Literature (with a Dissertation on the Historical Development of the Late Latin Language and Poetry) at the University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy), working with Prof. Claudio M. Moreschini and Prof. Maria G. Arcamone.

His Research expertise and interests are mainly focused on Historical Linguistics, on the etymological reconstruction of Indo-European (prehistoric) place names (Historical Toponomastics), on the study of Aegean Civilizations and Scripts, on the documentation of languages from South-East Asia belonging, in particular, to the Papuan and Austronesian families, and on the History of Cryptology and Crypto-linguistics.

His academic background includes also Comparative Literature, Classical Philology, Theoretical Linguistics, Historical Geography, and Paleoanthropology. He has mainly studied, in these fields, Contemporary Western Poetry and the parodic Literature of Medieval and Renaissance Europe, oral (Homeric) Literature in Ancient Greece, the History of Greek and Roman Medicine and Medical Literature, the relations between landscape and the naming process of place names, and the prehistory of languages in Europe and Asia.

An Etymologist and Historian of Languages, he has developed Research work in Historical Linguistics and Mycenaeology at the University of Pisa (Pisa, Italy) and he has taught, as a Contract Professor, Comparative Literature and History of Greek and Roman Medical Literature at the International University of Pollenzo - UNISG (Pollenzo, Italy).

He has published around 80 Research works (papers, books, conference talks, book reviews, and chapters in academic books) and he is the first Author of the academic handbook Place Names: Approaches and Perspectives in Toponymy and Toponomastics (2023), published by the Cambridge University Press.

In the field of Indo-European Linguistics, he has developed the so-called New Convergence Theory (NCT) on Indo-European origins, working, among others, with Dr Guido Borghi (University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy) and Prof. Martin Bernal.

He is the recipient of the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), School of Humanities (SoH), Lecturers Excellence (LEX) Award 2018 (Best Lecturer).

Francesco is an Academic Mentor and Reviewer at the Linguistic Society of America (LSA), where he is also a Member of the Committee on Endangered Languages and Their Preservation (CELP).

Academia.edu:
https://xjtlu.academia.edu/FrancescoPeronoCacciafoco

ResearchGate:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Francesco-Perono-Cacciafoco

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0977-063X

Scopus Author ID: 55968837200

Web of Science Researcher ID: ABB-8075-2020

Also known as 赵中意

E-mail:

XJTLU: Francesco.Perono@xjtlu.edu.cn

UoL: Francesco.Perono-Cacciafoco@liverpool.ac.uk

Office: HS319, SIP Campus, Humanities and Social Sciences Building


  • Post-doctorate, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore - 2014
  • PhD, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy - 2011
  • MA, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy - 2007


  • Associate Professor in Linguistics - Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), Suzhou (Jiangsu), China - 2023-Present
  • Senior Lecturer in Historical Linguistics - Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore - 2020-2023
  • Latin Language Lead Coordinator - Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore - 2017-2022
  • Lecturer in Historical Linguistics - Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore - 2017-2020
  • Research Fellow in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies - Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore - 2015-2016
  • Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Language Documentation and Field Linguistics - Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore - 2013-2014


  • Historical Linguistics
  • Etymology
  • Indo-European Linguistics
  • Toponymy & Toponomastics
  • Onomastics
  • Historical Semantics
  • Language Deciphering
  • Cryptology & Crypto-linguistics
  • History of Writing & Grammatology
  • Field Linguistics & Language Documentation
  • Descriptive Linguistics
  • Human Evolution & Language Evolution
  • Theoretical Linguistics
  • Austronesian and Papuan Languages
  • Landscape Archaeology
  • History of Medicine and Medical Literature


  • Selected Papers
  • LEE, I-Shiang, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2023). Unravelling the Mystery of the Singapore Stone: A Comparative Analysis with the Calcutta Stone and the Possible Kawi Connection. Histories (Section "Cultural History"), 3, 3: 261-270
  • YAP, Kelvin Cahya, and Tony Wenyao JIAO, Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2023). The Singapore Stone: Documenting the Origins, Destruction, Journey and Legacy of an Undeciphered Stone Monolith. Histories, 3, 3: 271-287
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2023). What Is Your Legacy? A Pilot Study of Naming Practices of Legacy Hawker Stalls in a Singaporean Hawker Center. Social Sciences, 12, 6: 341 (1-13)
  • VICARI, Stefano, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2023). A Puzzling Religious Inscription from Medieval Tuscany: Symbology and Interpretation. Histories, 3, 3: 219-230
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2022). The Puzzle of a Horn: An Etymology for the Word 'Gemshorn'. Annals of the University of Craiova: Series Philology, Linguistics / Analele Universității Din Craiova: Seria Ştiințe Filologice, Linguistică, 44, 1 / 2: 141-154
  • ONG, Brenda Man Qing, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2022). Unveiling the Enigmatic Origins of Sardinian Toponyms. Languages, 7, 2, 131: 1-19
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2022). Naming Public Transport and Historicising Experiences: Critical Toponymies and Everyday Multilingualism in Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit System. Urban Studies (Special Issue: Public Transport as Public Space): 1-16
  • ONG, Brenda Man Qing, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2022). Pedra Branca Off Singapore: A Historical Cartographic Analysis of a Post-colonial Territorially Disputed Island, Histories 2, 1: 47-67
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2022). From Pasir Ris to Pioneer: Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Names in Relation to Its Identity. Onomastica, 66: 147-171
  • ONG, Brenda Man Qing, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2022). Singapore’s Forgotten Stories: The Orang Kallang Tribe of Kallang River, Humans, 2, 3: 138-147
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2021). Toponyms as a Gateway to Society: An Abui Case Study. Old World: Journal of Ancient Africa and Eurasia, 1, 1: 1-18
  • LIEU, May Yen, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2021). A Study of Abui: Building an Abui Botanical Corpus and Examining Abui Culture through Its Folktales. Annals of the University of Craiova: Series Philology, Linguistics / Analele Universității Din Craiova: Seria Ştiințe Filologice, Linguistică, 43, 1 / 2: 159-179
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2021). Discovering Unwritten Stories: A Modular Case Study in Promoting Landscape Education. Education Sciences (Special Issue: An Educational Approach to Landscape), 11(2), 68: 1-16
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2021). The Undeciphered Inscription of the Baptistery of Pisa. Academia Letters, 3359: 1-6
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Darwin Zheng Zhe SHIA. (2020). Singapore's Pre-colonial Place Names: A Philological Reconstruction Developed through the Analysis of Historical Maps. Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, XV, 29-30: 79-120
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2020). Plant and Place Names: A Case Study of Abui Toponymy. Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, XV, 29-30: 121-142
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2020). Then and Now: A Comparative Historical Toponomastics Analysis of Station Names in 2 of Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Lines. Urban Science, 4(3), 37 (Special Issue: Urban Place Names: Political, Economic, and Cultural Dimensions): 1-20
  • CAVALLARO, Francesco Paolo, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Zhi Xuan TAN. (2019). Sequent Occupance and Toponymy in Singapore: The Diachronic and Synchronic Development of Urban Place Names. Urban Science, 3(3), 98 (Special Issue: Urban Place Names: Political, Economic, and Cultural Dimensions): 1-18
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2019). A Prehistoric ‘Little Goose’: A New Etymology for the Word Ocarina. Annals of the University of Craiova: Series Philology, Linguistics / Analele Universității Din Craiova: Seria Ştiințe Filologice, Linguistică, 41, 1 / 2: 356-369
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Francesco Paolo CAVALLARO. (2018). Lamòling Bèaka: Immanence, Rituals, and Sacred Objects in an Unwritten Legend in Alor. Religions, 9, 7, 211 (Special Issue: Religion, Ritual, and Ritualistic Objects): 1-15
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Shu Qi TUANG. (2018). Voices from the Streets: Trends in Naming Practices of Singapore Odonymy. Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, 13, 25-26: 9-30
  • NAH, Vanessa Ellen Mei Yin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2018). Ex-Isles: Islands That Disappeared. Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, 13, 25-26: 31-58
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Francesco Paolo CAVALLARO. (2017). The Legend of Lamòling: Unwritten Memories and Diachronic Toponymy through the Lens of an Abui Myth. Lingua: An International Review of General Linguistics, 193: 51-61
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2017). Linear A and Minoan: Some New Old Questions. Annals of the University of Craiova: Series Philology, Linguistics / Analele Universității Din Craiova: Seria Ştiințe Filologice, Linguistică, 39, 1 / 2: 154-170
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Andrea NANETTI. (2015). Linguistic Contact in Prehistoric Italy: At the Origins of the Place Name Imola. Names: A Journal of Onomastics, 63, 3: 158-170
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Francesco Paolo CAVALLARO, František KRATOCHVÍL. (2015). Diachronic Toponomastics and Language Reconstruction in South-East Asia According to an Experimental Convergent Methodology: Abui as a Case-Study. Review of Historical Geography and Toponomastics, 10, 19 - 20: 29-47
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2014). Beyond Etymology: Historical Reconstruction and Diachronic Toponomastics through the Lens of a New Convergence Theory. Acta Linguistica: Journal for Theoretical Linguistics, 8 - 3: 79-98
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2012). Sincretismo filosofico-religioso e tradizione nell’inno al deus omnipotens di Tiberiano [Philosophical and Religious Syncretism in the Deus Omnipotens Hymn by Tiberianus]. Atene e Roma, n. s. II, VI, 1 - 2: 90-110


  • Selected Proceedings
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Niki Cassandra Min EU. (2023). Indo-European Toponymy in Minoan Crete: An Etymological Approach. In BIJAK, Urszula, and Paweł SWOBODA, Justyna B. WALKOWIAK. (2023). Onomastics in Interaction with Other Branches of Science: Proceedings of the 27th International Congress of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS), Volume 1: Keynote Lectures, Toponomastics. Kraków: Jagiellonian University Press: 405-418
  • LOH, Jia Sheng Colin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2021). A New Approach to the Decipherment of Linear A: Coding to Decipher Linear A, Stage 2 (Cryptanalysis and Language Deciphering: A ‘Brute Force Attack’ on an Undeciphered Writing System). Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century: /gʁafematik/, June 15-17, 2020 - Proceedings, 2020, Part II. Brest: Fluxus Editions: 927-943
  • EU, Min Niki Cassandra, and Duoduo XU, Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2019). Coding to Decipher Linear A. IEEE eXpress Conference Publishing (IEEE Catalog Number: CFP19M10-ART) - Proceedings of the 2019 Pacific Neighborhood Consortium Annual Conference and Joint Meetings (PNC) - Regionality and Digital Humanities: South-South Connections, 15-18 October 2019, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore: 44-48
  • NANETTI, Andrea, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Mario GIBERTI. (2016). Mapping and Visualizing Linguistic and Territorial Convergent Data: Imola and its Environment as a Case Study. Onoma: Journal of the International Council of Onomastic Sciences - Proceedings of the XXV ICOS, Special Issue: 1-13
  • PETROLITO, Tommaso, and Ruggero PETROLITO, Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Grégoire WINTERSTEIN. (2015). Minoan Linguistic Resources: The Linear A Digital Corpus. Proceedings of the 9th SIGHUM Workshop on Language Technology for Cultural Heritage, Social Sciences, and Humanities (LaTech) / ACL (Association for Computational Linguistics)-IJCNLP, July 26-31, 2015, Beijing, PRC (China National Convention Center - CNCC): 95-104


  • Selected Books and Monographs
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Francesco Paolo CAVALLARO. (2023). Place Names: Approaches and Perspectives in Toponymy and Toponomastics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2012). Food as Therapy: Elements of the History of Nutrition in Ancient Greece and Rome. Pollenzo: University of Pollenzo (UNISG) Press
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2012). "Alcmene's Tablet": Ancient Greeks and the Memory of Their Own Past [La "tavoletta di Alcmena": Gli antichi Greci e la memoria del proprio passato]. Pisa: Pisa University - "Fiori di Cactus"
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2009). Tracking the Dorians: A Comparison of Approaches from Linguistics, Archaeology, and History [Sulle piste dei Dori: Ipotesi a confronto tra Linguistica, Archeologia e Storia]. Pisa: Pisa University Press (Edizioni PLUS - Series "Saggi e Studi" ["Essays and Studies"] - "Didattica e Ricerca" ["Pedagogy and Research"])


  • Selected Chapters
  • XU, Duoduo, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2022). Naish Languages and Dongba / Daba Oral Traditions. In SHEI, Chris, and Saihong, LI (Eds.). (2022). The Routledge Handbook of Asian Linguistics. Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge: 73-92 (Chapter 4)
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Francesco Paolo CAVALLARO. (2019). Lamòling Bèaka: Immanence, Rituals, and Sacred Objects in an Unwritten Legend in Alor. In NUTGEREN, Albertina. (Ed.). (2019). Religion, Ritual, and Ritualistic Objects. Basel: MDPI: 47-61
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2013). La "Scuola di Alessandria": Origene e i suoi discepoli [The "School of Alexandria": Origen and His Disciples]. In MORESCHINI, Claudio Maria. (2013). Storia del pensiero cristiano tardo-antico [History of the Christian Thought in Late Antiquity]. Milan: Bompiani (Series "Il pensiero occidentale" ["Western Philosophy"]): 361-480
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2013). Il sapere scientifico-matematico di Optaziano Porfirio e Lullo [The Scientific and Mathematical Knowledge of Optatianus Porphyrius and Ramon Llull]. In MORESCHINI, Claudio Maria. (2013). Storia del pensiero cristiano tardo-antico [History of the Christian Thought in Late Antiquity]. Milan: Bompiani (Series "Il pensiero occidentale" ["Western Philosophy"]): 597-617


  • Selected Presentations
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2021). Minoan Place Names: The Enigma of Unknown Origins. Paper presented at the 27th International Congress of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS), 23-28 August 2020, Cracow, Poland - postponed 2021
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Felicia Xue Ting HOR. (2021). Owner of the Story, Owner of the Places: Place Names and Oral Tradition in Alor Island. Paper presented at the 27th International Congress of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS), 23-28 August 2020, Cracow, Poland - postponed 2021
  • LIM, Shaun Tyan Gin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2021). Toponyms as a Gateway to Society: An Abui Case-Study. Invited paper presented at the Asian Conference on the Ancient World, 29-30 January 2021, Beijing Normal University (Beijing, China), and BNU-HKBU United International College (Hong Kong, China), Zhuhai (China)
  • LOH, Jia Sheng Colin, and Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2020). A New Approach to the Decipherment of Linear A: Coding to Decipher Linear A, Stage 2 (Cryptanalysis and Language Deciphering: A ‘Brute Force Attack’ on an Undeciphered Writing System). Paper presented at the G21C Conference “Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century: From Graphemes to Knowledge”, Paris, France, June 17-19, 2020
  • EU, Min Niki Cassandra, and Duoduo XU, Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO. (2019). Coding to Decipher Linear A. Invited paper presented at the 2019 Pacific Neighborhood Consortium Annual Conference and Joint Meetings (PNC) - Regionality and Digital Humanities: South-South Connections, 15-18 October 2019, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco, and Son Tra LE, Sabrina Su-Ann SOO, Francesco Paolo CAVALLARO. (2019). The Linear A Digital Corpus: Digital Humanities and Language Decipherment. Paper presented at the Digital Humanities Conference Working with Different Kinds of ‘Text’ in the Digital Humanities, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Singapore, March 18-19, 2019
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco. (2015). Legendary Place Names: Coastal Micro-Toponomastics in Alor through the Lens of an Abui Myth. Invited paper presented at the Workshop Diachronic Toponymy and Landscape Terms in East Nusantara, 13th International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics - 13 ICAL, July 18-23, 2015, Academia Sinica, Taipei


  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco (PI) - "Place Names and Cultural Identity: Toponyms and Their Diachronic Evolution among the Kula People from Alor Island" - Research Development Fund (RDF) Grant, Grant Number: RDF-23-01-014, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), Suzhou (Jiangsu), China, 2024-2025
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco (PI) - "Words and Their Stories: An Etymological Exploration of the English Vocabulary" - Summer Undergraduate Research Fund (SURF), Grant Number: SURF-2023-0119, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), Suzhou (Jiangsu), China, 2023
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco (PI) - "An Online Open-Source Database for the Dongba Pictographic Writing System" - Arts and Humanities Research Grant, Grant Number: 020892-00001, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CoHASS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 2021-2023
  • STANLEY-BAKER, Michael (PI), ZAKARIA, Faizah (Co-PI), PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco (Co-PI) - "Polyglot Medical Heritage in Maritime Southeast Asia: Foundational Resources and Digital Tools", National Heritage Board (NHB), Singapore, Grant Number NHB: 92.90 NTU: 020248-00001, 2020-2022
  • PERONO CACCIAFOCO, Francesco (PI) - Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1 Research Grant (Grant Number 2017-T1-002-193), "Giving Voice to the Minoan People: The Decipherment of Linear A", 2018-2021


  • 2023 - Present, Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed international academic Journal Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (Springer Nature)
  • 2021 - Present, Chair of the Judging Panel for Linguistics at The Global Undergraduate Awards, the world's leading Undergraduate Awards Programme
  • 2020 - Present, Academic Mentor for the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
  • 2019 - Present, Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed international academic Journal KONOSO: The Journal of Aegean Bronze Age Studies
  • 2018 - Present, Reviewer for the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
  • 2013 - Present, Associate Editor and Permanent Member of the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed international academic Journal Idil: Journal of Art and Language - Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University (Nevşehir, Turkey)


  • Courses Taught (at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China)
  • LNG105 History of English
  • LNG307 Historical Linguistics
  • Courses Taught (at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
  • Undergraduate Courses
  • HG2002 Semantics and Pragmatics
  • HG2093 Discovering Unwritten Stories: A General Introduction to Toponymy and Toponomastics
  • HG2094 Word of Mouth: Transmission of Oral Culture
  • HG2095 Codes from the Past: A General Introduction to the History of Cryptography
  • HG2097 What's in a Name? - A General Introduction to Etymology
  • HG3021 Language Change (Historical Linguistics)
  • HG4044 Language Evolution
  • HG4049 Semantic Analysis (Historical Semantics)
  • HG8009 Introduction to Human Evolution
  • HG8012 Code-Breakers at Work: A General Introduction to Cryptology and Crypto-Linguistics
  • SP0036 Paleoanthropology and Human Evolution
  • LX5001 Latin Language Level 1
  • LX5002 Latin Language Level 2
  • Graduate Courses
  • HG7009 Topics in Historical Linguistics
  • HG7020 Readings in Linguistics Research
  • HG7029 Advanced Semantics
  • HG7038 Origins and Evolution of Language: Biological, Computational, and Culture


  • Courses Taught (at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China)
  • LNG105 History of English
  • LNG307 Historical Linguistics
  • Courses Taught (at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
  • Undergraduate Courses
  • HG2002 Semantics and Pragmatics
  • HG2093 Discovering Unwritten Stories: A General Introduction to Toponymy and Toponomastics
  • HG2094 Word of Mouth: Transmission of Oral Culture
  • HG2095 Codes from the Past: A General Introduction to the History of Cryptography
  • HG2097 What's in a Name? - A General Introduction to Etymology
  • HG3021 Language Change (Historical Linguistics)
  • HG4044 Language Evolution
  • HG4049 Semantic Analysis (Historical Semantics)
  • HG8009 Introduction to Human Evolution
  • HG8012 Code-Breakers at Work: A General Introduction to Cryptology and Crypto-Linguistics
  • SP0036 Paleoanthropology and Human Evolution
  • LX5001 Latin Language Level 1
  • LX5002 Latin Language Level 2
  • Graduate Courses
  • HG7009 Topics in Historical Linguistics
  • HG7020 Readings in Linguistics Research
  • HG7029 Advanced Semantics
  • HG7038 Origins and Evolution of Language: Biological, Computational, and Culture


  • 2023 - Present, Fellow of the Honorary XJTLU Association at the University of Liverpool (UoL), Liverpool, UK
  • 2021 - Present, Member of the Committee on Endangered Languages and Their Preservation (CELP) at the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
  • 2021 - Present, Member of the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA)
  • 2021 - Present, Member of the Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics (SAAL)
  • 2020 - Present, Member of the Societas Linguistica Europaea (SLE)
  • 2020 - Present, Member of the Scholarly Teaching Special Interest Group at the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
  • 2019 - Present, Member of the Elsevier Innovation Panel (Elsevier Researcher Panel)
  • 2017 - Present, Member of the Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
  • 2017 - Present, Member of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR)
  • 2017 - Present, Member of the European Mathematical Society (EMS)
  • 2014 - Present, Member of the International Council of Onomastics Sciences (ICOS)


  • 2022, URECA Journal Publication Award - Highest Distinction (with Brenda Man Qin ONG), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
  • 2022, URECA Journal Publication Award (with May Yen LIEU), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
  • 2021, URECA Journal Publication Award - (with Shuan Tyan Gin LIM), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
  • 2019, Best Lecturer Award - Nanyang Technological University (NTU), School of Humanities (SoH), Lecturers Excellence (LEX) Award 2018
  • 2019, URECA Journal Publication Award (with Vanessa Ellen Mei Yin NAH), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
Francesco PERONO CACCIAFOCO