This workshop brings together language researchers from distinct scientific disciplines such as linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, cognitive science and philosophy to share their perspectives on the functional relation between brain organization, cognition and language.

Currently, attempts are being made to integrate neurobiological reality with linguistic models, and to develop theories inspired by empirical findings about language processing. In particular, the embodied language theory seems to be compatible with current neuroscientific knowledge on language processing. This workshop should contribute to the highly topical issue of the integration of neuroscientific theories and results with models from Cognitive Linguistics.

Invited speakers will have the opportunity to discuss the latest developments and results with an invited discussion panel. The main questions addressed by the workshop are:

1. Which units of both language and the brain can be mapped onto one another?
2. Which qualitative, quantitative and/or simulative methods can we use to enhance our knowledge about language and the brain?
3. What do we know about the neuronal substrate underlying alignment and hierarchical binding in language processing?
4. How do neurobiological findings relate to embodied theories on language?
5. How are abstract linguistic concepts processed in the brain?

Workshop Programme

Invited speakers

• Jan de Ruiter (Psycholinguistics, Bielefeld University, Germany)
• Jerome A. Feldman (Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley, USA)
• Arthur Glenberg (Laboratory for Embodied Cognition, Arizona State University, USA)
• Peter Indefrey (General Linguistics, University of Düsseldorf, Germany and Donders Institute Nijmegen, Netherlands)
• Markus Kiefer (Cognitive Electrophysiology, University of Ulm, Germany)
• Carol Madden-Lombardi (Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, Bron, France)
• Friedemann Pulvermueller (MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Cambridge, Great Britain)
• Shirley-Ann Rueschemeyer  (Psychology Department, University of York, UK)
• Helmut Schnelle (University of Bochum, Berlin, Germany)
• Marco Tettamanti (San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy)
• Sabine Weiss (Neurolinguistics, Bielefeld University, Germany)
• Markus Werning (Philosophy of Language and Cognition, University of Bochum, Germany)

Discussion board

• Dana H. Ballard (Computer Science, University of Texas, USA)
• Grzegorz Dogil (Experimental Phonetics, University of Stuttgart, Germany)
• Hans-Jürgen Eikmeyer (Computerlinguistics, Bielefeld University, Germany)
• Monica Gonzalez-Marquez (Psychology, Cornell University, USA)
• Martina Hielscher-Fastabend (PH Ludwigsburg, University of Education, Germany)
• Walter Huber (Neurolinguistics, University Hospital Aachen, Germany)
• Pia Knoeferle (Language and Cognition Group, CITEC, Bielefeld University, Germany)
• Uwe J. Mönnich (Linguistics, University of Tübingen, Germany)
• Horst M. Müller (Experimental Neurolinguistics Group, Bielefeld University, Germany)
• Katharina J. Rohlfing (Emergentist Semantics Group, CITEC, Bielefeld University, Germany)
• Monika Schwarz-Friesel (General Linguistics, TU Berlin, Germany)
• Byoung-Tak Zhang (Biointelligence Laboratory, Seoul National University, Korea)

Funding

This workshop is funded by both the Center of Excellence 277 “Cognitive Interaction Technology“ (CITEC) and the Collaborative Research Center 673 “Alignment in Communication” (http://www.sfb673.org/index.php).

Organizers

Sabine Weiss (CITEC, Bielefeld University)
Gert Rickheit †

Co-organizers

Helmut Schnelle (University of Bochum, Berlin)
Hans-Jürgen Eikmeyer (Bielefeld University)

Contact

For any further information please contact Sabine Weiss at:
sabine.weiss[AT]uni-bielefeld.de