Speech act theory has been foundational in establishing pragmatics as an independent field of inquiry; yet, recent pragmatic research appears to have drifted away from the theoretical investigation of speech acts. This Element explores the reasons why this is so, focusing on the difference of perspective that emerges when the scope of the discipline is viewed through a narrow versus a broad lens. Following an overview of the initial exposition of speech act theory by Austin, it tracks its evolut
This Element examines language, power and intersex variations within clinician accounts in Hong Kong, examining how they communicate about intersex traits to patients and their families. Employing interactional sociolinguistics, the research analyses clinician interviews as dynamic social interactions, focusing on how communicative stances are negotiated and social practices are enacted. The Element probes the influence of biopower on clinicians' stances (encompassing gender, sexual difference,
Doxxing is the deliberate, unauthorized disclosure of personal information, often with malicious intent. Notably, it became a key method of public shaming and vigilantism during the 2019鈥�2020 Hong Kong protests. This Element understands and examines doxxing as a discursive practice. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), it analyzes online forum discussions, survey and interview data from Hong Kong university students. Findings are examined alongside institutional legal texts to show how doxxi
This Element adopts a holistic approach to the processing of colours in language and literature, weaving together insights from cognitive linguistics, psychology, and literary studies. Through diverse case studies, it underpins the symbolic power of colours in evoking characters' emotional states, moral traits, and cultural perceptions (Section 2). Section 3 explores how colour metaphors such as discomfort is brown influence readers' cognitive and emotional responses, drawing on psychology resea
How does a biologically-programmed language faculty interact with language experience in the acquisition of language across the world? Bringing together linguistic theory, language typology, and cross-linguistic experimental results from parallel studies of development in language acquisition, this book reports new research on the nature of the human competence for language acquisition. It investigates the acquisition of complex sentence formation through relativization -a fundamental component
One of the key challenges in linguistics is to account for the link between linguistic knowledge and our use of language in a way that is both descriptively accurate and cognitively plausible. This pioneering book addresses these challenges by combining insights from Construction Grammar and Relevance Theory, two influential approaches which until now have been considered incompatible. After a clear and detailed presentation of both theories, the author demonstrates that their integration is pos
A comprehensive yet concise history of the English language, this accessible textbook helps those studying the subject to understand the formation of English. It tells the story of the language from its remote ancestry to the present day, especially the effects of globalisation and the spread of, and subsequent changes to, English. Now in its third edition, it has been substantially revised and updated in light of new research, with an extended chapter on World Englishes, and a completely update
Building on its longstanding engagement with journalism theory and practice, the Brussels Institute for Journalism Studies (BIJU) launches its sixth international conference, devoted to the study of categories, generalizations and clich茅s in journalistic language and journalism practice. The conference is explicitly multidisciplinary and welcomes contributors from, among others, communication and media studies, discourse and conversation analysis, (cognitive) linguistics, corpus linguistics, tra
Building on its longstanding engagement with journalism theory and practice, the Brussels Institute for Journalism Studies (BIJU) launches its sixth international conference, devoted to the study of categories, generalizations and clich茅s in journalistic language and journalism practice. The conference is explicitly multidisciplinary and welcomes contributors from, among others, communication and media studies, discourse and conversation analysis, (cognitive) linguistics, corpus linguistics, tra
This Element presents a computational theory of syntactic variation that brings together (i) models of individual differences across distinct speakers, (ii) models of dialectal differences across distinct populations, and (iii) models of register differences across distinct contexts. This computational theory is based in Construction Grammar (CxG) because its usage-based representations can capture differences in productivity across multiple levels of abstraction. Drawing on corpora representing
Workshop Description:
When we refer to entities and events in our environment, particularly (but not only) when visual information is present, we have choices. Depending on what has been said before, who or what else is in a scene, and the characteristics of what we want to refer to, we might say (among many other options) "the person running", "the runner", "the woman in the red shirt", "the one with the glasses", or "them over there". The extent of this variation in referring expression (RE
The Japanese Society for Language Sciences (JSLS) will host the 27th Annual International Conference.
Dates: Sep. 19 (Sat) 鈥� 20 (Sun), 2026
Venue: Ochanomizu University (2-1-1, Otsuka Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan)
Plenary Lecturer: Dr. Kamil Deen (University of Hawai驶i at M膩noa)
Submission Deadline: March 31 (Tue), 2026, by 23:59 JST
For more information, please check the following sites.
CFP English Version: https://jslsweb.sakura.ne.jp/wp/?page_id=3501&lang=en
JSLS Conference: https://
LVMH stands for our conference on Language qua Variety, Minority, and Heritage: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Non-Standard Grammatical Systems. It brings together researchers exploring the rich landscape of minority languages, heritage languages, and other non-standard varieties. This free-for-all three-day in-person event in Limassol (Cyprus) aims to advance our theoretical understanding and empirical knowledge of linguistic diversity beyond standard language norms.
https://lvmh20
We are inviting submissions to CorpusPhon2, a workshop to be held directly after LabPhon20 in Montr茅al, Qu茅bec on Monday, June 29, 2026. The goal of the workshop is to bring together researchers working with corpus phonetic techniques to discuss research and best practices, and to build a cohesive corpus phonetics community.
One-page abstracts with a second page for figures and references are due Friday, March 13th, 2026, by 11:59pm (anywhere on Earth).
Please see below or refer to th
PhD candidates from the 39th and 40th cycles of the PhD programme in Philology, Italian Literature, and Linguistics at the University of Florence (Italy) announce the opening of the Call for Abstracts for the FLUI 2026 International Doctoral Conference.
In the field of the humanities, the latin verb leg臅re, in its meanings of 芦to gather禄, 芦to extract禄, and 芦to choose禄, is a productive starting point for multiple research strands. Participants are invited to reflect on the uses of the verb leg
SUMMARY
For many lay-people, dictionaries often evoke emotions at the extremes: They might serve as a simple, mostly irrelevant testament to an earlier time; as an origin of frustration and boredom rooted in primary or secondary school; or as the definitive source of all worldly knowledge. In the case of 鈥淐onversations on Dictionaries: The Universe in a Book,鈥� however, the reader never encounters boredom on his or her global journey through the history of lexicographic efforts among a number
Focus:
- Seminars & Workshops led by experts and activists on topics such as Amazigh language, linguistics, historiography, anthropology, literature, film, and media.
- Language Learning Opportunities, including daily Amazigh language classes for beginners.
- Site visits and field trips that will allow the participants to gain a better understanding of Amazigh societies and their culture.
The entire program is crafted to equip participants with the necessary tools they need to critically e
Focus: The HiSoN 2026 Summer School offers a series of advanced courses in historical sociolinguistics, covering a wide range of languages, periods, and methodological approaches. Courses are taught by internationally leading scholars and combine theoretical discussion with empirical case studies.
Teachers and course titles
Carolina Amador-Moreno (University of Extremadura)
Orality and the study of Irish English spoken discourse in historical sources
James Clackson (University of Cambrid
SUMMARY
Language is Gesture is a sustained exploration of McNeill鈥檚 concept of the 鈥楪rowth Point鈥�, a cognitive underpinning for the deep link between speech and gesture. This book starts at Chapter 1 with Beginning, but in many ways this book starts in the middle of a conversation that began in the 1980s when McNeill commenced his focus on the role of gesture in spoken communication (McNeill 1992, 2005, 2012, 2016, inter alia). This work has been fundamental to the conceptualisation of Gestur
Focus: Alternative Pedagogical Approaches in Language Education, Applied Linguistics, Sustainability, Responsible Teaching
Description:
In response to global challenges and the growing demand for future-oriented education, this spring school brings together researchers and educators to explore the role of language teaching in advancing sustainability. Aligned with Goal 4 of the UN鈥檚 2030 Agenda, the program emphasizes how language education can foster transformative learning and empower le