Human natural languages are biologically based, cognitively motivated, affectively rich, socially shared, grammatically organized symbolic systems. They provide the principal semiotic means for the complexity and diversity of human cultural life. As has long been recognized, no single discipline or methodology is sufficient to capture all the dimensions of this complex and multifaceted phenomenon, which lies at the heart of what it is to be human. In the recent past, perception and cognition have been the basis of general unifying models of language and language activity. However, a genuine integrative perspective must also incorporate the intersubjective dimension of cultural symbols, cultural norms and cultural practices. LCM conferences articulate and discuss approaches to diverse genres of language activity which aim to understand their cultural, social, cognitive, and bodily foundations.
LCM conferences welcome contributions from scholars and scientists in anthropology, biology, linguistics, philosophy, psychology, semiotics, semantics, discourse analysis, cognitive and neuroscience, and from other disciplines, who wish both to impart their insights and findings, and learn from other disciplines.
Topics include but are not limited to:
- biological and cultural co-evolution
- comparative study of communication systems
- cognitive and cultural schematization in language
- emergence of language in ontogeny and phylogeny
- language in multi-modal communication
- language and normativity
- language and thought, emotion and consciousness
Each LCM conference is organized around a special theme that is reflected in the contributions of plenary speakers.The themes are not intended to limit the topics of conference presentations, but to give each conference a distinctive feel and to provoke focused interdisciplinary debate. The theme for IX LCM at University of Almería is: sensory experience and communication.