The first of its kind, this textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the study of semantics and pragmatics from an interactionist perspective, grounded entirely on empirical methods of social/behavioural science. Designed for advanced undergraduate students, beginning graduate students, and practicing researchers, it responds to the growing requirement that rather than relying on their own native speaker intuitions, students gather and analyze semantic data in a broad range of research

'Transfiction' refers to the phenomenon of language mediators portrayed as characters in literature. Research investigating this phenomenon has developed through a long series of case studies. While providing in-depth analyses of different instances of transfiction, case studies have produced findings that are anchored to specific texts, consequently precluding theoretical observations at a higher level of abstraction. Thus, this Element constructs a concentrated profile of transfiction. It asks

Many lawsuits arise over disagreements about language and about the meanings of everyday words, phrases, and sentences. This book draws on over fifty cases involving disputed meanings in the American legal system where the author served as an expert witness or consultant, to explore the interaction between language and law. Stepping back from the legal specifics and their outcomes, it analyzes the disputes from the perspective of the language sciences, especially semantics and pragmatics, and la

Tarifit is an Amazigh language spoken in northern Morocco. This Element provides an overview of some aspects of the phonetics of this under-studied language, focusing on patterns of variation and ongoing sound changes. An acoustic analysis of productions by native speakers is provided, comparing clear and fast speaking styles, focusing on the phonetic realization of vowels in Tarifit: three full vowels /a, i, and u/, and variation in the realization of schwa. The analysis reveals phonetically vo

This Element examines aviation English as a global lingua franca through the lens of communities of practice. Pilots and air traffic controllers involved in international operations belong to multiple communities, including local professional, broader local aviation, and international aviation communities. Their ongoing learning within these communities and the repertoire they develop – which influences their interactions – are explored. Against this framework, the inadequacy of the current inte

Southern Min – the most commonly spoken variant of Taiwanese – has over 100 million speakers. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis of Taiwanese Southern Min (TSM) phonology, filling a critical gap in linguistic research. It demonstrates how the language's sound patterns have evolved over time, and explores its key phonological and tonal features. Beginning with an overview of the language's phonological system, it progresses to specialized topics, including segmental and tonal mut

The 'Discriminative Lexicon Model' is a new theory of how we process words, which moves radically away from most standard theories of morphology. This book introduces the Discriminative Lexicon from both a practical and a theoretical perspective. The first half explains the basic theory and the main parts of 'JudiLing', the Julia package implementing the theory. This is complimented by theory boxes introducing the core concepts underlying the model, such as Matrix Multiplication and the Rescorla

The integration of corpus-based and experimental methodologies offers a unique perspective for investigating how learners acquire, process, and use lexical and phraseological combinations (e.g., collocations, binomials, compounds, idioms, and other phraseological units). Corpora provide large-scale, authentic evidence of the input learners are exposed to and the output they produce, allowing researchers to identify patterns of language use in real contexts. Experimental techniques – such as eye-

The Institute of Psychology at the University of Tartu (UT), Estonia, offers three state-funded PhD positions each year. The position is an open competition among eligible applicants with different research topics. To get the position, applicants are highly recommended to contact a potential supervisor beforehand to prepare the application together. The application period for students who receive an MA degree outside Estonia will be May 1–15, 2026. The Psychology of Language Research Group at

We invite abstracts for either oral presentation (20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion) or poster presentation for AMP and its special session on phonological malleability (details below). Abstracts must be anonymous, so please be sure to eliminate any identifying information and metadata from the document. Length is limited to a maximum of two single-spaced pages (US Letter/A4), figures and references included. Font size should be 12-point, with margins of at least one inch (2.54cm)

Human communication is inherently multimodal. In the interdisciplinary CRC 1760 “Silence, Noise and the Signal”, we are interested in communicative aspects that are not easily captured by words and their syntactic combinations. By silence we refer to instances of communication in which there is no signifié (signified), but something meaningful is contributed; by noise, we refer to cases in which there is more than one signifier or where the signified itself is ambiguous. Conceiving of communicat

We are pleased to invite you and other members of your institution—faculty, researchers, and postgraduate students—to participate in the 2026 GenLitCult Symposium, funded by the Universitat of València (Equality Unit, and English and German Department) and organised with the support of the Diversity and Migration FORTHEM Lab. This three-day event, held at the Universitat de València and the Cultural Centre L'Escorxador del Cabanyal (Spain) as well as online, explores the intersections of gend

Keynote Speakers (confirmed) : Zoe Boughton (University of Exeter) Christian Fandrych (Universität Leipzig) Ulrike Freywald (Universität Münster) Caterina Mauri (Università di Bologna) Aliyah Morgenstern (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle) In contemporary linguistic research, the study of spoken discourse is a dynamic field. Its theoretical and methodological foundations have been shaped by diverse scientific traditions, often grounded in specific linguistic and cultural contexts. This dive

Academy of Aphasia 64th Annual Meeting Liège, Belgium and Virtual (Hybrid) Sunday, October 4th - Tuesday, October 6th, 2026 Abstract Submission Deadline: May 25th, 2026 The 64th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Aphasia will be hosted at the University of Liège (https://www.uliege.be/cms/c_8699436/fr/uliege), a beautiful public research university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Belgium. The Academy welcomes submissions of experimental, clinical, theoretical, and histo

This Element interrogates the complex role of gender in shaping the sociolinguistic variable of UPTALK within Hong Kong English, highlighting its interaction with other sociodemographic factors. Foregrounding gender as a central factor, the Element employs a robust array of methodologies to dissect how gender interacts with social factors, identities, and social types across a sample of sixteen participants. Findings unveil new perspectives on gender-dependent meanings of UPTALK, demonstrating t

In recent years, speech recognition devices have become central to our everyday lives. Systems such as Siri, Alexa, speech-to-text, and automated telephone services, are built by people applying expertise in sound structure and natural language processing to generate computer programmes that can recognise and understand speech. This exciting new advancement has led to a rapid growth in speech technology courses being added to linguistics programmes; however, there has so far been a lack of mater

Heritage languages are those spoken as a first language in immigrant communities where another language is dominant. This book provides a novel approach to heritage language research by focusing on German as it is spoken in a range of German-origin immigrant communities around the world. It demonstrates, using German as a unique example, how a language can develop under the influence of diverse replica languages on the one hand, and different sociolinguistic conditions on the other. It also incl

Through conceptual and empirical means, this timely volume looks at how critical realism, a specific approach to the philosophy of science, helps uncover and refine assumptions about what constitutes valid knowledge in applied linguistics, how scholars can create it, and how applied linguistics can improve as an interdisciplinary strand of the social sciences. With contributions from leading and up-and-coming scholars in the field, the book covers a range of topics, from language, language learn

Bringing together cutting-edge research at the intersection of language, communication and legal practice, this volume challenges established processes and explores key questions arising from real cases, practices, or sites of contention, where tackling linguistic issues can help enhance access to justice. Directly addressing areas of genuine professional and institutional concern, the collection provides novel and groundbreaking insights into the multiple communication-related challenges the ju

Navigating the world of academic writing and publishing can be overwhelming. This book provides the antidote. Written by a team of authors who are at different stages of their careers, this book provides hands-on advice and strategies to turn academic writing from a daunting experience to a joyful journey. It gives a complete overview of the publishing process, from how to write an academic paper, chapter or book, to areas that are often overlooked, such as indexing a book, working with images a