CaL2017 (Cognition and Language) was an international academic conference held from 24 to 26 November 2017 at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. The event was organized by the Society for Cognitive Science and Philosophy (SCSP) and BRAK (Brno Analytic Circle), in cooperation with the Department of Philosophy and the Faculty of Arts at Masaryk University.
The conference explored the relationship between language and cognitive science, bringing together perspectives from philosophy, linguistics, logic and psychology. Its main objective was to demonstrate how cognitive science can contribute to traditional approaches to natural and artificial languages and provide new insights into linguistic phenomena.
Conference Theme: Cognition and Language
Language is a subject of research across several academic disciplines. Linguistics, philosophy, logic and psychology all examine different aspects of how language works, how meaning is represented and how people use linguistic structures to communicate and understand the world.
CaL2017 focused on the potential of cognitive science to connect these different approaches. Rather than treating language as an isolated research subject, the conference encouraged participants to consider how cognitive processes influence linguistic understanding, interpretation and communication.
The programme provided an opportunity to discuss both theoretical and empirical approaches to language, including the analysis of meaning, ambiguity, representation and the relationship between cognition and linguistic structures.
Keynote Speakers
CaL2017 featured four keynote speakers representing different academic institutions and research backgrounds.
- Arie Verhagen – Leiden University
- Mariusz Urbański – Adam Mickiewicz University
- Paweł Łupkowski – Adam Mickiewicz University
- Wei-lun Lu – Masaryk University
Their participation contributed to the conference’s interdisciplinary approach to cognition, language and philosophical research.
Conference Programme
The original conference programme covered the academic sessions and presentations scheduled during the three-day event.
Official programme: Download CaL2017 Programme (PDF)
Book of Abstracts
The CaL2017 Book of Abstracts contains summaries of the research contributions presented at the conference. It provides an overview of the topics, academic questions and approaches discussed by participating researchers.
Conference publication: Download the CaL2017 Book of Abstracts (PDF)
Call for Papers
CaL2017 invited researchers to submit proposals for presentations addressing the relationship between language and cognitive science. Contributions were welcomed from different academic disciplines and theoretical perspectives.
Conference Topics
Suggested research areas included, but were not limited to:
- Cognitive science and argumentation.
- Language analysis within cognitive science.
- Language and cognition, including the mapping of meaning and representation in language.
- Logic and cognitive science.
- Natural language and cognitive science.
- Vagueness, ambiguity and other linguistic problems.
The conference encouraged submissions addressing both established questions and new research directions at the intersection of language studies and cognitive science.
Submission Guidelines
Researchers were invited to submit proposals for contributed talks lasting 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion.
Each submission was required to include an abstract of 300–600 words, together with the following information:
- Author’s or authors’ names.
- Institutional affiliations.
- Contact e-mail address.
Proposals had to be submitted in two formats: DOCX and PDF.
Submissions were accepted by e-mail at:
The extended submission deadline was 22 September 2017, replacing the original deadline of 15 September 2017.
Important Dates
The original conference schedule included the following deadlines and milestones:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Original submission deadline | 15 September 2017 |
| Extended submission deadline | 22 September 2017 |
| Notification of acceptance | By early October 2017 |
| Active and passive registration deadline | 15 October 2017 |
| CaL2017 Conference | 24–26 November 2017 |
Conference Venue
CaL2017 took place at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, in Brno, Czech Republic.
Venue: Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University
City: Brno, Czech Republic
Conference dates: 24–26 November 2017
Conference Organizers
The conference was organized through cooperation between academic institutions and organizations working in philosophy and cognitive science.
Participating Organizations
Society for Cognitive Science and Philosophy (SCSP)
SCSP was one of the principal organizers of CaL2017, contributing its interdisciplinary focus on cognitive science and philosophical research.
BRAK – Brno Analytic Circle