The Annual LINGUAE Lectures
The Annual LINGUAE Lectures
Our group has organized the annual LINGUAE Lectures (initially called SIGMA Lectures). They are given by some of the most prominent world leaders on topics of current relevance to the interdisciplinary study of language. They are meant to provide a snapshot of what we take to be the most exciting research on language in fields as diverse as linguistics (theoretical linguistics, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics), philosophy, logic, primatology, musicology, and various areas of cognitive science.
Note: The LINGUAE group aims to study from a comparative perspective four natural systems that are linguistic or have language-like properties: spoken language, sign language, music, and non-human primate vocalizations.
We are delighted to announce that the 2025 LINGUAE Lectures will be given by Maria Aloni in December 2025.
Past LINGUAE Lectures
2025 Maria Aloni (University of Amsterdam)
2024 Jennifer Culbertson, Typology, learning biases and computational modelling (University of Edinburg)
2023 Roni Katzir, Computational Linguistics, Learning and Learnability, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax, Morphology(Tel Aviv University)
2022 Neil Cohn, Structure & cognition of drawings & visual narratives (Tilburg University)
2021 Roberta D'Alessandro, Linguistics / Syntax and Language Variation (Utrecht University)
2020 Catherine Hobaiter, ape gestures and the origins of human communication (St Andrews)
2019 Andrew Nevins, syntax and phonology (UCL)
2018 Ulrike Hahn, psychology, judgment, decision making, argumentation (Birkbeck)
2017 Philip Tetlock, psychology, expert judgment (University of Pennsylvania)
2016 Marie Coppola, psychology, sign language, language emergence (University of Connecticut)
2015 Didier Demolin, primate communication, human sound systems and music (University of Paris 3)
2014 Susan Goldin-Meadow, gesture, sign and language (University of Chicago)
2013 Karen Emmorey, sign language psycholinguistics (San Diego State)
2012 Fred Lerdahl, music cognition (Columbia University)
2011 Klaus Zuberbühler, primatology (University of St Andrews)
2010 Hannes Leitgeb, logic (Bristol University; now University of Munich)
2009 Roger Schwarzschild, semantics (Rutgers University)
Committee of the LINGUAE Lectures
Updated: December 4, 2025
Heather Burnett (LLF/CNRS)
Isabelle Charnavel (Université de Genève)
Emmanuel Chemla (LSCP; on leave at Earth Species Project)
Isabelle Dautriche (Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive/CNRS)
Caterina Donati (Université de Paris-Diderot)
Carlo Geraci (Institut Jean-Nicod)
Maria Giavazzi (LSCP)
Jeremy Kuhn (Institut Jean-Nicod)
Yair Lakretz (LSCP)
Raphaëlle Malassis (LSCP)
Salvador Mascarenhas (ENS/Institut Jean-Nicod)
Luigi Rizzi (Collège de France)
Philippe Schlenker (Institut Jean-Nicod and NYU)
Benjamin Spector (Institut Jean-Nicod)
Isidora Stojanovic (Institut Jean-Nicod)
Brent Strickland (Institut Jean-Nicod)
2025 LINGUAE Lectures: Maria Aloni
Formal semantics and pragmatics, philosophical logic, philosophy of language.
Lecture I: Nothing is Logical
Date: Wednesday December 10th, 2024, 2pm-3.30pm
Location: salle de conférence (46 rue d'Ulm)
Language: English
Lecture II: Modelling and experimenting with zero-models
Date: Thursday December 11th, 2024, 11.30am-1pm
Location: salle de réunion du Pavillon Jardin (29 rue d'Ulm)
Language: English
2024 LINGUAE Lectures: Jennifer Culbertson
Understanding how languages are shaped by learning and use. How typological universals (differences in the frequency of linguistic patterns across the world's languages) arise from properties of our cognitive system.
Lecture I: Beyond typology: experimental explorations of language universals
Date: Wednesday April 24th, 2024, 10.30am-12pm
Location: salle Berthier (U207)
Language: English
Lecture II: A developmental and cross-modal perspective on cognitive biases in language
Date: Thursday April 25th, 2024, 11.30am-1pm
Location: salle pavillon jardin
Language: English
2023 LINGUAE Lectures: Roni Katzir
Computational Linguistics, Learning and Learnability, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax, Morphology (Tel Aviv University)
Lecture I: Redrawing the lines between language and graphics
Date: Wednesday May 31st, 2023, 10.30am-12pm
Location: salle Paul Langevin
Language: English
Informal Discussion: Large Language Models, the view from Linguistics
Date: Wednesday May 31st, 2023, 1pm-2pm
Location: salle Paul Langevin
Language: English
Lecture II: On the roles of anaphoricity and questions in free focus
Date: Thursday June 1st, 2023, 11.30am-1pm
Location: salle pavillon jardin
Language: English
2022 LINGUAE Lectures: Neil Cohn
Structure & cognition of drawings & visual narratives (Tilburg University)
Lecture I: Redrawing the lines between language and graphics
Date: Tuesday February 8th, 2022, 11.30am-1pm
Location: Online
Language: English
Lecture II: Reimagining the language faculty: A multimodal model of language
Date: Thursday February 10th, 2022, 11.30am-1pm
Location: Online
Language: English
2021 LINGUAE Lectures: Roberta D'Alessandro
Linguistics / Syntax and Language Variation (Utrecht University)
Lecture I: Understanding language change – directionality, simplification, or neither?
Date: Thursday December 2nd, 2021, 11.30am-1pm
Location: Online
Language: English
Lecture II: Heritage language syntax: a view from microcontact
Date: Friday December 3rd, 2021, 12pm-1.30pm
Location: Online
Language: English
2020 LINGUAE Lectures: Catherine Hobaiter
Ape gestures and the origins of human communication (St Andrews)
Lecture I: The Language of Life: exploring the origins of human communication
Date: Tuesday March 2nd, 2021, 11.30am-1pm
Location: Online
Language: English
Lecture II: Putting it all together: syntax and meaning in great ape gesture
Date: Thursday March 4th, 2021, 11.30am-1pm
Location: Online
Language: English
2019 LINGUAE Lectures: Andrew Nevins
Syntax and phonology (UCL)
Lecture I: When linearity prevails over hierarchy in syntax
Date: Thursday, Jun. 6th, 11:30am-1pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Langevin
Language: English
Lecture II: Revisiting Mama and Papa: Enhancement as a new dimension of contrast
Date: Friday, Jun. 7th, 11:30am-1pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Langevin
Language: English
2018 LINGUAE Lectures: Ulrike Hahn
Psychology, judgment, decision making, argumentation (Birkbeck)
Lecture I: Norms for real world argument
Date: Wednesday, April 11th, 10am-11.30am
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Jaurès
Language: English
Lecture II: Inference from absence in language and thought
Date: Friday, April 13th, 10am-11.30am
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Jaurès
Language: English
2017 LINGUAE Lectures: Philip Tetlock
psychology, expert judgment (University of Pennsylvania)
Lecture I: Forecasting Tournaments: When Can Narrowing Our Focus Deepen Our Understanding?
Date: Tuesday, Jun. 6th, 11:30am-1pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Jaurès
Language: English
Lecture II: Judging Judgment: Philosophical and Scientific Challenges
Date: Wednesday, Jun. 7th, 11:30am-1pm
Location: ENS, 45, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Dussane
Language: English
2016 LINGUAE Lectures: Marie Coppola
psychology, sign language, language emergence (University of Connecticut)
Lecture I: The effects of language experience on the development of number representations and in deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing children and adults
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 10th, 11:30-1pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Jaurès
Language: English and International Sign
Lecture II: Unexpected routes to language: Evidence from child and adult homesign systems
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 11th 11:30-1:30pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Langevin
Language: English and International Sign
2015 LINGUAE Lectures: Didier Demolin
(Laboratoire de Phonétique et de Phonologie, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris 3)
Lecture I: Grammatical structures in animal communication and the evolution of language
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 2nd, 11:30-1pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Langevin
Language: English
Lecture II: Dynamics and diversity of sound systems in human languages
Date: Friday, Dec. 4th 11:30-1:30pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Prestige 1
Language: English
Lecture III: Syntactic structures and organization in music from the perspective of oral tradition musical systems
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 8th 11:30-2pm
Location: ENS, 29, rue d'Ulm, 75005 - Salle Langevin
Language: English
2014 LINGUAE Lectures: Susan Goldin-Meadow: December 16th and 17th, 2014
More on the Susan Goldin-Meadow Laboratory here.
Lecture I: Gesture as a mechanism of change
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 16th 10:30-12
Location: Ecole Normale Supérieure, 45 rue d’Ulm, Salle Cavaillès
Language: English
Lecture II: From homesign to sign language: Creating language in the manual modality
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 17th 11:30-14
Location: Ecole Normale Supérieure, 45 rue d'Ulm, Salle Becket
Language: English
2013 LINGUAE Lectures: Karen Emmorey: December 2nd and 4th, 2013
More on Karen Emmorey as Professor at San Diego State University and director of the Laboratory for Language and Cognitive Neuroscience here.
Lecture I: Psycholinguistic studies of sign language
Date: Monday, Dec. 2nd 16.30-18
Location: Institut National de Jeunes Sourds de Paris 254, rue Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris
Languages: English and International Sign
Lecture II: The neural underpinnings of sign language
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 4th 11.30-13
Location: Institut Jean-Nicod, Seminar Room 29, Rue d'Ulm, Pavillon Jardin ground floor.
Languages: English and International Sign
2012 LINGUAE Lectures: Fred Lerdahl: 19-21-23 November, 2012
Fred Lerdahl (Columbia University) gave the 2012 Annual LINGUAE Lectures on November 19th, 21st and 23rd, 2012. The slides are available below
More on Fred Lerdahl as a composer and music theorist here.
More on the Annual LINGUAE Lectures here.
Lecture I: Musical Syntax and Its Relation to Linguistic Syntax
Date: Monday, Nov. 2nd 11:00-1pm
Location: Salle 2, Collège de France, 11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris
Languages: English
Lecture II: The Sounds of Poetry Viewed as Music
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 21st 11:00-1pm
Location: Salle de Réunion IJN-LSCP, Pavillon, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 29, rue d'Ulm
Languages: English
Lecture III: Tonal Space, Motion, and Force
Date: Friday, Nov. 23rd 11:00-1pm
Location: Salle de Réunion IJN-LSCP, Pavillon, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 29, rue d'Ulm
Languages: English