Abstract Concepts: Debating Their Structure, Processing, and Modeling
Description
On which dimensions of meaning do abstract and concrete concepts differ?
How does perceptual experience affect abstract concept processing and representation?
What is the role of language in shaping and indexing the content of concrete vs abstract concepts? How and in which contexts are abstract concepts understood through metaphors?
Abstract concepts are a controversial and widely debated topic, within the theoretical discussion about the embodied vs symbolic nature of language and meaning.
The aim of this project is to bring together current views about the structure, processing, and modeling of abstract concepts.
Program
Eight eminent scholars have been invited to Amsterdam to discuss the nature, structure, processing, and modeling of abstract concepts in various disciplines.
During the symposium the panelists will present in turn their view and will receive structured comments (prepared in advance) from their peers. A general discussion among all panelists and the audience will follow.
Invited Keynote Speakers and Provisional titles
- Prof. Friedemann Pulvermueller – Concrete mechanisms for abstract meaning
- Prof. Gun Semin – The place of metaphors in the order of things
- Prof. Piek Vossen – Granularity and identity of event descriptions
- Dr. Diane Pecher – Curb your embodiment
- Prof. Max Louwerse – Language statistics explain conceptual processing
- Prof. Alessandro Lenci – The Emotions of Abstracts: A Distributional Semantic Analysis
- Prof. Ken McRae – Situations, perceptual information and abstract concepts
- Prof. Gabriella Vigliocco – Learning and processing abstract concepts: the role of language and the role of emotion
Call for Papers
Given the structure and program of the symposium, with 8 keynote speakers, submissions are welcome and encouraged for poster presentations. Posters will be displayed on the conference venue for the whole day, and the delegates will be able to comment and discuss the posters over the lunch break, which will take place at the conference venue.
Applicants are asked to submit (max) 250 words abstracts and register online through the symposium website: https://abstractconceptsnet.wordpress.com
Submission deadline: 15th September
Notification of acceptance: 30th September
Symposium date: 18th November
The event is organized by the COGVIM project team (EU Marie Curie IEF, awarded to Dr Marianna Bolognesi – n° 629076) and sponsored by ABC Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, Network Institute, and KNAW Dutch Royal Academy of Science.