<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">We're delighted to invite interested colleagues to the colloquium "<b>SHAPE </b></span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><b>in Language and Cognition</b>" to be held in Paris and online on June 8-9, </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">which marks the launch of the ERC Synergy project SHAPE. Attached please </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">find a flyer and below the program for your reference. For the abstract </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">of the talks, see </span><span role="link" id="m_-7023536181509651546gmail-OBJ_PREFIX_DWT61_com_zimbra_url" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(43,115,210);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/shape/events" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.18rem;color:rgb(43,115,210);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">https://www.ntnu.edu/shape/events</a></span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">.</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Best wishes,</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">The organising committee</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Magdalena Lemus Serrano, Nour Efrat-Kowalsky, Mila Vulchanova, Lia </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Călinescu, Valentin Vulchanov, Frank Seifart</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><b>SHAPE in Language and Cognition: An International Colloquium</b></span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Monday, June 8, 2026, 14:00-17:00, and Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 13:45-17:00</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Shape is a prominent feature of the visual world and determines how we </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">perceive and store information about objects, how we interact with them, </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">and what uses they can be put to. Shape is also richly encoded in the </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">languages of the world. For instance, languages such as Mandarin Chinese </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">and Amazonian Bora have special grammatical categories for long vs. flat </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">vs round objects. And in sign languages, shape prominently organizes the </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">lexicon and grammar, with the hands representing visuo geometric </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">properties of real-world referents. During early language acquisition, </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">children attend to shape as a vital cue for acquiring the label of </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">objects. This process develops at the intersection between spatial </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">ability skills and language, especially vocabulary size. But </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">interestingly, children on atypical developmental trajectories tend to </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">have problems in using this strategy for word learning. All of this </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">suggests that there is a rich, and probably bi-directional relationship </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">between the visual perception of shape and its representation in </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">language. The colloquium "SHAPE in Language and Cognition" brings </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">together an interdisciplinary and international group of experts to </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">discuss the relationship between the visual perception of shape and </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">language. The talks will address the two-way relationship between </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">spatial cognition and language from the perspectives of global </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">linguistic and cultural diversity, language acquisition, and cognitive </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">development, and the factors that contribute to difficulties in this </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">domain for children on atypical developmental paths. The colloquium </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">marks the initiation of the six-year international research project "The </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">System of Shape Representations in Cognition, Development and Across </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px">Languages", funded by an ERC Synergy Grant (see</span></div><div dir="ltr"><span role="link" id="m_-7023536181509651546gmail-OBJ_PREFIX_DWT62_com_zimbra_url" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(43,115,210);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><a href="https://www.ntnu.edu/shape/" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.18rem;color:rgb(43,115,210);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">https://www.ntnu.edu/shape/</a></span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">).</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Venue: INALCO Maison de la recherche, 2 Rue de Lille, 75007 Paris, and </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">online at </span><span role="link" id="m_-7023536181509651546gmail-OBJ_PREFIX_DWT63_com_zimbra_url" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(43,115,210);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><a href="https://zoom.us/j/98346033268" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:1.18rem;color:rgb(43,115,210);text-decoration:none" target="_blank">https://zoom.us/j/98346033268</a></span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal"> (Passcode : 024336)</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Admission: Free no registration required</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Program:</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Monday, June 8</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">14:30-15:00</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Welcome addresses by Alexandre Toumarkine (INALCO) and Stefano Manfredi </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">(SeDyL)</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">15:00-15:30</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Pamela Perniss (U Cologne) and Frank Seifart (SeDyL): Shape in spoken </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">and signed languages across the world: What we know and how to know more</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">15:30-16:00</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Linda B. Smith (Indiana U) and Mila Vulchanova (NTNU): Shape in vision </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">and in cognitive development: It's abstract, yet complex</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">16:00-17:00</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Round table discussion: The relationship between the visual perception </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">of shape and language with SHAPE Advisory Board members Östen Dahl </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">(Stockholm U and Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences), Jenny Saffran (U of </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Wisconsin-Madison), Inge-Marie Eigsti (U of Connecticut), Jim Magnuson </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">(U of Connecticut, BCBL, Donostia-San Sebastián). </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Moderation: Larissa </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Samuelson (U of East Anglia).</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">17:00-19:00</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Reception</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Tuesday, June 9</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">13:45-14:30</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Mary Peterson (U of Arizona): Shape Perception: More Complex than </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Feed-Forward Theories Suppose</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">14:30-15:15</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">John Mansfield (U of Zurich): Inheritance and diffusion of ungrounded </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">concepts</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">15:15-16:00</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Marie Coppola (U of Connecticut): Shape gets you off the ground but not </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">across the finish line: Conventionalization of tool labels in homesign.</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">16:00-17:00</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Round table discussion: The relationship between the visual perception </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">of shape and language with SHAPE Advisory Board members Karla McGregor</span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal"></span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">(Boys Town National Research Hospital), Lynn Perry (U of Miami), Kenny </span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Coventry (U of East Anglia), and Jürgen Bohnemeyer (U at Buffalo).</span><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal"></span><br style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:14.16px;color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-variant-ligatures:normal"><span style="color:rgb(72,72,72);font-family:monospace;font-size:14.16px;font-variant-ligatures:normal">Moderation: Caroline Larson (U of Missouri)</span><br></div>
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