35.1666, Calls: Exploring Xenolinguistics: Next steps in exploring the nature of language and the potential of extraterrestrial communication

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-35-1666. Thu Jun 06 2024. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 35.1666, Calls: Exploring Xenolinguistics: Next steps in exploring the nature of language and the potential of extraterrestrial communication

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Date: 29-May-2024
From: Punske Jeffrey [punske at siu.edu]
Subject: Exploring Xenolinguistics: Next steps in exploring the nature of language and the potential of extraterrestrial communication


Full Title: Exploring Xenolinguistics: Next steps in exploring the
nature of language and the potential of extraterrestrial communication
Short Title: XenoLing

Date: 09-Nov-2024 - 09-Nov-2024
Location: Carbondale IL, USA
Contact Person: Jeffrey Punske
Meeting Email: punske at siu.edu

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics

Call Deadline: 15-Jul-2024

Meeting Description:

This workshop serves as a platform for experts to share insights,
exchange ideas, and foster collaborations that will shape the future
of Xenolinguistics. We aim to catalyze innovative research and pave
the way for new discoveries in our quest to unravel the mysteries of
both language and the universe.

Plenary Speakers: Irene Pepperberg (Boston University) whose
experience is in animal communication, specifically with Grey parrots,
& Matthew Brown (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) who will
address this topic from the perspective of the Philosophy of Science.
This workshop builds on Xenolinguistics: Towards A Science of
Extraterrestrial Language (Vakoch & Punske: Routledge, 2024) to probe
the questions concerning the nature of human language, communication
and cognition. Details and abstracts from the volume are available
here: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003352174

Date: 9 November 2024
Location: Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois USA

Selected abstracts will be presented during the workshop sessions,
providing authors with an opportunity to showcase their research and
engage with fellow participants. In addition to presentations, the
workshop will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and
networking opportunities to foster collaboration and exchange of
ideas.

In person presentations are preferred, but digital presentations are
also accepted and encouraged.

This conference is sponsored by Southern Illinois University College
of Liberal Arts and METI International.

Organizing Committee: Jeffrey Punske, Daniel Ross, Douglas Vakoch,
Sheri Wells-Jensen.

Abstracts should be no more than 500 words and should additionally
include references (excluded from word count) and should clearly
outline the objectives, methods, results, and implications of the
proposed work. Strong preference will be given to work building on or
challenging work from the 2024 Xenolinguistics volume and other
relevant publications such as Oberhaus (2019) and Hickey (2023).
Crucially, we want to build on this growing body of research in order
to start determining areas of consensus and disagreement, as well as
which areas require the most attention in continued research.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

 • Theoretical frameworks and methodologies of human language that
inform our analysis of potential alien languages: is the range of
grammatical variation within human languages similar to communication
of other intelligent species? For example, Roberts, Watumull & Chomsky
(2024) discuss whether Universal Grammar might apply to
extraterrestrial languages.

 • Studies examining the variables of Ross’s (2024) Linguistic Drake
Equation, where the potential for successful communication is
considered with respect to Perceiving the signal (whether naturally or
with technology) and Understanding the message grammatically,
conceptually and in a cultural context.

 • Comparisons to communication of animal species on Earth, as well as
discussions of different possible forms of communication including
auditory, visual and other channels.

 • Interdisciplinary collaborations involving anthropology, astronomy,
communication, computer science, philosophy, zoology and other fields,
such as:
  o Cross-disciplinary approaches to understanding the cultural,
biological, and technological contexts of hypothetical alien
languages.
  o Philosophical perspectives on the nature of language and
communication in the context of alien civilizations and questions
related to the Philosophy of Science.

 • Theoretical and practical considerations on the possible decoding
of an extraterrestrial signal or in the design of our own radio
messages (METI: Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) that could be
understood by other intelligent species in the universe.

Abstracts submission:
https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/74853/submitter
Deadline for submission: 15 July 2024
Notification: August 2024

References

Hickey, Raymond. 2023. Life and Language Beyond Earth. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009229272
Oberhaus, Daniel. 2019. Extraterrestrial languages. Cambridge: MIT
Press. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262548649

Roberts, Ian G., Watumull, Jeffrey & Chomsky, Noam. 2024. Universal
Grammar. In Douglas A. Vakoch & Jeffrey Punske (eds.),
Xenolinguistics: Towards a Science of Extraterrestrial Language,
165–181. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003352174-15

Ross, Daniel. 2024. A Linguistic Perspective on the Drake Equation:
Knowns and Unknowns for Human Languages and Extraterrestrial
Communication. In Douglas A. Vakoch & Jeffrey Punske (eds.),
Xenolinguistics: Towards a Science of Extraterrestrial Language,
123–137. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003352174-12



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