37.404, Calls: 3rd International Symposium on Multimodal Communication (Belgium)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-404. Thu Jan 29 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.404, Calls: 3rd International Symposium on Multimodal Communication (Belgium)

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Date: 27-Jan-2026
From: Geert Brône [mmsym at kuleuven.be]
Subject: 3rd International Symposium on Multimodal Communication


Full Title: 3rd International Symposium on Multimodal Communication
Short Title: MMSYM 2026
Theme: Embodied communication in (inter)action

Date: 09-Sep-2026 - 11-Sep-2026
Location: Leuven, Belgium
Web Site: http://www.mmsym.org

Linguistic Field(s): General Linguistics

Call Deadline: 01-Mar-2026

2nd Call for Papers:
The third edition of MMSYM continues the symposium series on
multimodal communication previously held in Frankfurt am Main (2024)
and Barcelona (2023). The symposium aims at gaining insights into the
interaction and/or co-dependence of semiotic resources in spoken and
signed language. To advance our understanding of communication, the
symposium aims at further integrating multimodality as an integral
part of linguistics and cognitive science. This overarching goal of
the symposium is rooted in the conviction that investigating
multimodality is key to understanding how language and communication
work.
For MMSYM 2026, we welcome contributions approaching multimodal
communication from different methodological and disciplinary angles.
The main topic of this edition of the symposium is “Embodied
communication in (inter)action”. We particularly encourage submissions
that approach the main theme from one of the following angles: (1)
multimodal pragmatics and interaction analysis, (2) (generative)
multimodal behavior modelling, (3) creating and sharing sustainable
multimodal data, and (4) exploring the interface of gesture and signed
language. For MMSYM 2026, we particularly encourage contributions
relating to these conference themes but are open for all submissions
related to multimodal communication.
Topics include but are not limited to:
- Gesture-speech interaction & integration
- Prosody-Gesture-coordination
- Multimodal language processing
- Gesture & sign language interaction
- Sequential organization of multimodal behavior in (face-to-face)
interaction
- Semantics-pragmatics interface & multimodal communication
- Multimodal communication & spatial configurations
- Kinematics of bodily movements
- Multimodal corpus development
- Annotation schemes and tools for multimodal data processing
- Machine and deep learning techniques applied to multimodal data
- Multimodal human-computer interaction and conversational agents
- Intercultural aspects of embodied behavior
- Multimodal aspects of language acquisition and learning (both L1 and
L2)
- Multimodal communication disorders and communication support
- Multimodal health communication
Important Dates:
- Abstract submissions welcome from 15th November 2025
- Abstract submission deadline: 1st March 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 3rd April 2026
- Conference dates: 9-11th September 2026
Keynote Speakers:
We are delighted to announce four keynote speakers whose work relates
to the main themes of the conference:
- Pamela Perniss (Universität zu Köln)
- Elisabeth Zima (Universität Zürich)
- Stefan Kopp (Bielefeld University)
- Wim Pouw (Tilburg University)
Abstract Submission Guidelines:
We invite abstract submissions for 20-minute oral presentations (15
minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for discussion) or posters
of original, unpublished work on any aspect of multimodal
communication. Abstracts should be written in English and should be
submitted via OpenReview.net (submissions will be welcome starting
from 15th November 2025). See the symposium website for more details:
www.mmsym.org
Satellite Event: Training on Eye-tracking for Multimodal Research
The Leuven Interdisciplinary Language Institute (LILI) at the KU
Leuven is pleased to invite you in Leuven for an intensive Summer
School on Eye-Tracking, taking place from 7–9 September 2026. This
three-day program offers a focused introduction to eye-tracking
methods and applications for multimodal research, bringing together
theory and hands-on practices. The Summer School is aimed at junior
researchers who plan to use eye-tracking in their own research but
currenty have no or hardly any experience with this methodology. More
information can be found on the website:
https://www.arts.kuleuven.be/conferences/eyetracking-summerschool.



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