Exploring Xenolinguistics

Exploring Xenolinguistics: Next steps in exploring the nature of language and the potential of extraterrestrial communication.

SIU’s College of Liberal Arts, School of Languages and Linguistics, University Honors Program, and METI International to host an international conference on Xenolinguistics on Nov. 9 2024 at SIU. 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.

View details and abstracts from the volume.

The workshop features keynote talks from Dr. Irene Pepperberg (Boston University), a leading expert in animal communication and cognition, and Dr. Matthew Brown (Southern Illinois University), a noted scholar in Philosophy of Science.

This one-day event will also include referred presentations, panel discussions and open Q&A.

The event is free to all campus and community members.

Public Zoom Link for the Event

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Xenolinguistics: Next Steps Program
Nov 9

9:00 Welcomes: Joddy Murray (Dean of CoLA) and Doug Vakoch (METI)

9:10 Intro: Jeffrey Punske

9:15 Irene Pepperberg (MIT): How Studies of Communication—among Nonhumans and between Humans and Nonhumans—Can Influence Xenolinguistics

10:15 Break

10:30 Joshua Hartshorne (MGH Institute of Health Professions) Natural constraints on natural language: What computational constraints tell us about alien languages

11:00 Carol Tenny (Independent Scholar) A Simple Syntax-Semantic Interface for Communication with ETI
discussion

11:30 Jeffrey Watumull (Oceanit) Life, Information, Language, Intelligence

12:00 Lunch

1:30 Matthew Brown (SIU): What kind of science is Xenolinguistics?

2:30 Break

2:45 Tobias Weber (University Library Frankfurt) Sociology of Language & Language Policy in communicating with extraterrestrial intelligence

3:15 Elin McCready (Aoyama Gakuin University) Xenopragmatics Beyond Communication

3:45 Break

4:00 Discussion and Q&A with speakers

5:30 Conclusion: Jeffrey Punske, Daniel Ross, Sheri Wells-Jensen, Douglas Vakoch