IMPRS Conference 2022

The aim of the biennial IMPRS conference series on Interdisciplinary Approaches in the Language Sciences is to inspire the next generation of language scientists to take on new challenges that will further our understanding of the human language ability.

The 2022 edition will cover four main themes and feature the following speakers:

A unique aspect of this conference is that, alongside presentations on empirical research, we will organise an open ‘Behind The Science’ discussion in which scientists share the sources of insights and inspiration that drive their research. This way, early career scientists can discover much of the unspoken yet essential processes that lead to ground-breaking research. Moreover, several workshops will take place on the last day of the conference.

We strongly encourage doctoral candidates and masters students to participate, and we look forward very much to welcoming you!

Organising Committee

Schedule (last updated: 28 Apr)

Note: All times listed according to CEST.
 

WEDNESDAY 1 JUNE

8:00	Registration opens
8:45	Welcome Speech by IMPRS Spokesperson	Prof. Dr. Antje Meyer
9:00	The Bigger Picture of Language Acquisition Keynote & Invited talk	Prof. Dr. Jesse Snedeker Dr. Tilbe Göksun
10:45	Poster Session 1
11:45	Selected talks	Cheslie C. Klein Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Sandra El Hadi Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences & Harvard Graduate School of Education
13:30	The Multidimensionality of Language Comprehension Invited talk & Selected talks	Dr. Linda Drijvers Brianna Cairney Louisiana State University Sophie Slaats Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
15:15	Keynote	Prof. Dr. Arthur Samuel
16:00	Behind The Science Session
17:00	Poster Session 2

THURSDAY 2 JUNE

8:00	Registration opens
9:00	The Evolution of Language: From Neurons to Behaviour Keynote & Invited talk	Dr. Reyna Gordon Dr. Daniela Vallentin
10:45	Selected talks	Juan Guerrero Montero Centre for Language Evolution & School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh Dr. Barbara Molz Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
11:30	Poster Session 3
13:30	The Cognitive & Neural Dynamics of Language Production Keynote & Invited talk	Dr. Kristof Strijkers Dr. Xiaochen Zheng
15:15	Selected talks	Nora Kennis Radboud University Snežana Todorović Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain
16:00	Behind The Science Session
17:00	Closing Discussion
18:00	Networking Dinner

FRIDAY 3 JUNE

	Workshops	Online?	On-site?
10:00  - 12:00	Git Basics	Y	Y
	Data Visualisation		Y
	Parselmouth	Y
	Science Communication	Y
13:00 - 15:00	Git Collaborative	Y	Y
	Data Visualisation	Y
	Parselmouth		Y
	Science Communication		Y

 

Abstract Submission & Registration

To illustrate a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, each theme will include one keynote talk and one invited talk. The speakers were selected by the current members of the IMPRS for Language Sciences based on their significant contributions to their respective research fields. The talks will reveal the ideas and processes that shape their work, highlight recent findings and hint at future endeavours.

We will also feature two short talks per theme that will be selected from abstract submissions. A larger portion of abstract submissions will be selected as poster presentations.

We invite abstract submissions from early-career researchers on all topics in the language sciences. On-going research is welcome. It will be possible to present posters in both in-person and online poster sessions. Abstracts will be reviewed anonymously and selected for talks or posters. The word limit for abstracts is 300 words including references, with no figures or tables.

IMPORTANT DATES

15th February	Abstract submission opens	Submit abstract
15th March	Registration opens
22nd March	Abstract submission closes	**new extended deadline**
15th April	Abstract notifications sent
27th May	Registration deadline	Registration is closed

Workshop Overview

We are proud to offer a selection of workshops that we consider essential for the new generation of (language) scientists. Join us and get a taste of what our IMPRS training offers! 

 

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION by MPI TalkLing Editorial Team

When you’ve been writing a thesis or studying for a while, you may have noticed that explaining your research to your family and friends is not as easy as it may seem. How do you explain to your grandparents what syntax is, without losing their interest along the way?

In this workshop, writers and editors from the science blog MPI TalkLing will help you bridge the gap between writing for science and a general audience. We will focus on writing style as well as the process of writing. The examples and practical assignments are specifically geared toward blog writing, but the theory and techniques we cover are also applicable to other types of science communication, such as newspaper articles, and even the generic parts of grant applications. There will be room for practice and to share experiences with peers. 
 

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DATA VISUALIZATION IN PYTHON by Teun van Gils & dr. Noor Seijdel

During this workshop, you will learn how to visualize data in Python using NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib and Seaborn to communicate your research efficiently. We will provide a dataset that you can work with during the exercises, but we encourage you to bring your own dataset.

For this workshop, you will need a laptop or computer with Python 3 and a Python IDE. Some familiarity with Python is assumed, but not strictly necessary.
 

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PARSELMOUTH - USING PRAAT IN PYTHON SCRIPTS by Yannick Jadoul

Modern, interdisciplinary research often requires to combine different software packages and data formats. Commonly used in the language sciences, Praat provides a whole range of acoustic and phonetic algorithms and analyses. Parselmouth was developed as a way of more comfortably and efficiently accessing all this functionality from the Python programming language and combine it with other Python libraries.

In this workshop, we will introduce Parselmouth and demonstrate how to access Praat's functionality from Python and integrate it with other software libraries. In a hands-on tutorial, we will show a couple of concrete examples of workflows that access Praat's data and results to pre-/post-process and plot these, as well as demonstrate how to integrate already existing Praat scripts into a larger Python program. Some familiarity with Python and/or Praat is advised, but the workshop will also serve as an introduction to available functionality and possible applications.
 

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GIT: BASICS & COLLABORATIVE WORK by dr. Sophie Arana

Part 1 - From zero to git-pull-push

This workshop teaches the basics of Git version control for absolute beginners. You have no idea what the commands pull, add or push refer to or in which order to use them? You wonder why you should invest time in learning “how to git” in the first place and why it is better than simply saving intermediate file versions ? Then this workshop is perfect for you!

We will cover all of the above and provide you with the necessary minimum skills to start using Git for your own projects. No previous knowledge required. You will need a computer with internet connection. Prior to the workshop you will need to install Git and configure it (we will send detailed instructions). You should also create a GitHub account, which we will start using together during the workshop.

Part 2 - Using Git & GitHub for collaborative work

This workshop will introduce the collaborative workflow when using Git & GitHub. You are familiar with the basic local Git cycle but would like to learn how to use Git version control in a team? We will go over commonly used GitHub features such as issues, forking and pull requests, when and how to use branches as well as how to tidy up your commit history. Importantly, we will dare to do some live collaborative work during the workshop, which means you will get first-hand experience on how to handle merge conflicts as things get messy.

Basic previous knowledge of local Git cycle required (e.g. you should know what push, pull, commit and add are and why this isn’t the correct order of those commands. If you don’t, better choose Workshop “From zero to git-pull-push”). You should also have at least already cloned a GitHub repo in the past. In this workshop we will use Git from the command line, so you should be familiar with the basics on the command line and have your configuration set-up (e.g. set your git identity and configured text editor of your choice). You should also create a GitHub account if you haven’t already.

Contact Information

You may reach us via Twitter or by imprsconference [at] mpi.nl (e-mail).

Previous Editions

Our previous editions featured the following topics and speakers:

2020 Edition

Language Disorders

Perspectives from Developmental Disorders Keynote Prof. Dr. Ellen Gerrits Invited talks Dr. Babette Diepeveen & Dr. Hayo Terband Perspectives from Acquired Disorders Keynote Prof. Dr. Matthew Lambon-Ralph Invited talks Dr. Vitória Piai & Dr. Anja Staiger

Memory & Learning

Perspectives from Neurocognition Keynote Dr. Laura Batterink Invited talks Prof. Dr. James McQueen & Dr. Lisa Henderson Perspectives from Animal & Computational Models Keynote Prof. Dr. Carel ten Cate Invited talks Dr. Leonidas Doumas & Dr. Marieke Woensdregt

2018 Edition

Evolution & Genetics of Language

Keynotes Dr. Chiara Barbieri • Dr. Andrea Ravignani • Prof. Dr. Enoch Aboh

Neurobiology of Language

Keynotes Prof. Dr. Melissa Duff • Prof. Dr. Sophie Scott • Prof. Dr. Jeffrey Binder • Dr. Jean-Remi King