[CALL FOR ABSTRACTS]

Zooming in: Physiological aspects of language across the lifespan

Elina Rubertus¹, Šárka Kadavá^1,2,3, Susanne Fuchs¹

¹ Leibniz-Zentrum Allgemeine Sprachwissenschaft (ZAS), Berlin
² Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University
³ University of Göttingen

This workshop is part of the 49th Annual Meeting of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sprachwissenschaft (DGfS, German Linguistics Society)

University of Jena, March 3-5 2027

Whether spoken or signed, linguistic behaviour reflects physiological properties of the body. Previous research has shown that the bodily architecture, e.g. vocal tract morphology and strength of muscle activation, as well as interacting physiological processes such as breathing, motion, and posture and their timing, shape the way we produce speech (Blasi et al. 2019, Fuchs and Rochet-Capellan 2021, Pouw et al. 2025). Importantly, the body continues to change nonlinearly across the entire lifespan and too, language production continuously develops, adapts, and reorganizes, reflecting the multidimensional interactions between motor, physiological, and cognitive processes. Those interactions between language production and its physical underpinnings have been majorly overlooked. This workshop zooms in on the body itself, exploring how physiological changes across the lifespan shape multimodal linguistic behaviour. We invite contributions on the following topics, as well as related areas:

Physiological changes and their effects on spoken and signed language
Language adaptation and reorganization within specific age groups
Intra- and inter-individual linguistic variability attributable to physiology
Compensatory strategies and motor equivalence: how different bodily configurations achieve similar linguistic targets

Given the methodological and practical challenges inherent in studying bodily mechanisms, this workshop aims to bring together researchers from diverse fields (e.g., phonetics, phonology, psycholinguistics, speech acquisition, and aging) to foster cross-disciplinary exchange.

Abstract submission

Abstracts need not be anonymous. They should be no more than one page in length (DIN A4, 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing), including examples and references. For initial submission, you may use an additional page for figures and tables; please note, however, that this second page cannot be included in the final abstract for the DGfS abstract booklet.

Please send your abstract as a PDF file to rubertus@leibniz-zas.de, including your name, affiliation, and the title of the abstract in the body of the e-mail. The deadline is July 31st, 2026.

The workshop language is English. Talks will be 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion.

Invited speakers

tba

Workshop program