Cambridge Institute of Language Research (CILR):
Workshop on Bilingualism

Bilingual Language and Cognition: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Date: 18th March 2011
Venue: English Faculty, University of Cambridge

programme

abstracts

About CILR - Background

The discipline of Linguistics arguably suffers more than most from the traditional divisions between Arts subjects and Science subjects. This is primarily to be attributed to the historical contingency whereby modern, scientific Linguistics developed out of the philological study of texts.

In Cambridge, there are individuals whose main teaching and research activities fall within Linguistics in the Faculties of Medieval and Modern Languages, English, Philosophy, Oriental Studies and Classics. In addition, in Experimental Psychology, Social Anthropology, Engineering and Computer Science there are researchers on natural language whose work relates closely to Linguistics.

Given the history of the field (and, perhaps, given the centrality of language to nearly all aspects of human culture and endeavour), one might see this state of affairs as a natural and welcome one. Nevertheless, the case for setting up some form of coordinating body to which the individuals working in the same academic discipline who are dispersed over a number of different Faculties would all, however notionally, belong, is a strong one.