Lecture: Language, Culture and Mind--Independence or Interdependence?

Lecturer: Chris Sinha, Vera da Silva Sinha

Time: 15:00-17:00 pm, May 7^th

Avenue: B107, Sixuelou Building

Bio:

Chris Sinha is Honorary Professor at the University of East Anglia, with a BA in Developmental Psychology (Sussex) and a PhD cum laude (Utrecht). As a globally experienced scholar, he has held full professorships in Brazil, China, and Europe, and served as Head of Psychology at the University of Portsmouth (2002-2005). Besides, he has been President of the UK and International Cognitive Linguistics Associations, and founded the journal Language and Cognition and sits on multiple editorial boards. His research bridges language, cognition, and culture, integrating cognitive and sociocultural approaches. Chris Sinha is the author of 3 monographs, more than 150 papers, 5 edited volumes, and co-edited The Oxford Handbook of Human Symbolic Evolution. He organized the 1^st and 7^th International Conferences on Language, Culture, and Mind and remains a key scientific committee member.

Vera da Silva Sinha is a linguist, anthropologist, and social scientist exploring how culture and language shape human cognition. She holds a PhD in Linguistics (University of East Anglia) and Master’s degrees in Anthropology and International Criminal Justice. Her innovative studies bridge linguistics, anthropology, and cognition, with recent focus on cultural concepts of time (featured in TEDx 2019 and the podcast About Time). She also advances research in ethnomathematics, ecological cognition, and Indigenous education.

Abstract:

This lecture examines the intricate relationship between language, culture, and cognition, questioning whether they operate independently or interdependently. Contrasting classical cognitivist approaches with modern embodied and enactive perspectives, it explores language as both a biocultural niche and social institution, culture as a system of shared meanings and practices, and the mind as shaped by interaction, discourse, and environment. Drawing on theories from Piaget, Vygotsky, and cognitive linguistics, the lecture analyzes tensions between formalist (language as abstract system) and functionalist (language as cultural tool) paradigms, ultimately highlighting how their integration advances our understanding of human cognition and communication.

Organizer and sponsor: School of Foreign Languages