The objective of Yale’s Language and Brain Lab is to uncover the architecture of the neurocognitive system that supports the building of meaning through language use. We ask the questions: What are word meanings? How can they be in the mind and yet about the world? What mechanisms allow us to combine word meanings to create other meanings, as we speak? What structures of the mind and of the brain support this constant process of meaning generation? To answer these questions our lab studies the system of linguistic meaning and of linguistic meaning comprehension, including the conceptual and memory systems that support it in neurotypical adults and children, and using a variety of approaches; from strictly behavioral (questionnaires, self-paced reading, eye-tracking) to electrophysiological (ERP), and to neuroimaging (fMRI) and focal lesions (Aphasia). Our research domain thus lies at the crossroads of linguistics, psychology, neurology, and neuroscience.

On this website, you’ll find information about our recent publications, current projects, and ongoing collaborations.

We also host Meaning in Flux, a conference on meaning variation, change, and development. Inspired by the approach we take in the lab, this conference seeks to congregate researchers around the world to discuss the connections across these three perspectives and the implications of those connections for our understanding of the structure of linguistic meaning and its cognitive grounding.