The connections between meanings and the pronunciations through which they are linguistically conveyed vary systematically within a speech community and change systematically over time.  Many synchronic and diachronic patterns that instantiate such dynamics have been well described, yet the cognitive and communicative forces that support them—including their discourse-based, linguistic, conceptual, and cognitive components—remain poorly understood.  The focus of this conference is to bring together researchers working on one or more of these facets with the aim of connecting development, variation, and change.

Design by Justin Moore ’15. His update to the mark for the conference, which continues to draw inspiration from the black-and-white illustrations of Italian constructivist Franco Grignani, reflects the ever-fluctuating nature of language and semantic change.

Meaning in Flux 2019

Meaning in Flux 2017