Centre for Cognitive Semiotics (CCS) created at Lund University, Lund, Sweden

The Centre for Cognitive Semiotics (CCS), amalgamates the theoretical and empirical heritage of Semiotics, Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Philosophy, and Anthropology, in order to be able to address the following key questions:

* What distinguishes human beings from other species, and how did this specificity evolve?
* What aspects of the human mind are universal, which are culturally specific, and what historical processes determine the latter?
* What is the relationship between key human semiotic resources such as language, gestures, pictures and music?
* How do semiotic resources develop in childhood?
* What are the neural underpinnings of key cognitive-semiotic capacities?

Research within CCS is divided into 5 themes:

1. Evolution of cognition and semiosis (“meaning-making”)
2. Ontogenetic development of cognition and semiosis
3. Historical development of cognition and semiosis
4. Typology beyond language
5. Neurosemiotics

Theoretical studies and systematic collection of empirical data serve to connect the themes. Unlike cognitive science, Cognitive Semiotics deals with experiential categories, e.g. meaning, norm, value, (self)-consciousness, agency, and identity. Unlike classical semiotics, it does not shy away from third-person methods, e.g. those of experimental psychology and neurolinguistics. In addition to existing infrastructure, CCS will further develop the Primate Field Station at Furuvik, and an Infant research unit.

* A general description of CCS (PDF 427 kB)