Short Term Course on Language, Cognition and Communication 2nd December - 8th December, 2009

Short Term Course on Language, Cognition and Communication
2nd December - 8th December, 2009

Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur - 721302
(West Bengal)

Introduction

Human language is different from animal communication by virtue of its being intentionally communicative. This indicates that it is not a bundle of unintentionally informative signals, but it also communicates the speakers attitudes and intentions. In order to participate in communicative activities successfully, therefore, it becomes imperative that one acquires not only the knowledge of the internal organization of this cognitive activity called language, but also the knowledge of the use of language in appropriate contexts, more importantly in discourse. In a successful discourse, the interlocutors share a number of norms, conventions and socio-cultural values, and they also know how they can be taken care of in their language and behavior. An insight into the organization of linguistic structures and their cognitive implications will enable one to understand the subtleties of language and also their applications to communication.

The course is intended to bring out the details of the organization of language, their cognitive implications, and show how linguistic knowledge can be put to actual use, or how the knowledge of linguistics is helpful in communication.

Areas to be Covered

* The characteristics of language
* Language as a cognitive behavior
* The organization of language: the sound-meaning relationship
* The structure of language
* The difference between conceptual meaning and contextual meaning
* Invisible meaning or the communicative intentions of speakers
* Interpreting contexts: deixis, reference, inference, anaphora, presupposition
* Interpreting discourse: Cohesion, speech events
* Cognitive categories in language: Their expression and function in communication

Registration Fees

# Teachers sponsored by AICTE approved colleges/universities :Nil However, a DD of Rs. 400.00 should be enclosed with the application which will be refunded to the candidate who will be attending the course.
# Teachers NOT sponsored by AICTE approved Colleges : Rs. 5000
# Personnel from industry - Rs 6500
# Research scholars/PG students - Rs 3000

Course fees are to be paid strictly by bank draft in favor of ‘CEP-STC, IIT Kharagpur’ payable at Kharagpur.

Food and Accomodation

Participants will be provided food (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and accommodation in Guest House of the Institute. Details of accommodation will be sent to the participants after we have received the completed registration form.

TA

The selected teachers from AICTE approved Colleges/Universities will be paid TA (limited to a maximum of AC-III tier by the shortest route).

Important Dates

Last date for registration : November 15th, 2009
[Complete application should be received by the coordinator by this date]
Course Duration : 2nd December - 8th December, 2009

Course Material :

Necessary course materials will be provided to the participants during the course.

Certificate :

The participants will be provided certificates on successful completion of the programme.

Who can Apply :

Teachers of AICTE approved Colleges/ Universities, research scholars/PG students, personnel from industry

How to Apply :

Download the registration form. Filled in registration form should reach the course coordinator on or before November 15th, 2009. The original copy of the filled in registration form may be sent by post.

Mailing Address

Prof. Jayshree Chakraborty
Coordinator, Short Term Course on Language,Cognition and Communication,
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology
Kharagpur - 721302
(West Bengal) Phone: +91-3222-281810 / 283513
Email: shree@hss.iitkgp.ernet.in

Location

Situated 116Km away from Kolkata, IIT Kharagpur boasts of being the oldest and the largest IIT. Its green, tranquil campus provides a refreshing contrast to the polluted city life. Kharagpur is an important junction in the South-Eastern Railways, and is connected to all major cities in India. Local and express trains connect it to Howrah Station. The IIT is about 5km from Kharagpur railway station, and is accessible by rickshaws, autos, and taxis from the station. The beach town of Digha on the Bay of Bengal is 120 Km from Kharagpur.

Download Registration Form