Centrum Badań Kognitywnych nad Językiem i Komunikacją UWr

Dear Colleagues,
The Centre for Cognitive Research in Language and Communication at the University of Wrocław warmly invites you to our final guest lecture before the summer break.
Speaker: Prof. Adam Głaz (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin)
Title: Fused Voices in Text
Thursday, 18 June 2026, 18:00 CET, Microsoft Teams (link below)
Abstract
This lecture explores the notion of voice in written discourse and argues that voice is best understood as a cognitive construct — “the one who speaks” — rather than being automatically identified with the actual speaker. The presentation examines how voices may shift, interact, and combine in discourse.
Different configurations of voice are discussed, including:
polyphonic voices, where distinct voices remain identifiable yet harmonised;
blended voices, where voices coalesce while retaining traces of their separate identities;
fused voices, where individual voices become indistinguishable and merge into a collective voice.
The lecture further proposes a model of voice fusion in terms of analytic and holistic (synthetic) cognitive styles, offering a new perspective on the relationship between discourse structure and cognitive processing.
Bio
Prof. Adam Głaz is Associate Professor at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin, Poland. His research interests include cognitive-cultural linguistics, linguistic worldview, and translation studies. He has edited or co-edited numerous scholarly volumes, including Languages–Cultures–Worldviews: Focus on Translation (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019). He is the author of three monographs, most recently Linguistic Worldview(s): Approaches and Applications (Routledge, 2022), as well as several dozen research articles. He has also translated numerous books and scholarly works in linguistics and the humanities into both Polish and English.

We warmly invite you to join us!
With best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

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Subject: BMC meeting - May 20, from 5 p.m. (CET)
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to kindly forward an invitation from our colleagues at the Budapest Metaphor Circle (BMC) to their upcoming online lecture (see details below).
Best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

You are cordially invited to our next online BMC lecture on May 20, from 5 p.m. (CET).
The program is as follows:
Anna Rommel:
When Anger Becomes an Animal: Conceptualization of Anger in Dementia
You can join the Zoom meeting using the following details:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83415949708?pwd=LVw42b7e35gTk2xbppm3YDzcc5NDJm.1
Meeting chat link
https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/83415949708

Abstract
Anger, agitation, and aggressive behaviour are common symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease
and dementia (e.g. Cohen-Mansfield, 2001; Kales et al., 2015). This makes it important to
look at how patients express this emotion in language. This talk focuses on ANGER metaphors
in the discourse of Russian-speaking individuals with dementia and compares them with
patterns described in previous lexical and corpus-based research on Russian (e.g. Kövecses
et al., 2025).
Previous research consistently shows that ANGER is a highly metaphorized emotion.
However, the present data reveals a different pattern. ANGER, along with other negative
emotions, appears less frequently metaphorically expressed, and in some cases is less
explicitly discussed. Many patients state that they do not experience anger, and some show
difficulty recognizing anger even in visual tasks. The data shows that some familiar
metaphorical patterns remain, but there is a clear shift toward more accessible and less
complex ways of conceptualizing anger. ANGER AS A DANGEROUS ANIMAL emerges as a dominant
pattern, with expressions that reflect observable actions such as tearing, holding back, and
attacking.
The talk argues that ANGER conceptualization in dementia becomes reorganized, with a
greater reliance on action-based schemas alongside minimally structured representations.
When the ability to express emotions metaphorically declines, patients rely more on
observable behaviour or simplified descriptions. This reduced capacity for metaphorical
communication may, alongside biological changes, help explain the increased presence of
aggression in dementia.
References:
Cohen-Mansfield, J. (2001). Nonpharmacologic interventions for inappropriate behaviors in
dementia: A review, summary, and critique. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 9(4),
361–381. https://doi.org/10.1097/00019442-200111000-00005
Kales, H. C., Gitlin, L. N., & Lyketsos, C. G. (2015). Assessment and management of
behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. BMJ, 350, h369.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h369
Rommel, A. (2025). Anger in Russian: “To tease the geese.” In Z. Kövecses, R. Benczes, &
V. Szelid (Eds.), Metaphors of anger across languages: Universality and variation. De
Gruyter Mouton.

Bio:
Anna Rommel is a PhD candidate and assistant professor at the Department of American
Studies at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. Her research focuses on
cognitive linguistics, with particular emphasis on metaphor and metonymy, as well as
medical linguistics. She is especially interested in language use in Alzheimer’s disease and
dementia, and her work explores how individuals conceptualize and express emotions under
conditions of cognitive decline.
Meeting ID: 834 1594 9708
Passcode: 1
Kind regards,
Zoltán, Réka, Lilla, and Veronika

Assessment and management of behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia include agitation, depression, apathy, repetitive questioning, psychosis, aggression, sleep problems, wandering, and a variety of inappropriate behaviors. One or more of these symptoms will affect nearly all people with dementia over the course of th...

Dear Colleagues,
The Centre for Cognitive Research in Language and Communication at the University of Wrocław warmly invites you to our next guest lecture.
Speaker: Dr Lilla Petronella Szabó (Corvinus University of Budapest)
Title: Stuck in the Middle with You? A Cognitive Linguistic Account of Pronouns in Political Communication
Thursday, 21 May 2026
18:00 CET
Microsoft Teams (link below)
Abstract
Personalization has increasingly shaped political communication, wherein politicians are depicted as individualized and emotionally relatable figures. Simultaneously, political discourse often constructs various collective identities, alliances, and divisions. This presentation examines the role of personal pronouns at the intersection of these two trends from a cognitive linguistic perspective.
The lecture will analyse how person-marking influences the discourse surrounding political figures and intergroup dynamics. By focusing on first- and third-person references, the presentation explores how pronouns such as I, we, and they contribute to the formation of political viewpoints and the delineation of group affiliations.
Drawing on examples from contemporary political discourse, the talk discusses how patterns of person-marking affect the negotiation of political alignment and opposition. Particular emphasis will be placed on recent political communication in Hungary, including Viktor Orbán’s rhetoric during the Russo–Ukrainian war and the emerging style of newly appointed Prime Minister Péter Magyar. By analysing pronouns as tools for perspective and group construction, the lecture seeks to contribute to broader discussions on personalization and the cognitive linguistic organization of political discourse.
Bio
Dr Lilla Petronella Szabó is a cognitive linguist specializing in cognitive semantics and public discourse, with a particular emphasis on figurative language and political communication. She holds a PhD in Media and Communication Sciences and is a faculty member at Corvinus University of Budapest.
Her research explores the influence of linguistic choices on political and social meaning, particularly metaphor and metonymy. Her work has appeared in leading international journals, including Metaphor and Symbol, Text & Talk, and the Journal of Language and Politics. Her monograph, The Person in Politics: Pronouns and Political Personalization in U.S. Presidential Campaigns, was published by John Benjamins in 2025.
Teams link:

Talk by Lilla Petronella Szabó (Corvinus Univeristy of Budapest) | Dołączanie do spotkania | Microsoft Teams
https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/341048990115567?p=Cwuc2pxTKplRkN0iHp

With best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

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Dear Colleagues,
The Centre for Cognitive Research in Language and Communication at the University of Wrocław warmly invites you to our next guest lecture.
Speaker: Prof. Teresa Tomaszkiewicz (Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań)
Title: Tłumaczenie intersemiotyczne kiedyś i dzisiaj (Intersemiotic Translation: Then and Now)
Date: Thursday, 23 April 2026
Time: 18:00 CET
Venue: Microsoft Teams
Please note: The lecture will be delivered in Polish.
However, given our international audience, I would like to briefly outline the topic of the talk below.
Topic overview
The lecture will address the concept of intersemiotic translation, originally introduced by Roman Jakobson (1957), and its evolving interpretations in contemporary linguistics and translation studies. Particular attention will be paid to the growing importance of non-verbal elements in communication and their role in translation processes.
The talk will explore the historical development of the concept, challenges in its definition, and the emerging importance of the notion of “image” — largely absent in Jakobson’s original formulation but central to current discussions. It will also examine relationships between verbal and visual elements in multimodal texts and their impact on meaning construction, as well as the translation of visual objects into verbal forms. A key question addressed will be whether all such cases can still be considered instances of Jakobsonian intersemiotic translation.
Further details, including the full abstract (in Polish), are attached.
You are very warmly invited to join us for this lecture.
With best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

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Subject: BMC lecture on April 15, from 5 p.m, (CET).
Dear All,
I would like to kindly forward an invitation from our colleagues at the Budapest Metaphor Circle (BMC) to their upcoming lecture.
With best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

Dear Colleagues,
You are cordially invited to our next BMC lecture on April 15, from 5 p.m, (CET).
The program is as follows:
Šárka Havlíčková Kysová, Wei-lun Lu, and Svitlana Shurma: Signs of life in art forms: A multimodal perspective
Please find the abstract of the presentation in the attachment, and a short biography of the authors below this message.
You can join the Zoom meeting using the following details:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83438147992?pwd=rQNxGrieBPbR5VJANYCaGXN7ZhMWB7.1
Meeting ID: 834 3814 7992
Passcode: 1
Wishing you a happy Easter and a pleasant spring break. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at our next BMC meeting.
With kind regards,
Zoltán, Réka, Lilla, and Veronika

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Dear Colleagues,
The Centre for Cognitive Research in Language and Communication warmly invites you to a guest lecture by Dr Marta Dobrowolska-Pigoń (University of Wrocław).
Title: Metafory pojęciowe żalu i ich tekstowe realizacje. W poszukiwaniu konceptualizacji uczucia specyficznego kulturowo
Date: Thursday, 26 March 2026
Time: 18:00 CET
Venue: Microsoft Teams (link below)
The lecture will be delivered in Polish.
However, for the benefit of our international audience, a short overview is provided below.
Overview
This talk explores the conceptual metaphors of żal (a culturally specific Polish emotion with no direct equivalent in non-Slavic languages) and their textual realisations. Rather than corresponding to a single emotional scenario, żal encompasses multiple experiential scripts associated with sadness, anger, shame, and compassion. The presentation examines how this complex emotional construct is metaphorically and metonymically structured in Polish, drawing on both scenario-based approaches to emotion (Wierzbicka) and Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Kövecses).
The analysis is based on data from the National Corpus of Polish and Polish phraseological dictionaries. It identifies both general metaphors (e.g. CONTAINER, FORCE schemas) and more specific domains such as fluid, natural force, physical force, opponent in combat, sharp object, and organism. The talk aims to show how metaphor functions as a key tool in structuring and expressing culturally embedded emotional experience.
About the speaker
Dr Marta Dobrowolska-Pigoń is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Polish Philology, University of Wrocław. Her research focuses on lexical semantics, cognitive and cultural linguistics, and the language of emotions. She is the author of Struktura pojęciowa czasowników strachu (2020) and has contributed to research on lexical-semantic networks, including the development of the Polish WordNet (Słowosieć).
Teams link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/32536353871520?p=RZ83mtQZ7aQrQhiBLJ
With best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

Join meeting on Teams

Dear Colleagues,
I would like to kindly forward an invitation from our colleagues at the Budapest Metaphor Circle (BMC), who are organising their next lecture in the BMC series.
The lecture will take place on 19 March (Thursday) at 17:00 CET.
Speaker: Monika Pleyer (Heidelberg University)
Title: Warriors and Travellers: Metaphorical Construals of the Self, Dementia, and Caregiving in a Virtual Health Community
In this talk, Monika Pleyer examines conceptual metaphors in virtual dementia discourses. Drawing on data from an online forum hosted by a British NGO, the study explores how people living with dementia and their care partners metaphorically construe dementia, the self, and caregiving in a digital health community.
About the speaker
Monika Pleyer is a postdoctoral researcher at the English Department of Heidelberg University. Their research focuses on conceptual metaphors in online discourses of illness and health, particularly dementia discourse and the metaphorical construals used by people living with dementia and their care partners.
Zoom details
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87373204315?pwd=lJaqYFOxRQRRNQ7W5iaw2fPJBWt7aM.1
Meeting ID: 873 7320 4315
Passcode: 1

With best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

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Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of our partners at the Budapest Metaphor Circle (BMC), I am pleased to invite you to the next lecture in their ongoing series.
Date: Wednesday, 18 February 2026, 17:00 CET,
Platform: Zoom
Speakers:
Alexandra Nagy-Béni & Réka Benczes (Corvinus University of Budapest)
Title:
The (In)visibility Paradox: Gendered metonymies in the visual representation of older women in Hungarian online media
This lecture explores how ageing and gender intersect in contemporary media representations, drawing on visual discourse analysis and conceptual metonymy theory. The speakers demonstrate how visual metonymies shape public perceptions of older women, often reinforcing passive or marginalised roles despite increased numerical visibility. Their findings raise important questions about visibility, agency, and the cultural framing of ageing in European societies.
Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86106162377?pwd=ZlOWbamB6L1ah7A0IOTnbQnVuA42Lm.1
Meeting ID: 861 0616 2377
Passcode: 1
ABSTRACT
The (In)visibility Paradox: Gendered metonymies in the visual representation of older women in Hungarian online media
Across Europe, ageing populations are reshaping demographic structures and public debates, yet media portrayals of older adults remain narrow and stereotypical. Research shows that ageism is compounded by sexism, with older women particularly subject to reductive and marginalising depictions. This study examines how these dynamics unfold in the Hungarian context, a country with one of the fastest-ageing populations in the EU and persistent gender inequalities. Drawing on visual discourse analysis and conceptual metonymy theory, we analysed featured images (N = 238) from three leading Hungarian online news outlets. The results reveal what we term the (In)visibility Paradox: although older women are numerically more visible than men, they are more likely to appear in passive, caregiving, or economically vulnerable representations, while men are depicted in roles of autonomy, resilience, and competence. Conventionalised visual metonymies --- such as the “golden grandmother” or the “resilient worker” --- function as representational “shortcuts” that flatten diverse ageing experiences into familiar, gendered tropes. These results highlight how visibility does not equate to empowerment, calling for more inclusive visual narratives that challenge gendered ageism and broaden the cultural imagination of ageing.

Alexandra Nagy-Béni received her PhD in Communication Science from Corvinus University of Budapest in 2024, under the supervision of Réka Benczes. She is currently Assistant Professor at the Department of Communication and Media Science at Corvinus University. Her main research area is the visual representation of violence in online news, primarily from the perspective of visual metonymic framing. In a broader sense, she deals with media representations, visual communication and the use of cognitive linguistic tools in media research.

Réka Benczes received her PhD in English Linguistics from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, in 2005. She is tenured Professor of Linguistics at Corvinus University of Budapest and Affiliate Research Fellow at Monash University, Melbourne. She is currently serving as Fulbright Visiting Professor at Indiana University, Bloomington. Her main research interests include cognitive semantics, lexical creativity, and applied metaphor research, on which topics she publishes regularly in top-tier journals. She has authored and co-edited eight volumes; the latest of which, "Metaphors of Anger Across Languages: Universality and Variation", was published by De Gruyter in 2025.

With best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

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The Centre for Cognitive Research in Language and Communication University of Wrocław cordially invites you to an online lecture by Prof. John E. Joseph (University of Edinburgh)
Title: When Does Linguistic Non-Normativity Become Pathological?
Date: Thursday, 29 January 2026
Time: 18:00 CET
Online via Microsoft Teams (link below)

Best regards,
Marek Kuźniak

Abstract
In this talk, Prof. Joseph explores the shifting boundaries between linguistic non-normativity and pathology, challenging assumptions commonly held within both academic and public discourse. Drawing on examples from the emerging field of schizolinguistics, he examines how medical and psychiatric frameworks have historically interpreted non-normative language behaviours — from echolalia and coprolalia to the diagnostic language of schizophrenia, dementia, autism spectrum conditions and Tourette syndrome.
The lecture questions how mental conditions — often perceived as clinical facts — are in reality subject to debate, contradiction, and cultural framing even within the medical sciences themselves. Through historical and contemporary case studies, Prof. Joseph brings to light troubling practices that have pathologised individuals whose language use deviates from norms, yet poses no harm — and reflects on the ethical and epistemological stakes of such classifications.

Speaker Bio
John E. Joseph is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. His research explores the intersections of language, identity, normativity, and the conceptual history of linguistics. He is the author of numerous influential publications, including Language and Identity: National, Ethnic, Religious (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004), Saussure (Oxford University Press, 2012), and Language, Mind and Body: A Conceptual History (Cambridge University Press, 2018). He recently edited The Bloomsbury Handbook of Saussure (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025).

Lecture by Prof. John E. Joseph | Dołączanie do spotkania

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The Budapest Metaphor Circle & The Centre for Cognitive Research in Language and Communication cordially invite you to a joint lecture by Prof. Zoltán Kövecses (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest;
Title: The Issue of Metaphorical Universality
Date: 10 December 2025
Time: 17:30 CET
Online via Microsoft Teams
Talk by Prof. Zoltán Kövecses |
In this lecture, Prof. Zoltán Kövecses explores whether conceptual metaphors can be considered universal. Drawing on a recent large-scale cross-linguistic study of anger metaphors in 25 languages, he argues that full universality is unlikely. Instead, metaphor appears shaped by local experiential and cultural realities. Prof. Kövecses is Professor Emeritus at Eötvös Loránd University and a world-renowned figure in metaphor theory, with landmark publications on metaphor, culture, and emotion.
We would be delighted to have you with us for what promises to be an engaging and inspiring session!

On behalf of the organisers:
Veronika Szelid (BMC)
Marek Kuźniak (CCRLC)

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