Thinking for Speaking Yourself? - Interview with PD Dr. Johannes Gerwien (Heidelberg University)

PD Dr. Johannes Gerwien (Heidelberg University) in conversation with Sinan Barış Yaşar (HGGS)

- What are the functions of “inner speech” within the framework of cognitive science? - What role does the linguistic relativism theory play in inner speech and the thinking process? - Is language-free cognition even possible?

In this episode, PD Dr. Johannes Gerwien discusses the intricate relationship between language, thought, and cognition. He explores various aspects of language production, including inner speech, self-monitoring, executive control, and the nature of language encoding. The conversation delves into linguistic relativity theory, the impact of language acquisition on cognitive processes, and the challenges of studying inner speech. PD Dr. Gerwien also highlights the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in cognitive science and the potential for overcoming language barriers through shared experiences and understanding the nature of these barriers.

Timeline (00:00) Intro (00:24) Introducing PD Dr. Johannes Gerwien (04:45) Understanding Language Production (09:02) Self-Monitoring and Executive Control in Language Production (12:24) Incremental Language Encoding (18:23) Linguistic Relativity Theory (23:41) Thinking for Speaking Yourself Hypothesis (25:58) Language Acquisition in Language and Thought (31:28) Difference between Verbal and Nonverbal Tasks (36:11) Methodological Challenges in Inner Speech Research (37:12) Is Language-Free Cognition Possible? (41:33) Generalizability Problem in Linguistic Research (46:18) When We Talk to Ourselves, Who Are We Really Addressing? (50:51) Overcoming Language Barriers (56:11) CAS Cognitive Science Program at Heidelberg University (01:01:24) Outro

Keywords linguistics, language production, inner speech, linguistic relativity, cognitive science, cognition, language and thought, language acquisition, language production, language encoding, psycholinguistics, thinking for speaking, self-monitoring executive control, attention, language barriers