PROF. VYVYAN EVANS
Language & Communication Expert
I am an expert in language, communication, and mind. I conduct research into the prodigious capacity of our species, Homo sapiens, to mean during the course of communication. I have published around 14 books on aspects of language, meaning, mind, imagination, and their evolution; I discuss these topics regularly in the popular written and broadcast media. I am available to provide expert feedback and advice; feel free to get in touch.
My exploration of common questions and issues about language can be found in my Psychology Today blog: "Language in the mind", and in my popular science writing:
NEWS
Oh the irony! What irony is, why it matters, and how it's used in communication—not least to establish empathy. Psychology Today
10 February 2020
How to learn a new language and why it matters. Psychology Today.
19 February 2020
Vyvyan Evans on TV3 Catalonia, "La cara oculta de l'emoticona”
9 February 2020
RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS:
(see more books here)
THE EMOJI CODE:
UK edition -- published May 2017
US edition -- published Aug 2017
Buy from: amazon.co.uk
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Is Emoji the new universal 'language'? -- Excerpt from chapter 1 of 'The Emoji Code'
The power of emoji, Japan's most transformative design -- Excerpt from 'The Emoji Code' in CNN Style
Emoji is the body language of the digital age -- Excerpt from 'The Emoji Code' in Nautilus magazine
Emoji is the new universal 'language'. LinkedIn Weekend Essay
Emojis actually make our language better -- article in New York Post
Say it with feeling -- Review of 'The Emoji Code' in New Scientist
Q&A podcast, discussing my book "The Emoji Code" with Science magazine, can be heard here.
COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS:
Published July 2019 by Edinburgh University Press, and distributed by Oxford University Press in North America.
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Cognitive Linguistics: A Complete Guide is a comprehensive and authoritative overview—a complete guide—to the cognitive linguistics enterprise. The book serves as an essential work of reference for practising cognitive linguists, and others, including researchers from neighbouring disciplines, as well as students and educated lay readers, wishing to discover the way in which language and mind work, and what cognitive linguistics can tell us about what it means to be human.
Endorsements
"One of the best introductions to the intersection of language and the mind ever written...a masterpiece and a delight."
PROFESSOR DANIEL L. EVERETT, BENTLEY UNIVERSITY
"A “must-read”...comprehensive, in-depth...Its breadth and depth of coverage are unparalleled."
JEANNETTE LITTLEMORE, PROFESSOR OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
My Oxford Bibliography of Cognitive Linguistics can be found here.