Linguistics has a strong tradition of multidisciplinary research. In its aim to reconstruct earlier stages of language, comparative linguistics, for example, brings together linguistic, archaeological, anthropological, mythological, cultural, geographical, and historical data and expertise. These days linguistics finds itself increasingly involved in multidisciplinary research in conjunction with (bio-)sciences such as genetics, brain sciences, mathematics, biology, etc. This research integrates disparate academic fields each with their own approaches, methods, and assumptions. Moreover, linguistics is not a discipline that is readily accessible to non-linguists. This combination of factors may affect the position of linguistics in multidisciplinary research and eventually in academia at large.
To assess this issue, I would therefore be interested to hear from scholars in the field – both linguists and non-linguists – about their experience(s) in multidisciplinary research involving linguistics/language. So: please send me an e-mail with information about your experiences and/or insights at brigitte.bauer@mpi.nl. All communication will be confidential.
THANK YOU, Brigitte L. M. Bauer, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen
