Dear Center for Language Science and Bilingualism Matters friends and colleagues,
This issue of our Center for Language Science (CLS) and Bilingualism Matters at Penn State Newsletter explores the topic of network science. You are most likely familiar with the concept of networks—your own social networks, family networks, school and career networks form an integral part of your daily lives and shape how you navigate the world each day. But you may not have thought about how networks can also exist in your mind, and beyond that, how these mental networks may influence how you think, and possibly even how you use and understand language. In this issue we delve into some of the ways that language scientists have used the concept of networks to understand how we learn, use, and comprehend language. We hope you will find it to be an interesting and accessible window into this exciting and up-and-coming area of language science. You may even find some connections to your own experience with language, or things you’ve observed or wondered about in your own life. If so, please share them with us! As always, we welcome your questions, comments, ideas, and feedback, and we thank you for your continued interest in the wonderful and expansive world of language science.
Sincerely,
Frances Blanchette, Catherine Pham (editor-in-chief),
Allison Link, Hannah Merseal and Jie Yan