Neurolinguistics in Sweden, NLS2026
Neurolinguistics in Sweden (NLS) is happy to announce its second conference on 11–12 June 2026 at Stockholm University. Neurolinguistics in Sweden is a network of researchers investigating language in the brain. The aim of the network is to promote research within the broad field of neurolinguistics in Sweden and neighbouring countries. Deadline for abstracts was 6 March. Registration deadline for participation was 29 April.
Important dates
- February 2026: Third call for abstracts.
- 6 March 2026 at 11:59 pm (CET): Abstract submission deadline.
- 10 April 2026: Notification of acceptance.
- 29 April 2026: Registration deadline.
- 11–12 June 2026: NLS2026 conference.
Keynote speakers
Professor Giosuè Baggio, Assistant Professor Esti Blanco-Elorrieta, Associate Professor Leonardo Ferdinando. Photo: Elin Iversen NTNU, 2 x Private.
Professor Giosuè Baggio
(Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway)
Giosuè Baggio. Photo: Elin Iversen, NTNU.
Meaning first, structure on demand: Degeneracy and the dual architecture of the linguistic brain
Writing in 1967, Lenneberg described language as “a unique, single ‘machine’ that runs its own course like an automaton.” This view of language as a unitary mechanism has guided decades of research, but newer linguistic, psycholinguistic, and neurolinguistic evidence points in a different direction. Drawing on the biological principle of degeneracy — the capacity of structurally distinct elements to perform the same function — I argue that the human language system is not unitary but dual: two ‘streams’ that differ in their internal representations, modes of operation, and neural substrates, yet process the same inputs and can produce the same or similar outputs. One stream derives meaning autonomously, without recourse to syntactic computation, while the other builds grammatical structure on demand. Both are normally engaged, but the balance between them shifts as a function of internal and external factors. I will present experimental and computational evidence for this model, and show how it reframes classical questions such as: What triggers syntactic structure building? What are the scope and limits of compositionality? And what does this dual architecture reveal about the evolutionary origins and developmental trajectory of language?
Assistant Professor Esti Blanco-Elorrieta
(New York University, NY, USA)
Esti Blanco-Elorrieta. Photo: private.
A unified account of bilingual language processing
Bilingual speakers routinely use two languages to communicate, and how the brain organizes and selects between them remains a central question in neurolinguistics. In this talk, I argue that bilingual language use does not rely on two independent language systems but instead emerges from a single integrated architecture shaped by experience across languages. I begin by examining code-switching, one of the most visible behaviors of bilingual speakers, which reveals how flexibly the language system adapts to communicative context. I then present new behavioral and neuroimaging evidence at the morphological and conceptual levels showing that bilinguals recruit shared grammatical mechanisms across languages and develop convergent conceptual representations shaped by language experience. Together, these findings support a model in which language selection emerges from activation dynamics operating over an integrated representational system.
Associate Professor Leonardo Fernandino
(Medical College of Wisconsin, WI, USA)
Leonardo Fernandino. Photo: Private.
What representational similarity analysis reveals about the neural architecture of lexical semantics
How is word meaning represented in the brain? This talk will discuss a series of functional neuroimaging and behavioral studies by my group on the representational content and neural architecture of lexical semantics. These studies indicate that word meaning is encoded primarily in terms of experiential information, that categorical structure is a secondary, emergent property of the system, and that distributional semantic models based on word co-occurrence statistics only align to empirical data to the extent that they reflect experiential information. Challenging the idea that lexical concepts are stored or integrated in a single hub in the anterior temporal lobe, our neuroimaging results reveal a widely distributed network of cortical hubs that jointly, but differentially, contribute to the representation of distinct conceptual categories.
Location, attendance and accomodation
The 2026 conference will take place at Stockholm University, Campus Albano in Stockholm, Sweden. There will be no attendance fee.
Conference room "Pärlan", House 1, floor 6
To the right of the outdoor stairs is the entrance to House 1, floor 2. The smaller section at the top of the building is floor 6, where the conference takes place. The outdoor stairs lead up to floor 4 on road Albanovägen. Photo: Pia Nordin.
- The conference reception will be located in House 1, floor 2, close to the elevator up to the conference room on floor 6.
- You will be E-mailed / given an access code to be able to enter floor 6 from the elevator or the indoor staircase.
- The code will also give you access to the entrance door on floor 4 from road Albanovägen 26, where there are parking spaces, also for the disabled.
- The code will give you access 15 minutes prior to and after the conference hours.
Find your way from bus stop "Albano"
The conference room Pärlan is located in House 1, floor 6. See heading Maps of Albano, below.
Public transports
You will find more detailed information under heading Public transports, below.
- Bus from "Östra station" or "Odenplan": bus stop "Albano", right by Campus Albano.
- Bus bound for "Östra station" or "Odenplan": bus stop "Albano". Cross the highway Roslagsvägen at the pedestrian crossing.
To go indoors to House 1
The walkway leading to campus Albano from the bus stop. Photo: Pia Nordin.
- From the bus stop "Albano" right by campus, take the walkway to the left (picture above), cross the walking bridge facing a square with outdoor stairs located between House 4 (left) and House 2 (right).
- Enter House 2, floor 2 by using the entrance just to the right of the outdoor stairs (door carousel and accessible door).
Address: Albanovägen 10 (but cars can not drive there). - Inside House 2, turn right and go straight, passing by the orange seating areas (to the right) and stairs (to the left), through the glass doors entering House 1.
- Shortly you will find the conference reception, close to an elevator to the left, leading up to floor 6 and the conference room Pärlan. You will need an access code to enter floor 6 (which will be E-mailed or given to you), available 15 minutes prior to and after the conference hours.
The corridor with the elevator (further left) in House 1, floor 2, where the conference reception will be located.
To go outdoors to House 1
The walkway to the right along the fasade of House 2, leads to House 1. Photo: Pia Nordin.
- From the bus stop "Albano" right by campus, take the walkway to the left (top picture above), cross the walking bridge facing a square with outdoor stairs located between House 4 (left) and House 2 (right).
- Take a right turn before House 2 and follow the building to House 1 (see picture above), and cross the square. (Or from the bus stop, you can go by the highway Roslagsvägen all the way to House 1 and cross a small walking bridge and take a small flight of stairs, leading to the square.)
- Enter House 1, floor 2 by using the entrance just to the right of the outdoor stairs (door carousel and accessible door).
Address: Albanovägen 32 (but cars can not drive there). - Follow the corridor to its end (T-crossing) and turn right.
- There you will find the conference reception, close to an elevator leading up to floor 6 and the conference room Pärlan. You will need an access code to enter floor 6 (which will be E-mailed or given to you), available 15 minutes prior to and after the conference hours.
Find your way walking, wheeling or biking
If you are walking, wheeling or biking from the city, Campus Albano is located on the right side of highway Roslagsvägen.
- There are walking lanes and bike lines on both sides of Roslagsvägen to and from the city to Campus Albano (and further on to Campus Frescati).
- Coming from the city, lake Brunnsviken is located on the left side of Roslagsvägen, with a beautiful scenery. For Campus Albano, keep following Roslagsvägen, pass by the lake and the bus stop, and cross Roslagsvägen at the pedestrian crossing.
- Please note that if you are coming from the city, the nearest pedestrian crossing across Roslagsvägen before the pedestrian crossing at Albano, is located after the circulation area Roslagstull ca 700 meters / 10 minutes walk away, so plan your route if you want to walk by Brunnsviken.
Lake Brunnsviken (May 2022). Photo: Pia Nordin.
Accessibility
There are accessibility entrance doors to House 1 on floor 2 and 4, with an elevator leading up to floor 6 and the conference room Pärlan. The conference reception is located on floor 2.
Coming from highway Roslagsvägen
- There are accessibility entrances on ground floor 2, just to the right of the outdoor stairs between House 4 and 2, as well as to the right of the outdoor stairs between House 2 and 1.
- The elevator up to conference room Pärlan on floor 6, is located in House 1. It is available from floor 2, but not from the parking garage. From the garage (only available for SU staff), take the elevator to House 2, floor 2, and follow the instructions above, see heading Find your way from bus stop "Albano" > To go indoors to House 1.
Coming from road Albanovägen 26
The accessibiltity entrance, House 1, floor 4, road Albanovägen 26.
Road Albanovägen is located by floor 4, House 1 (and 2, 4 etc.).
- Parking spaces for the disabled are available on Albanovägen, see heading Parking above.
- There is an accessibility entrance to floor 4 on Albanovägen 26, and inside there is the elevator directly to the right as you enter, which goes up to conference room Pärlan on floor 6, and down to floor 2 where the conference reception is located.
- You will need an access code to the entrance door from Albanovägen 26 and to enter floor 6 from the elevator. The code will be E-mailed to you before (or given to you at) the conference, and gives access 15 minutes prior to and after the conference hours.
- The elevator to floor 6 is not accessible from the parking garage. From the garage, take the elevator to House 2, floor 2, and follow the instructions above, see heading Find your way from bus stop "Albano" > To go indoors to House 1.
Maps of Campus Albano
Campus Albano (Google Maps pin)
Interactive map of Campus Albano
Choose: University facilities > House 1
Campus Albano. The conference takes place in House 1 (Hus 1) to the left on the map (to the right when you come from the bus stops).
Last updated: 2026-06-17
Source: Centre for Research on Bilingualism