Special Language: From Humans Thinking to Thinking Machines

The relation between advanced thinking and its expression must, even as such, be of special interest to linguists quite apart from the question of practical applications. As the most advanced human thinking is expressed by special language there are exciting possibilities for research in which philosophical, semantic, semiotic, text-linguistic, pragmatic and other approaches are utilised. It is, however, astonishing how absolute the borders between different research traditions have been, and how the borders persist. Nevertheless internationalism should be recognised as equally necessary for successful work in LSP research as elsewhere. Every opportunity of bringing together and combining these traditions should be seized. The present volume is an attempt to intensify the contacts between different research traditions. The papers included represent the latest state of LSP research. A companion volume entitled 'From Office to School: Special Language and Internationalisation', edited by Christer Lauren and Marianne Nordman, has also been published by Multilingual Matters (ISBN 1-85359-037-1 pbk, 1-85359-038-X hbk).