HISPhonCog 2026 (Seoul)
Hanyang International Symposium on Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language 2026 (22-23 May, 2026)

Welcoming Remarks from the President of Hanyang University

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, and the next generation of scholars,

On behalf of Hanyang University, it is a profound honor to welcome you to HISPhonCog 2026. Standing here as both the President of this institution and as a fellow academic who shares your passion for the complexities of language, I find it truly inspiring to see such a global assembly of minds dedicated to the study of phonetics and cognitive sciences.

This year, our focus centers on the dynamic journey of speech across the lifespan—a theme that perfectly mirrors the spirit of Hanyang itself: a bridge between foundational tradition and forward-looking innovation. We are here to explore how the human capacity for language evolves, adapts, and persists, moving beyond static models to understand the living, breathing reality of communication.

The Hanyang Institute for Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language (HIPCS) has worked tirelessly to create a forum where laboratory rigor meets cognitive insight. Our goal for these two days is to foster an environment where a single observation in an EMA booth or a trend in eye-tracking data can spark a conversation that reshapes our collective understanding of speech production and perception.

Beyond the lecture halls and poster sessions, I invite you to experience the energy of Seoul—a city that, much like our field of study, is constantly reinventing its own "gestural dynamics" between the ancient and the ultra-modern.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the organizing committee, our international keynote speakers, and every participant who has traveled across borders to be with us. Your presence confirms that the study of language is not merely an academic pursuit, but a vital, collaborative effort to understand what makes us human.

May these two days be filled with rigorous debate, unexpected discoveries, and the strengthening of professional bonds that will carry our field into the future.

Welcome to Hanyang. Welcome to HISPhonCog 2026.

Best wishes,
Ki-Jeong Lee

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Greetings from the HISPhonCog 2026 Organizing Chair

I am pleased to share that the Hanyang International Symposium on Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language 2026 (HISPhonCog 2026) will take place at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea, on May 22–23, 2026. The symposium will be hosted by the Hanyang Institute for Phonetics and Cognitive Sciences of Language (HIPCS).

HISPhonCog 2026 marks the fifth symposium since its launch in 2018. Although there was an interval in recent years due to COVID-19 and our hosting of LabPhon 19, we are pleased to resume the series and, from this year onward, will do our best to continue HISPhonCog as an annual event.

The theme of HISPhonCog 2026 is “Speech Across the Lifespan: From Early Acquisition to Skilled Interaction.” This theme highlights speech as a developing and adaptive system, shaped not only during early acquisition but also through continued experience, interaction, second-language use, aging, and neurocognitive change. By bringing together research on phonetics, phonology, cognition, development, and social interaction, the symposium aims to foster dialogue on how speech is learned, used, adjusted, and maintained across different stages of life and communicative contexts.

We are also pleased to announce that HIPCS will provide three nights of free accommodation in Seoul for all first-author student presenters. We hope this support will encourage broad student participation and help create an inclusive and lively academic environment.

Held in the heart of Seoul, HISPhonCog 2026 will offer participants an opportunity to exchange ideas in a city that combines deep cultural history with a dynamic contemporary atmosphere. Hanyang University, with its strong commitment to research and interdisciplinary scholarship, provides an ideal setting for this meeting.

The HIPCS team will do its best to make the symposium intellectually stimulating, welcoming, and memorable for all participants.

We warmly invite you to join us in Seoul for HISPhonCog 2026, and I truly look forward to welcoming many colleagues and students from around the world to the symposium.

Warm regards,
Taehong Cho