Sign in

Neil Cohn

@neilcohn.bsky.social
7.1K followers 2.9K following 3.7K posts

Comics and emoji creating cognitive (neuro)scientist at Tilburg University studying language, brains, comics, emoji & multimodality (he/him). 😮‍💨🫠🫥🥹🫨 🫯 www.visuallanguagelab.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 23h
Want to help science about how we understand comics? My graduate student is running an online study now in need of participants! It takes about 10 minutes and runs in a computer browser. Please participate and share! jatos.mindprobe.eu/publix/P4a3Q...
jatos.mindprobe.eu
OSWeb
168
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Interested in comics, language, cognition, or visual communication? You can still get 30% off all my books at the sale by @bloomsburyling.bsky.social through the weekend, including my latest graphic novel Speaking in Pictures www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
Endorsement quotes for Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
0137
Reposted by Neil Cohn
JsonGeller @jgeller1phd.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is a very fun read!
111
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Interested in comics, language, cognition, or visual communication? You can still get 30% off all my books at the sale by @bloomsburyling.bsky.social through the weekend, including my latest graphic novel Speaking in Pictures www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
Endorsement quotes for Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
0137
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Just a reminder that this weekend is the last chance to take advantage of @bloomsburyling.bsky.social's current sale, including 30% off my latest graphic novel Speaking in Pictures about language and visual communication www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
Endorsement quotes for the book Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
0136
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Cognitive Science Society @cogscisociety.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Many strong Elman Prize candidates are never nominated simply because no one thought to do it. Please repost! Your share might reach the colleague who writes the letter. Deadline: Nov 18 👇
01318
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Akil Wilson @akilwilson.blacksky.app · 24/09/2026
Yeah, really loving it, thanks!!
012
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Jamie Ross @mrwent.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Mmmm. Brain food. And for those on this side of the pond - looks like there is still a deal to be had - www.bloomsbury.com/uk/speaking-...
011
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Akil Wilson @akilwilson.blacksky.app · 24/09/2026
My copy came in the mail just now and, despite my best intentions to only skim through the first few pages and get back to other things I need to do, I haven’t been able to put it down since. It definitely deserves a place on your shelf, next to your copy of Understanding Comics.
1144
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Just a reminder that this weekend is the last chance to take advantage of @bloomsburyling.bsky.social's current sale, including 30% off my latest graphic novel Speaking in Pictures about language and visual communication www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
Endorsement quotes for the book Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
0136
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I made a similar argument in my recent book Speaking in Pictures when I talk about layouts as prosodic structures, so it’s nice to get this experimental evidence out to support it! www.visuallanguagelab.com/sip
Endorsements for the book Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
072
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
My publisher @bloomsburyling.bsky.social is yet again having a sale, so all my books, including my latest graphic novel Speaking in Pictures about language, cognition, and visual communication, are 30% off this week! www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
Quotes promoting Speaking in pIctures by Neil Cohn
083
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
My latest paper with @tomfoulsh.bsky.social looks at how narrative structure interacts with layout in comics to create something analogous to visual prosody!
040
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Tom Foulsham @tomfoulsh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
In two experiments, line breaks had big effects on reading and eye movements. The changes in narrative structure also had effects. AND there was some interaction between layout and narrative in the way that people moved back and forth between panels.
041
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Tom Foulsham @tomfoulsh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
In written language, poets use line breaks to change the meaning and tone of a poem (enjambment). In a very basic manipulation, I wanted to see if the same kind of thing happens with comic strips which are arranged in different layouts.
151
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Tom Foulsham @tomfoulsh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
My latest paper with @neilcohn.bsky.social is open access here: psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
psycnet.apa.org
APA PsycNet
131
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Overall, these findings reinforce that visual sequences use a grammatr, and suggest that grammars across modalities might affect each other, what we call "permeability", hinting at deeper cognitive connections between all types of human expression www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Syntactic headedness aligns with visual narrative structure
Recent research has highlighted how visual narrative sequences involve similar structures and processing as syntax in language, yet no work has asked …
092
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
We then reanalyzed prior data from this study of the cognition of visual storytelling to see if participants' responses were affected by the languages they spoke... and it did! Their responses fell exactly in line with what we saw in the corpus analyses www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Different patterns of choosing where zooms go in a visual narrative sequence depending on the languages spoken by the participants
181
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
We compared the data of two separate corpora of comics (over 1000 analyzed comics from 144 countries spanning 51 languages) to data from three different corpora of languages. Almost all comparisons showed consistent alignment between the ordering of in visual storytelling and their languages!
Patterns of ordering in visual storytelling based on the structure of different languages
171
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Languages differ in their word orders, like verbs in the middle of sentences (like English) or the end (like Japanese). Visual storytelling can also vary ordering, like with zooms or POV/viewers. So, do these visual orders align with those in authors' spoken languages?
Varying orders of zooms/zoomed-on panels and POV/viewer panels in visual storytelling
161
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Our new paper may be one of coolest studies I've ever done. We show that the structures of visual storytelling in comics aligns with the word order of the languages of the comic authors. Here's what we did... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Syntactic headedness aligns with visual narrative structure
Recent research has highlighted how visual narrative sequences involve similar structures and processing as syntax in language, yet no work has asked …
48634
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Will Fertman @willfertman.com · 15/09/2026
If you have any interest in language or comics, pick up this book! Folks will be digging into these ideas for YEARS.
042
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Will Fertman @willfertman.com · 15/09/2026
Making up a flier for Comic Book Club at the younger one's school and I'm pretty proud of this detail:
Parody of the Comic Code Authority seal. A black postage-stamp outline with the words "Approved by the California School for the Deaf" and the CSD logo in the center. The logo is a circle with abstract gray and orange hands forming a bird-like shape, with a logo around it reading "California School for the Deaf, est. 1860."
162
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
My publisher @bloomsburyling.bsky.social is yet again having a sale, so all my books, including my latest graphic novel Speaking in Pictures about language, cognition, and visual communication, are 30% off this week! www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
Quotes promoting Speaking in pIctures by Neil Cohn
083
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Nicolas Labarre @labarren.cpesr.fr · 14/09/2026
Oh! Intriguing!
011
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Our new paper may be one of coolest studies I've ever done. We show that the structures of visual storytelling in comics aligns with the word order of the languages of the comic authors. Here's what we did... www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Syntactic headedness aligns with visual narrative structure
Recent research has highlighted how visual narrative sequences involve similar structures and processing as syntax in language, yet no work has asked …
48634
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Lauren Sparks @wingedelfgirl.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Have a great time!! I'm curious about the drawing experiment 😯
011
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We’re here in Rotterdam! Come say hi!
141
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Arete Roper @areteroper.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Come and see Neil! (And could you get me a copy of his latest?)
011
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
For people in The Netherlands, you can come see me at a table at the indie @crosscomix.nl Festival in Rotterdam this coming Friday and Saturday! I'll have my books, plus we'l be running some drawing experiments from our booth. It looks to be a great con, so come out if you can! crosscomix.nl
Neil Cohn will be at the Makers Market of Cross Comix 2026 in Rotterdam
071
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Nicholdav @nicholdav.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
😻 Peanuts parse trees 😻
012
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I have a new paper out! Here we show the first evidence that segments of comic layouts interact with their narrative segments. It’s not that these layouts are meaningful, but rather they act like visual prosody for segmenting the structure of the visual narrative psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/202...
Figure showing how a narrative structure of a comic strip can change in presentation across different layouts
1227
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Will Fertman @willfertman.com · 29/08/2026
I actually think the review underplays the fascinating central ideas of the book: that drawing sits on a continuum with language, that "the grammar of comics" isn't a metaphor at all, and that there's much more we can do to foster children's visual fluency. Really exciting comics!
073
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Corpus Linguistics 2027 @cl2027.info · 19/08/2026
We are pleased to finally announce… 📢 Call for Papers: Corpus Linguistics 2027 Venice, Italy | 12th-16th July 2027 CfP details: www.cl2027.info/call-for-pap... Deadline: 8th January 2027 🔗 All links in bio 🔁 please share widely! #CL2027
cl2027.info
#CL2027 - Call for Papers
Adaptation and Adaptability in Corpus Linguistics
03836
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Here's the full review of my book, Speaking in Pictures, in the IJOCA "...it is a profound manifesto on institutional communication." ijoca.blogspot.com/2026/08/book...
ijoca.blogspot.com
Book Review — Speaking in Pictures: A Vision of Language by Neil Cohn
Reviewed by Fer García   Neil Cohn. Speaking in Pictures: A Vision of Language . Bloomsbury Academic, 2026. 328 pp. $36.95, ISBN: 978135...
032
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Wow, quite the amazing review in the International Journal of Comic Art for my book Speaking in Pictures! 🥳 Coincidentally, you can get it 30% off this week at @bloomsburyling.bsky.social Back to School sale... www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
“Speaking in Pictures...  is a profound manifesto on institutional communication... It is an indispensable, paradigm-shifting text for scholars moving beyond literary tropes, for cartoonists seeking to master the cognitive mechanics of human engagement, and for anyone who has ever suspected that drawing is simply human thought made visible. Cohn has delivered a rare theoretical milestone that validates what comic creators have always known in their bones: to draw is not merely to design, but to speak."
- Fer García, review in International Journal of Comic Art
1164
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Wow, quite the amazing review in the International Journal of Comic Art for my book Speaking in Pictures! 🥳 Coincidentally, you can get it 30% off this week at @bloomsburyling.bsky.social Back to School sale... www.bloomsbury.com/us/speaking-...
“Speaking in Pictures...  is a profound manifesto on institutional communication... It is an indispensable, paradigm-shifting text for scholars moving beyond literary tropes, for cartoonists seeking to master the cognitive mechanics of human engagement, and for anyone who has ever suspected that drawing is simply human thought made visible. Cohn has delivered a rare theoretical milestone that validates what comic creators have always known in their bones: to draw is not merely to design, but to speak."
- Fer García, review in International Journal of Comic Art
1164
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Present & Correct @presentcorrect.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Draw any shape and hear it as a drum. eigendrum.com#p=circle Thanks @kottke.org
38926
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Jonatan Hildén @jhilden.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Speaking in pictures is great, if you are interested in, say, comics, language, or communication
031
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
My publisher @bloomsburyling.bsky.social is doing it's Back to School sale, so all of my book's are up to 30% off this week, including my recent graphic novel Speaking in Pictures about language, cognition, comics, and visual communication! www.bloomsbury.com/us/search/?q...
Promotional quotes for Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
0146
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
My publisher @bloomsburyling.bsky.social is doing it's Back to School sale, so all of my book's are up to 30% off this week, including my recent graphic novel Speaking in Pictures about language, cognition, comics, and visual communication! www.bloomsbury.com/us/search/?q...
Promotional quotes for Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
0146
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Liina Pylkkänen @liinapy.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
✨Excited to announce a new post-doctoral position in my lab, focussed on the neural capacity limits of language processing using magnetoencephalography! Apply here: wp.nyu.edu/neurolinglab...
wp.nyu.edu
Postdoctoral position – NYU Neurolinguistics Lab
04333
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Hi I'm Neil Cohn. I study the structure of comics, drawing, and language, and how people's brains understand comics. My recent book Speaking in Pictures introduces this research as an accessible graphic novel www.visuallanguagelab.com/sip #ArtistAlley #NotAtSDCC
Endorsement quotes for the book Speaking in Pictures by Neil Cohn
0185
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Check out this wonderful review of my book Speaking in Pictures by @yuka-naito.bsky.social! “a truly extraordinary introductory but comprehensive investigation of visual language”
082
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Yuka Naito @yuka-naito.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
It feels like a dream that the author reposted the book review I wrote!🥳 I'm not just saying this because he reposted it. As mentioned in the review, 📚"Speaking in Pictures" is truly a wonderful book, so I really hope many people will read it!
042
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Yuka Naito @yuka-naito.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I did not expect to receive a reply directly from the author, so I'm very honored. Thank you as well for such a wonderful book!
011
Neil Cohn @neilcohn.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Check out this wonderful review of my book Speaking in Pictures by @yuka-naito.bsky.social! “a truly extraordinary introductory but comprehensive investigation of visual language”
082
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Linguist List @linguistlist.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Review: Cognitive Science, General Linguistics, Psycholinguistics: Neil Cohn (2026)
dlvr.it
Review: Cognitive Science, General Linguistics, Psycholinguistics: Neil Cohn (2026)
Please write or copy and paste your review of Speaking in Pictures here. SUMMARY Neil Cohn’s book, “Speaking in Pictures: a vision of language”, is an impressive work that took seven years and 1,000 pages of rough drafts to produce. The book comprises a prologue, 11 chapters, and notes. The prologue presents Cohn’s brief self-introduction, in which he talks about his passion for drawing and about his research on pictures and languages ever since his encounter with linguistics. It is imp
021
Reposted by Neil Cohn
Yuka Naito @yuka-naito.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
🚨New Publication Alert🚨 My 📚 review of @neilcohn.bsky.social (2026) “Speaking in Pictures: a vision of language”, is out now in LINGUIST List 🥳✨
261