Lluís Barceló Coblijn

Dr. Lluís Barceló Coblijn is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), specializing in Catalan Philology and General Linguistics. He leads the Laboratori d'Investigació en Complexitat i de Lingüística Experimental (LICLE), focusing on language evolution, syntax, and atypical language acquisition. His work combines Network Science with linguistic analysis, particularly exploring phylogeny (e.g., H. sapiens and H. neanderthalensis) and ontogeny (birth to adulthood). He also researches Balearic sign languages and clinical linguistics in disorders like Williams syndrome and dyslexia.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Catalan Philology (UIB, 2006), with a year at Universität Paderborn
• Bachelor's in General Linguistics (UB, 2007), with a year at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Master's in Cognitive Science and Language (UB, 2008)
• Master's in Human Cognition and Evolution (UIB, 2010)
• PhD in Human Cognition and Evolution (UIB, 2012)

Research Interests:

• Language evolution in hominins (e.g., Neanderthals) and its biological underpinnings
• Syntactic development analyzed via complex networks and graph theory
• Sign language sociolinguistics in Balearic islands
• Clinical linguistics in atypical populations (e.g., Williams syndrome, Down syndrome)

Recent Work: His 2025 studies include exploring language acquisition in dyslexic students and syntactic patterns in Spanish speakers with Williams syndrome. He recently secured a grant for expanding the Descriptive Dictionary of Balearic Sign Languages (DDLSIB).

Awards/Grants: Member of consolidated research groups (BEATLES, NRL) and recipient of a Menorcan Institute grant for sign language research. Currently coordinating an FPI grant application on Williams syndrome and syntax.

Teaching: Teaches courses on Catalan grammar, language acquisition theories, and language evolution at the undergraduate and master's levels. Supervises thesis projects in linguistics and literary competence.