Louis de Saussure

Louis de Saussure is a full professor of linguistics and discourse analysis at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, where he has been faculty since 2007. He serves as head of the Department of Communication and Cognitive Science and is a founder member of the Cognitive Science Centre at the University of Neuchatel. His academic career includes previous positions as assistant professor at the University of Neuchatel (2004), lecturer at the University of Lugano (2002), visiting scholar at University College London (2001), lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin (2000), and teaching assistant at the University of Geneva (1995).

Professor de Saussure's research focuses on the semantics and pragmatics of tense, aspect, modality and evidentiality (TAME), with particular attention to the French language. His work spans cognitive pragmatic theory, persuasion studies, and the interpretation of emotion and non-propositional content in language. His approach combines theoretical linguistics with cognitive science perspectives, often employing contrastive analysis between languages.

His scholarly contributions include 5 monographs (with one in progress), 15 edited volumes or special journal issues, and approximately 90 journal papers. His publications reflect expertise in linguistic theory, discourse analysis, and cognitive approaches to language use. He has delivered 11 keynote conference talks internationally and is regularly featured in media discussions about language and communication.

• Election to the Société de linguistique de Paris (2010)
• LATSIS Prize, University of Geneva (2005)
• Charles Bally prize of linguistics, University of Geneva (2001)

Professor de Saussure actively contributes to the academic community as a former President of the Swiss Linguistics Society and board member of the Council of social sciences policies. He serves as an expert for numerous scientific funding institutions including the Swiss National Science Foundation, the French High Council for Research and Teaching Evaluation (HCERES), and the Agence nationale de la recherche (France). He maintains extensive international collaborations with institutions such as the University of Cambridge, University of Athens, University of Fribourg, and University of Rome 3. As head of the Department of Communication and Cognitive Science, he leads research initiatives that bridge linguistic theory with cognitive science applications.