The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has launched the ‘Language and Cognition Laboratory’ (LC-Lab) to study linguistic diversity in India through an interdisciplinary and technology-driven approach. The Laboratory of Language and Cognition, set up within the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, is said to be the first laboratory in India dedicated to systematically exploring the country’s vast linguistic diversity through experimental linguistics.
According to a press release issued by IIT Madras, the laboratory was inaugurated on November 10 by Professor V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras.
The LC-Lab aims to explore how humans perceive, process and produce language using advanced experimental methods. It will use techniques such as eye tracking and reaction time studies to examine how people process linguistic information.
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The laboratory’s research will focus primarily on Indian languages, providing valuable insights into the understanding and production of grammar, phonology and sentence structure in multilingual contexts.
While ongoing projects study grammatical sound and linguistic structures, upcoming work will study dyslexia in Indian children, with the aim of improving educational outcomes and developing linguistically relevant educational interventions.
The interdisciplinary framework of the LC-Lab integrates insights from science, technology, and the humanities to advance academic research and technological innovation.
In the short term, the LC Lab will conduct experimental research using eye-tracking technology to validate established linguistic theories in Indian languages. In the long term, it plans to incorporate advanced neurocognitive technologies such as electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
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These tools will enable comprehensive research in language, cognition and computational modeling while fostering collaboration with experts in psychology, neuroscience and artificial intelligence. The lab is currently supported by IITM Pravartak Technologies and Aspire Infolab in Hyderabad, both of which have contributed to its establishment and research infrastructure.
Highlighting the need for such interdisciplinary research, Professor Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “Linguistics is increasingly moving towards data-driven empirical investigation, combining science and humanities methodologies. India needed a dedicated facility that integrates linguistic theory with modern experimental and computational tools. The Language and Cognition Laboratory was established to bridge this gap – creating a space that bridges linguistics, cognitive science, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence, and contributes to the development of socially relevant and linguistically informed technologies.”
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