AbstractionERC
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
ABSTRACTION is a 5-year project funded by the European Research Council #ERCStG, led by @mariannabolog.bsky.social, at the University of Bologna, Italy.
https://site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
abstractionproject.eu
https://site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
abstractionproject.eu
Pinned
Word Ladders is a free mobile app developed by @Abstraction_ERC to collect linguistic data
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
Reposted by AbstractionERC
📣 Abstraction seminars are back!
🗓️ 13 February 2026, 10:30 (Rome time, UTC+1)
📍 Bologna (in presenza) or
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/dBI5L)
🎆 Join us for another seminar, details in the figure!
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
🗓️ 13 February 2026, 10:30 (Rome time, UTC+1)
📍 Bologna (in presenza) or
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/dBI5L)
🎆 Join us for another seminar, details in the figure!
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
January 16, 2026 at 1:25 PM
📣 Abstraction seminars are back!
🗓️ 13 February 2026, 10:30 (Rome time, UTC+1)
📍 Bologna (in presenza) or
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/dBI5L)
🎆 Join us for another seminar, details in the figure!
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
🗓️ 13 February 2026, 10:30 (Rome time, UTC+1)
📍 Bologna (in presenza) or
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/dBI5L)
🎆 Join us for another seminar, details in the figure!
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
Reposted by AbstractionERC
#WordLadder of the day.
Peeking into the backend of the Word Ladder mobile app 👀
This is an example of the power of linguistic compositionality 😅
(Note that #LLMs tend play Word Ladders exactly like this user, we found).
But where do we draw the line between a legit hyponym and a non-legit one?
Peeking into the backend of the Word Ladder mobile app 👀
This is an example of the power of linguistic compositionality 😅
(Note that #LLMs tend play Word Ladders exactly like this user, we found).
But where do we draw the line between a legit hyponym and a non-legit one?
January 8, 2026 at 6:40 PM
#WordLadder of the day.
Peeking into the backend of the Word Ladder mobile app 👀
This is an example of the power of linguistic compositionality 😅
(Note that #LLMs tend play Word Ladders exactly like this user, we found).
But where do we draw the line between a legit hyponym and a non-legit one?
Peeking into the backend of the Word Ladder mobile app 👀
This is an example of the power of linguistic compositionality 😅
(Note that #LLMs tend play Word Ladders exactly like this user, we found).
But where do we draw the line between a legit hyponym and a non-legit one?
Reposted by AbstractionERC
#WordLadder 🎮 of the day. 👀
Is it legit to list "metal" a subtype of "rock" music? 🎶
Or are rock and metal music co-hyponyms, on the same level but different styles? 🤔
Is it legit to list "metal" a subtype of "rock" music? 🎶
Or are rock and metal music co-hyponyms, on the same level but different styles? 🤔
January 7, 2026 at 8:17 AM
#WordLadder 🎮 of the day. 👀
Is it legit to list "metal" a subtype of "rock" music? 🎶
Or are rock and metal music co-hyponyms, on the same level but different styles? 🤔
Is it legit to list "metal" a subtype of "rock" music? 🎶
Or are rock and metal music co-hyponyms, on the same level but different styles? 🤔
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Another #WordLadders pearl: this is the ladder of abstraction created by a creative user 😇 , starting from prompt word 🍎 APPLE (remember the rules: climbing up the ladder words are increasingly more general, strolling down are increasingly more specific:
January 5, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Another #WordLadders pearl: this is the ladder of abstraction created by a creative user 😇 , starting from prompt word 🍎 APPLE (remember the rules: climbing up the ladder words are increasingly more general, strolling down are increasingly more specific:
Reposted by AbstractionERC
here's another folksonomy from Word Ladders data: a FOX classified as a type of FELINE. Apparently this is a very common misconception, at least in #WordLadders data.
Download Word Ladders and play now:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
Download Word Ladders and play now:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
January 5, 2026 at 7:44 PM
here's another folksonomy from Word Ladders data: a FOX classified as a type of FELINE. Apparently this is a very common misconception, at least in #WordLadders data.
Download Word Ladders and play now:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
Download Word Ladders and play now:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
Reposted by AbstractionERC
🎥 Yesterday’s seminar by @kristinadespot.bsky.social is now online: "Metaphor literalization strategies: from concrete to abstract and back to concrete again".
The recording is available on the Abstraction website.
👉 Watch it here: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
The recording is available on the Abstraction website.
👉 Watch it here: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
December 13, 2025 at 2:30 PM
🎥 Yesterday’s seminar by @kristinadespot.bsky.social is now online: "Metaphor literalization strategies: from concrete to abstract and back to concrete again".
The recording is available on the Abstraction website.
👉 Watch it here: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
The recording is available on the Abstraction website.
👉 Watch it here: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Have a joyful break!
December 25, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Have a joyful break!
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Do cross-sensory metaphors drive consumers' appreciation in print advertising? Visuals or linguistic expressions?
Check it out!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Check it out!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Metaphor and multisensoriality drive appreciation in print advertising: an experimental study of visual and linguistic synaesthetic metaphors | Language and Cognition | Cambridge Core
Metaphor and multisensoriality drive appreciation in print advertising: an experimental study of visual and linguistic synaesthetic metaphors - Volume 18
www.cambridge.org
December 28, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Do cross-sensory metaphors drive consumers' appreciation in print advertising? Visuals or linguistic expressions?
Check it out!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Check it out!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by AbstractionERC
here another example, in English 👇
given the word CUP, a more general is CONTAINER (correct: a CUP is a type of CONTAINER), and a more specific is indicated as HANDLE. But a handle is NOT a type of CUP!
given the word CUP, a more general is CONTAINER (correct: a CUP is a type of CONTAINER), and a more specific is indicated as HANDLE. But a handle is NOT a type of CUP!
December 31, 2025 at 1:45 PM
here another example, in English 👇
given the word CUP, a more general is CONTAINER (correct: a CUP is a type of CONTAINER), and a more specific is indicated as HANDLE. But a handle is NOT a type of CUP!
given the word CUP, a more general is CONTAINER (correct: a CUP is a type of CONTAINER), and a more specific is indicated as HANDLE. But a handle is NOT a type of CUP!
Reposted by AbstractionERC
1/2 posts
#WordLadders data, peaking into the backoffice of the app.
SO MANY abstraction ladders in which meronymy is confused with hyponymy! "seed" as a suptype of "apple", a classic :-) This suggests that hierarchical semantic relations in our minds are not very stable and clear. How about #LLMs?
#WordLadders data, peaking into the backoffice of the app.
SO MANY abstraction ladders in which meronymy is confused with hyponymy! "seed" as a suptype of "apple", a classic :-) This suggests that hierarchical semantic relations in our minds are not very stable and clear. How about #LLMs?
December 31, 2025 at 1:25 PM
1/2 posts
#WordLadders data, peaking into the backoffice of the app.
SO MANY abstraction ladders in which meronymy is confused with hyponymy! "seed" as a suptype of "apple", a classic :-) This suggests that hierarchical semantic relations in our minds are not very stable and clear. How about #LLMs?
#WordLadders data, peaking into the backoffice of the app.
SO MANY abstraction ladders in which meronymy is confused with hyponymy! "seed" as a suptype of "apple", a classic :-) This suggests that hierarchical semantic relations in our minds are not very stable and clear. How about #LLMs?
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Have a joyful and well-deserved winter break, y'all!
From us at @abstractionerc.bsky.social
From us at @abstractionerc.bsky.social
December 17, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Have a joyful and well-deserved winter break, y'all!
From us at @abstractionerc.bsky.social
From us at @abstractionerc.bsky.social
Word Ladders is a free mobile app developed by @Abstraction_ERC to collect linguistic data
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
December 13, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Word Ladders is a free mobile app developed by @Abstraction_ERC to collect linguistic data
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Word Ladders is a free mobile app developed by @Abstraction_ERC to collect linguistic data
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
November 15, 2024 at 8:17 PM
Word Ladders is a free mobile app developed by @Abstraction_ERC to collect linguistic data
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
site.unibo.it/abstraction/en
Join more than 3400 players to help us study the role of language in Abstraction.
Download:
Android 👉 shorturl.at/kqAOS
Apple 👉 shorturl.at/buIS2
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Being literal using metaphor. Literalization as a process to cooperatively delve into language use and its consequences, during psychotherapy sessions.
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
@kristinadespot.bsky.social
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
@kristinadespot.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Being literal using metaphor. Literalization as a process to cooperatively delve into language use and its consequences, during psychotherapy sessions.
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
@kristinadespot.bsky.social
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
@kristinadespot.bsky.social
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Our ritual picture during lunch break 😎:
Team @abstractionerc.bsky.social and the invited speaker @kristinadespot.bsky.social discussing metaphors around the table!
@mariannabolog.bsky.social @caterinavillani.bsky.social @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social
@paolavernillo
Team @abstractionerc.bsky.social and the invited speaker @kristinadespot.bsky.social discussing metaphors around the table!
@mariannabolog.bsky.social @caterinavillani.bsky.social @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social
@paolavernillo
December 12, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Our ritual picture during lunch break 😎:
Team @abstractionerc.bsky.social and the invited speaker @kristinadespot.bsky.social discussing metaphors around the table!
@mariannabolog.bsky.social @caterinavillani.bsky.social @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social
@paolavernillo
Team @abstractionerc.bsky.social and the invited speaker @kristinadespot.bsky.social discussing metaphors around the table!
@mariannabolog.bsky.social @caterinavillani.bsky.social @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social
@paolavernillo
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Spending time with @abstractionerc.bsky.social Team is always nourishing — intellectually during the talk, and physically right after, as this photo reveals.
Our ritual picture during lunch break 😎:
Team @abstractionerc.bsky.social and the invited speaker @kristinadespot.bsky.social discussing metaphors around the table!
@mariannabolog.bsky.social @caterinavillani.bsky.social @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social
@paolavernillo
Team @abstractionerc.bsky.social and the invited speaker @kristinadespot.bsky.social discussing metaphors around the table!
@mariannabolog.bsky.social @caterinavillani.bsky.social @lauraocchipinti.bsky.social
@paolavernillo
December 12, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Spending time with @abstractionerc.bsky.social Team is always nourishing — intellectually during the talk, and physically right after, as this photo reveals.
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Metaphor literalization strategies, a seminar by @kristinadespot.bsky.social joint organized with colleagues from the Metaphor Lab, connected from remote.
December 12, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Metaphor literalization strategies, a seminar by @kristinadespot.bsky.social joint organized with colleagues from the Metaphor Lab, connected from remote.
Reposted by AbstractionERC
@kristinadespot.bsky.social on the truthfulness of metaphor in conceptual metaphor theory
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
December 12, 2025 at 9:47 AM
@kristinadespot.bsky.social on the truthfulness of metaphor in conceptual metaphor theory
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
@abstractionerc.bsky.social
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Setting up the room for @abstractionerc.bsky.social seminar with speaker prof. @kristinadespot.bsky.social on Metaphor literalization strategy: from concrete to abstract and back to concrete again. Join us at 10.30, Rome time!
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
A recording will be available
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
A recording will be available
December 12, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Setting up the room for @abstractionerc.bsky.social seminar with speaker prof. @kristinadespot.bsky.social on Metaphor literalization strategy: from concrete to abstract and back to concrete again. Join us at 10.30, Rome time!
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
A recording will be available
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
A recording will be available
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Say hi to the IconicITA dataset!
We introduce iconicity ratings for Italian produced by L1 and L2 speakers, and show how iconicity relates to key psycholinguistic variables and chronometric data.
Note: Specificity emerges as a good predictor of iconicity! journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
We introduce iconicity ratings for Italian produced by L1 and L2 speakers, and show how iconicity relates to key psycholinguistic variables and chronometric data.
Note: Specificity emerges as a good predictor of iconicity! journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
IconicITA: Iconicity ratings of the Italian affective lexicon
Iconicity, defined as the potential of linguistic signs to resemble properties or features of their referents, is increasingly recognized as a general property of language. One common approach for qua...
journals.plos.org
December 10, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Say hi to the IconicITA dataset!
We introduce iconicity ratings for Italian produced by L1 and L2 speakers, and show how iconicity relates to key psycholinguistic variables and chronometric data.
Note: Specificity emerges as a good predictor of iconicity! journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
We introduce iconicity ratings for Italian produced by L1 and L2 speakers, and show how iconicity relates to key psycholinguistic variables and chronometric data.
Note: Specificity emerges as a good predictor of iconicity! journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by AbstractionERC
New theoretical paper: “Beyond concreteness: why word specificity is the missing piece in theories on embodied language comprehension”
shorturl.at/6Rv3Y
Included in the special issue
"Rethinking the Embodiment of Language: Challenges and Future Horizons", led by V. Cuccio, V. Gallese & Y. Shtyrov.
shorturl.at/6Rv3Y
Included in the special issue
"Rethinking the Embodiment of Language: Challenges and Future Horizons", led by V. Cuccio, V. Gallese & Y. Shtyrov.
Frontiers | Beyond concreteness: why word specificity is the missing piece in theories on embodied language comprehension
The concreteness effect has long been associated with embodied theories of language, which propose that concrete words are easier to process than abstract on...
links.email.frontiersin.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:11 PM
New theoretical paper: “Beyond concreteness: why word specificity is the missing piece in theories on embodied language comprehension”
shorturl.at/6Rv3Y
Included in the special issue
"Rethinking the Embodiment of Language: Challenges and Future Horizons", led by V. Cuccio, V. Gallese & Y. Shtyrov.
shorturl.at/6Rv3Y
Included in the special issue
"Rethinking the Embodiment of Language: Challenges and Future Horizons", led by V. Cuccio, V. Gallese & Y. Shtyrov.
Reposted by AbstractionERC
📣 Abstraction seminars are back!
🗓️ 12 December, 10:30 (CET)
🎙️Prof.ssa Kristina S. Despot
🎓Metaphor literalization strategy: From concrete to abstract and back to concrete again
📍 Bologna
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨@abstractionerc.bsky.social
🗓️ 12 December, 10:30 (CET)
🎙️Prof.ssa Kristina S. Despot
🎓Metaphor literalization strategy: From concrete to abstract and back to concrete again
📍 Bologna
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨@abstractionerc.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
📣 Abstraction seminars are back!
🗓️ 12 December, 10:30 (CET)
🎙️Prof.ssa Kristina S. Despot
🎓Metaphor literalization strategy: From concrete to abstract and back to concrete again
📍 Bologna
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨@abstractionerc.bsky.social
🗓️ 12 December, 10:30 (CET)
🎙️Prof.ssa Kristina S. Despot
🎓Metaphor literalization strategy: From concrete to abstract and back to concrete again
📍 Bologna
💻 Microsoft Teams (link: shorturl.at/B4H7R)
👉 Save the date & spread the word!
✨@abstractionerc.bsky.social
Reposted by AbstractionERC
🌐 Il seminario della collega Valentina Cuccio è ora online!
È disponibile sul sito di Abstraction al link: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
Se vi siete persi l’incontro o volete riascoltarlo con calma, potete trovarlo lì. Buona visione! 🎧✨
È disponibile sul sito di Abstraction al link: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
Se vi siete persi l’incontro o volete riascoltarlo con calma, potete trovarlo lì. Buona visione! 🎧✨
SEMINARI REGISTRATI
Qui si trovano le registrazioni ed i materiali relativi ai seminari tenuti nell'ambito del progetto ABSTRACTION da invited speakers e collaboratori.
site.unibo.it
November 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM
🌐 Il seminario della collega Valentina Cuccio è ora online!
È disponibile sul sito di Abstraction al link: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
Se vi siete persi l’incontro o volete riascoltarlo con calma, potete trovarlo lì. Buona visione! 🎧✨
È disponibile sul sito di Abstraction al link: site.unibo.it/abstraction/...
Se vi siete persi l’incontro o volete riascoltarlo con calma, potete trovarlo lì. Buona visione! 🎧✨
Reposted by AbstractionERC
E oggi ho condiviso con il centro interdipartimentale Alma AI e un gruppo di colleghe e colleghi giuristi capitanati da Monica Palmirani i risultati a grandi linee del gruppo @abstractionerc.bsky.social su studi che coinvolgono l'uso di LLMs. Questa settimana è decisamente densa :-)
November 20, 2025 at 7:51 PM
E oggi ho condiviso con il centro interdipartimentale Alma AI e un gruppo di colleghe e colleghi giuristi capitanati da Monica Palmirani i risultati a grandi linee del gruppo @abstractionerc.bsky.social su studi che coinvolgono l'uso di LLMs. Questa settimana è decisamente densa :-)
Reposted by AbstractionERC
Seeing this slide after completing my postdoc at @abstractionerc.bsky.social makes me emotional. Great talk of @mariannabolog.bsky.social at the workshop "Large and Small Language Models: stato dell’arte fra limiti e prospettive" at Unibo. Many works about abstraction and LLM are on the horizon! :)
November 20, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Seeing this slide after completing my postdoc at @abstractionerc.bsky.social makes me emotional. Great talk of @mariannabolog.bsky.social at the workshop "Large and Small Language Models: stato dell’arte fra limiti e prospettive" at Unibo. Many works about abstraction and LLM are on the horizon! :)