Speaking in Pictures
A Vision of Language
Will be published approx. on 19. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-1-350-40216-4 (ISBN)
Description
Pictures are a fundamental aspect of how we express ourselves, and cave paintings are among our oldest records of intelligence. Yet, despite their importance, why don't most people feel they can draw, and why are pictures often considered less important than language?
For over 20 years, Neil Cohn has pioneered research around these questions within the fields of linguistics and cognitive neuroscience, and this book is the result, heralding a new paradigm of language, drawing, and communication, all accessibly presented as a non-fiction graphic novel. This work challenges the conventional understandings of how pictures communicate, how people learn to draw, and the nature of language itself.
With humor and a clear, friendly, and accessible tone, Speaking in Pictures introduces ground-breaking research by doing what it discusses: intertwining pictures and words into a single message as a non-fiction graphic novel, taking the reader on an inspiring journey through the study of communication and the mind.
For over 20 years, Neil Cohn has pioneered research around these questions within the fields of linguistics and cognitive neuroscience, and this book is the result, heralding a new paradigm of language, drawing, and communication, all accessibly presented as a non-fiction graphic novel. This work challenges the conventional understandings of how pictures communicate, how people learn to draw, and the nature of language itself.
With humor and a clear, friendly, and accessible tone, Speaking in Pictures introduces ground-breaking research by doing what it discusses: intertwining pictures and words into a single message as a non-fiction graphic novel, taking the reader on an inspiring journey through the study of communication and the mind.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 191 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
716 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-40216-4 (9781350402164)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Neil Cohn is Associate Professor of Communication and Cognition at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. He is the author of The Visual Language of Comics (2013), Who Understands Comics? (2020), and editor of The Visual Narrative Reader (2016).
Content
Prologue
Acknowledgements
1. What is Visual Language?
2. The Packaging of Thought
3. Getting a Handle on Meanings
4. Drawing Sounds
5. Visual Vernacular
6. Growing a Language
7. Meaningful Attachments
8. Frontiers of Mental Space
9. From Strings to Trees
10. Drawn Across Space and Time
11. The Drawing Instinct
Endnotes
References
Index
Acknowledgements
1. What is Visual Language?
2. The Packaging of Thought
3. Getting a Handle on Meanings
4. Drawing Sounds
5. Visual Vernacular
6. Growing a Language
7. Meaningful Attachments
8. Frontiers of Mental Space
9. From Strings to Trees
10. Drawn Across Space and Time
11. The Drawing Instinct
Endnotes
References
Index