CRC 673 -- Alignment in Communication

The Bielefeld CRC 673, Alignment in Communication, investigates special modes of coordination, called alignment. Alignment covers the adaptation processes among agents which are subconscious and do not lead to explicit negotiation and control of those engaged in a common enterprise. Alignment thus conceived can be observed in human-human communication with respect to the use of words, especially neologisms, the creation of new senses, copied patterns of syntax, recycled referring terms, the evolution of patterns in dialogue structure such as the use of ellipses and fragments.