I make language legible. My work decodes how cognition shapes communication, and how communication in turn shapes decisions, institutions, and power.

Language is not just how we communicate; it is how we think. My research maps the cognitive architecture beneath rhetoric, policy discourse, and media narrative, producing a rigorous, applied toolkit for detecting manipulation, stress-testing messaging, authenticating authorship, and grounding AI systems in human conceptual logic.

I work at the intersection of cognitive science, linguistics, and strategic communication, translating academic depth into practical advantage for institutions that need to understand what language is actually doing.

The work takes four forms. In discourse analysis, I identify framing, polarization, and rhetorical strategy in political and media texts, from migration debates to Brexit to crisis communication. In authorship and authenticity, I apply structural methods to distinguish human-authored from AI-generated text, with applications in diplomacy, law, and high-stakes communication. In cognitive grounding for AI, I draw on embodiment theory to bring greater semantic coherence to large language models, contributing to explainable and conceptually plausible AI. And in language acquisition design, I build brain-based learning architectures that break through the intermediate plateau, now deployed across six languages in a multilingual textbook series.

 info@lianestroebel.de

 

In Focus: Brexit Turns Ten

Ströbel, L.; Koch, I.; Salge, T.-O. & Antons, D. (2023l). To stay, remain or leave: How verbal concepts as response options in political referendums such as the Brexit polls might bias voting outcomes .(1-11).  Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 10, 893 https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02422-2

The Unifying Principle of My Research

In an era where the lines between human intent and algorithmic simulation are blurring, language is far more than a tool for communication, it is the very foundation of our sovereignty and the primary operational domain in the age of cognitive warfare. My work bridges the gap between linguistics and cognitive science, transforming them into an applied science of decision-making.

The Biology of Language: The Embodiment Paradigm

I view grammar not as a collection of abstract rules, but as the byproduct of universal physical experience. Through my “Two-Strand Model,” I have demonstrated that linguistic categories are anchored in sensorimotor roots: the haptic strand (manual-tactile) encodes possession, states, and transformation, while the motoric strand (locomotive-spatial) structures our perception of movement through space and time (Ströbel 2010a, 2011a, 2016a).

This “embodied cognition” does more than just drive historical language shifts (Ströbel 2014a, 2014b) or cross-linguistic contact (Schwegler, McWhorter & Ströbel 2016b); it persists as a sub-morphological relic in our daily discourse (Ströbel 2017b, 2017c, 2017d, 2020b, 2023i).

Cognitive Software: Frames and the Logic of Emotion

To capture the precision of human knowledge and sentiment in the digital age, I utilize Frame Semantics. This framework allows us to deconstruct complex concepts, from positional verbs (Gamerschlag, Petersen & Ströbel 2013a, Ströbel 2014c) to the fundamental mechanics of the verb itself (Ströbel 2016c), into logical, actionable structures.

A core pillar of my research is Emotional Linguistics. I treat emotions like surprise or fear not as vague impulses, but as deliberate constructions built from cognitive blocks (Ströbel 2015a, 2023c, 2023i). By applying this model to grammatical theory, I reframe phenomena like the subjunctive as expressions of perspective and loss of control (Ströbel 2023b, 2023f, 2023g, 2023h). This analysis extends into intermedial domains, including visual grammar (Ballero Flores & Ströbel 2019c), color perception (Rieger & Ströbel 2022a, Ströbel 2022b), and identity construction (Ströbel 2023d).

Applied Cognition: Neuro-Didactics & EdTech

Science derives its true value from its real-world impact. Through my multilingual textbook series (Ströbel 2026c-i, 2024), I am redefining language acquisition for German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Latin. Moving beyond rote memorization, I employ brain-based cognitive schemas. By utilizing an intuitive grammar of cognitive building blocks, I spatially and motorically anchor linguistic structures within the brain, effectively shattering the “intermediate plateau” in the learning process. My research into new media (Ströbel 2017a), advertising (Rieger & Ströbel 2020a), and the evolution of audiovisual culture (Ströbel 2014a, 2026a, 2026b) completes this pedagogical ecosystem.

Strategic Defense: Linguistic Sovereignty and Cognitive Resilience in the Age of Cognitive Warfare

In the face of the “algorithmic flattening” fueled by generative AI, the question of human authorship has become a matter of national and individual security. I deploy my SBC Framework (Sensorimotor-Based Concepts) to decipher the unmistakable cognitive signature of human agency (Ströbel 2020c, 2027a). This “cognitive forensics” serves as a vital safeguard for modern society:

• Political Resilience: Decoding rhetorical strategies in political arenas (Ströbel 2018a, 2018b, 2019b, 2023j; Deringer & Ströbel 2023a, Ströbel 2023k).
• Crisis & Discourse Analysis: Mapping framing effects and identifying polarized communication in high-stakes topics like migration (Ströbel 2023e), the Yellow Vest movement (Ströbel 2019a), and the spread of fake news (Ströbel 2020d, 2021a).
• Geopolitics & Identity: Analyzing how verbal concepts steer global shifts like Brexit (Ströbel, Koch, Salge & Antons 2023l), forge national identities (Ströbel 2023d), or institutionalize sustainability (Ströbel 2027a).
• Diplomatic Integrity: Developing authenticity proofs to shield diplomatic communication in an increasingly synthetic future (Ströbel 2027b).

My goal is to establish linguistics as an indispensable partner to the life sciences and the frontier of technological development.