The Editorial Board of Professional Discourse & Communication is pleased to announce a Call for Papers for an upcoming Special Issue.

The theme for this upcoming issue is “Cognitive Architectures of Professional Discourse: Theoretical, Neuro-Pragmatic, and Computational Perspectives.”

Professional communication has traditionally been examined through the lenses of sociology, pragmatics, and applied linguistics. However, to fully understand how specialized language is acquired, processed, and produced, we must investigate the underlying cognitive architectures that govern goal-setting, intentionality, and discursive regulation.

Although empirical neurolinguistic and psycholinguistic tools (e.g., EEG, fMRI, eye-tracking) allow us to measure cognitive load and processing in real-time, they fundamentally rely on robust theoretical models of pre-verbal intentionality, goal-setting, and pragmatic regulation. Therefore, this Special Issue seeks to bridge the gap between theoretical cognitive-discursive modeling and empirical neuro-pragmatic research.

We aim to explore the cognitive foundations of specialized and institutional communication—from the pre-verbal stages of speech activity to their linguistic objectification—including emerging applications in AI-mediated professional discourse. We welcome both empirically driven studies and comprehensive theoretical frameworks that map the cognitive mechanisms underlying professional genres.