Critical Language Awareness: A Core Competence For The Future

With great pleasure we announce that the Responsibility, Language, and Communication (RESPONSUS) research group has published a new position paper, “Critical Language Awareness as a Future Imperative: Seeing the ‘Water’,” in Frontiers - Communication.

It is open access and can be read here.

In this article, the authors argue that in an era of misinformation, AI-generated content and accelerating global crises, it is no longer enough to simply understand language - we must learn to question it, challenge it, and use it ethically to shape more just and sustainable futures.

To celebrate this article, a Critical Language Awareness (CLA) taster session is being hosted. It consists of a series of short, informal demonstrations by members of the RESPONSUS community showing how language quietly shapes what we see, value, and believe. More on that can be found on the RESPONSUS website.

During this event we will also introduce a new PhD researcher and share what’s next for the growing CLA hub at the University of Groningen.

We are very excited and hope to see you at our CLA celebration and showcase!

Make sure to attend on the 10th of February 2026, from 14:30 - 17:00 at House of Connections.

You may already sign up for the event using this link.