Dr. Yael Mishani-Uval
- Discourse Analysis
- Cognitive Linguistics
- Syntax
- Philosophy of Language
- Pragmatism
Dr. Yael Mishani-Uval: The Constitution of Meaning in Life – Through Language (Recorded lecture)
CV
Dr. Yael Mishani-Uval is a linguist and discourse analyst interested in philosophical, social, and cultural questions through the lens of everyday language research. Her work is based on the premise that the study of natural language provides insight into human nature, uniqueness, and culture. She combines both theoretical and empirical approaches in her research.
Dr. Mishani-Uval is a teaching fellow in the Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies program and the initiator and director of the program’s mentoring project. She is also a member of "Askolah," a research lab for Israeli cultural studies.
Additional Information:
- Researcher at the Institute for Future Studies in Education
- Academic Advisor at Co.Do
- Graduate of a certification program in Logotherapy and Group Facilitation at the University Center for the Development of Educators, Tel Aviv University
- Former Lecturer and Teaching Assistant in the Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies program at Bar-Ilan University, the Department of Linguistics at Tel Aviv University, the Department of Counseling and Human Development at the University of Haifa, and the Levinsky-Wingate Academic Center.
- Courses taught: Discourse Interpretation, Introduction to Linguistics, Syntax for Beginners, Advanced Syntax, and Language and Academic Literacy.
- Former News Desk Chief and Senior Editor at Israel Hayom (2007–2014).
2018–2024: Ph.D. | Interdisciplinary Program in Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies, Bar-Ilan University
Dissertation: The Constitution of Meaning in Life – Through Language: A Linguistic-Philosophical Investigation of the Functioning of Linguistic Mechanisms in the Formation of Subjective Meaning in Everyday Language
(Advisor: Dr. Dorit Lemberger)
- Recipient of the President’s Scholarship for Outstanding Doctoral Students (four-year fellowship), Bar-Ilan University
- Awarded the Rector’s Prize for Outstanding Doctoral Students, Bar-Ilan University
- Recipient of the Excellence Scholarship from the Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies Program, Bar-Ilan University
- Awarded travel grants for presentations at international conferences by the Gender Equity Unit, the President’s Office, and the Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies Program, Bar-Ilan University
2012–2008: M.A. in Linguistics (summa cum laude) | Tel Aviv University
Thesis: On the Formation of Idioms: The Case of Goal-Ditransitives
(Advisor: Prof. Tal Siloni)
2008–2005: B.A. in Linguistics and Philosophy (summa cum laude) | Tel Aviv University
- Recipient of the Rector’s Prize for Outstanding Undergraduate Students, Tel Aviv University
- Awarded an Excellence Scholarship by the Municipality of Holon
- Participated in a student exchange program at the International Venice University
Research
In her postdoctoral project, Dr. Mishani-Uval investigates philosophical and cultural questions through the lens of language research. She adopts a new research methodology developed in the UK, bridging discourse analysis and cognitive linguistics (Cognitive Discourse Analysis), and expands her research into the field of digital humanities.
- Recipient of a research fellowship at Bangor University, UK
Dr. Mishani-Uval's doctoral dissertation, Meaning in Life – Through Language, is the first comprehensive study to examine the question of meaning in life through a linguistic perspective. The theoretical part of the research analyzes the implications of language meaning theories on the understanding of life meaning, while the empirical part is based on in-depth interviews with Hebrew speakers from three age groups: children, adults, and the elderly.
By applying linguistic and discourse analysis methodologies, the study reveals how the concept of "meaning in life" evolves over the lifespan and demonstrates the linguistic tools through which language helps us interpret, shape, and assign value to our lives.
Publications
Refereed Articles in Journals
Russo-Netzer, P. & Mishani-Uval, Y. (2022) Reflections on meaning in language and life. The International Forum for Logotherapy: Journal of Search for Meaning, 45(1), 47-55.
Mishani-Uval, Y., & Siloni, T. (2016). Ditransitive idioms in Hebrew. Natural Linguistics & Linguistic Theory, 35, 715-749. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11049-016-9354-8
Book Chapters
Mishani-Uval, Y. (2023). Bring words back from their metaphysical to their everyday use – meaning in life through ordinary language use (2023). In D. Lemberger (ed.), Psychoanalytic Investigations in Philosophy: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Current Existential Challenges, 113-132, Routledge. DOI:10.4324/9781003326588-6
In Preparation
Mishani-Uval, Y. & Tenbrink, T. Life is Like a Rollercoaster: A Cognitive Discourse Analysis of School-Agers’ Understanding of Meaning in Life. (to be submitted to Language and Cognition)
כנסים
יוני 2024, אוניברסיטת וושינגטון, סיאטל. ״משמעות בחיים מנקודת מבט בלשנית: תפקידים של צירי ניגוד ומטפורות״. International Conference on Hebrew Language, Literature, and Culture (NAPH.
אוגוסט 2023, אוניברסיטת היינריך היינה, דיסלדורף. Meaning in life through language. The 16th International Cognitive Linguistics Conference (ICCL16)
יולי 2023, הקרייה האקדמית אונו. משמעות בחיים – בשפה: על משמעות, ערך וקהילה. כנס קהילות ומשמעות ומה שביניהם.
יוני 2019, אוניברסיטת תל־אביב. משמעות, שפה ותקשורת דיגיטלית. כנס משמעות ואנושיות בעולם הדיגיטלי.
דצמבר 2014, אוניברסיטת גתה, פרנקפורט. On the formation of idioms – The case of Goal Ditransitives. TAU-GU Workshop on Relative Clauses and Idioms
Media
״The Meaning of 'Meaning' – Reflections in the Shadow of the Technological Era" (Published in the online magazine 'Blogotherapy')
Dr. Yael Mishani-Uval: The Constitution of Meaning in Life – Through Language (Recorded lecture)
Last Updated Date : 05/03/2025
