ASLAN's main objective is to understand the complex, multiscale processes at play in language, whether it is the construction of conversations in real-time interactions, language and learning acquisition, or even the dynamics at work in the origins of language, in the evolution of languages and in their diversity.

Its work focuses on all the components of language, from the fundamentals to the construction of meaning in different communication contexts. This work builds on methodologies used in linguistics, cognitive science, neuroscience, educational theory and the learning sciences, as well as genetic anthropology, computer science and complexity science.