Lingscape – Language in the public

(Written) language can be found everywhere in public. Signs and lettering in a wide variety of forms and languages shape our impression of public space. They offer practical orientation in everyday life, but also contain rich social information, for example about which languages are particularly important, desirable or controversial in a society. In the Lingscape project, we are collecting photos of signs and lettering in public spaces. Whether monolingual or multilingual, in Germany or Hawaii, whether Arabic or Chinese characters, street signs or graffiti - all forms of language in public are interesting and contribute to the diversity of linguistic landscapes.

Aim

The aim of the project is to explore the diversity and dynamics of such linguistic landscapes together with people from all over the world and to create awareness of the important role of language in public for our perception in everyday life.

How to participate

Anyone with a smartphone (with a camera and mobile Internet access) can participate in the research. No special prior knowledge of languages, alphabets or writing in public is required. Participants can download the research app for Android and iOS free of charge and use it at any time. No registration or user profile is required. 

The research activity can be easily integrated into everyday life, with participants taking photos of signs and lettering while out and about and uploading them to the app. Additional information on different types of signs/lettering and their functions is available on the project website. Teaching materials for using the app in school projects are also currently being developed. Upon request, we will be happy to advise interested parties about the project and the possible uses of the app in a school context.

For participants who want to upload images on a larger scale or use the app for their own projects (school, club, university), we also offer an extended project mode. Project leaders have access to their collected data via an online portal and can issue special passwords for participation to the participants of their projects.

Needed equipment

A smartphone (Android or iOS) equipped with a camera and mobile Internet access is required; the use of GPS functionality is optional

About funding

Funding bodies: University of Luxembourg

About branding

Profile image design by: Source: Lingscape, https://lingscape-app.uni.lu

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University of Luxembourg

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