Abstract
Abstract Public signage is a central element of the socio-pragmatic organization of everyday practice. The survey of signs and written language in the public sphere has developed into a vital branch of sociolinguistics called “linguistic landscapes”. The paper introduces a participatory research project, Lingscape, that focuses on the documentation and analysis of linguistic landscapes worldwide. Making use of a dedicated mobile research app, the project aims at creating awareness for the semiotic complexity and social relevance of public signage. After the discussion of two basic functions of public signage and two fundamental pragmatic conditions of sign perception, the text briefly introduces the app and project workflow. This is followed by the results of an analysis of the Vienna linguistic landscape using a large dataset collected with the app. This includes a quantitative evaluation of the contributions by different user groups to the (re)construction of a Vienna “crowdscape” as well as a qualitative investigation of the presence and social status of Austrian German in said crowdscape. Finally, the text presents an in-depth discussion about challenges for participatory research in practical work that focuses on the objectives of participatory research and the practical necessities against the backdrop of academic practice.
Highlights
Public signage is a central element of the socio-pragmatic organization of everyday practice
The survey of signs and written language in the public sphere has developed into a vital branch of sociolinguistics called “linguistic landscapes”
The paper introduces a participatory research project, Lingscape, that focuses on the documentation and analysis of linguistic landscapes worldwide
Summary
Linguistic landscapes (LL) are a core feature of everyday social practice: moving through public space, people pass by and interact with countless signs and written language on a daily basis. Public signage conveys rich social information about a given location or society, i.e., through the presence/absence and hierarchization of languages or though different translation modes for depicted information (see Gorter 2013 or van Mensel et al 2016 for an introduction to LL research). There are two basic characteristics of signs in the public sphere: – They serve a practical purpose in providing socio-pragmatic orientation by conveying information, giving instructions, regulating practice or addressing a particular audience. For other groups of people, such as tourists, newcomers, or those who struggle to access public information (e.g., due to lacking language skills or illiteracy), interaction with the linguistic landscape may pose a significant challenge, whether for purposes of practical orientation (“finding things”) or social integration (“abiding by the rules”)
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