cropped-Icon_Complete_web.png Lingscape

Citizen science meets linguistic landscaping

Free for iOS and Android

Follow us on twitter Visit us on Facebook

Download Lingscape

Click on the buttons below or scan the respective QR code to download Lingscape for iOS or Android

The app is available for download and use worldwide. Plus, we have just released the project update with improved features for corpus building and group projects. If you would like to use the app for an individual or group project, just let us know.

Map & Info

Click here for a fullscreen map | Browse the latest uploads

Info

Have you ever wondered how many signs you pass on your daily way to work? In which languages these signs are lettered? And how language in public space changes over time? Welcome to Lingscape!

Writing is everywhere in public space. All different kinds of signs and lettering form the linguistic landscape of a place or community. Often these signs display different languages, be they on the same sign or next to each other. Lingscape is an app for researching such linguistic landscapes all over the world. Therefore we collect photos of signs and lettering on an interactive map.

Our main objectives: We want to analyze the diversity and dynamics of public writing. And we want to do that together with people from all over the world.

You can help us to collect as many photos as possible. Upload your own photos or explore the map with all photos added by other users. Share photos you like with your friends. Become a citizen scientist by contributing to the project.

Citizen science meets linguistic landscaping, or short: Lingscape!

Photos

Take photos of signs and lettering in public space! Help us document and analyze language use and visible multilingualism

Map

Explore the map with all photos uploaded by users! Discover polymorphic linguistic landscapes all over the world

Projects

Create your own projects, publish your own maps! Get a personal password to collect photos for your research or a school project

Administration

Build your own corpus! Use the project administration to organize and annotate public or private photo collections

Stats

These basic stats are be updated manually on a daily basis (data from the app stores only available with 2 to 3 days delay)

579
Downloads from Apple App Store
333
Number of active contributors
486
Downloads from Google Play Store
A collaborative story

Tapping together

Go to blog

Screenshots

Home screen with the map

Example of the upload process

Settings screen for projects

What's happening in the project?

Updates

14.07.2017 | Languages | “Galician (Galego) [GLG]” added

15.05.2017 | Languages | “Ladin (Ladin) [LLD]” added

11.05.2017 | Map | New analysis widgets for users and months added

08.05.2017 | Languages | “Welsh (Cymraeg) [CYM]” and “Basque (Euskara) [EUS]” added

01.05.2017 | Languages | “Albanian (Shqipja) [SQI]”, “Kurdish (Kurdî | کوردی)” [KUR]” and “Filipino (Filipino) [FIL]” added

18.04.2017 | Languages | “Abkhaz (Аҧсшәа) [ABK]” and “Azerbaijani (Azərbaycanca) [AZE]” added

07.03.2017 | Languages | “Sinhalese (සිංහල) [SIN]” and “Nepali (नेपाली) [NEP]” added

24.02.2017 | App | New symbol for photo annotation: Use = to indicate specific scripts, e.g. “=Cyrillic”

23.02.2017 | Languages | “Pashto (پښتو) [PUS]”, “Gujarati (ગુજરાતી) [GUJ]” and “Somali (Af-Soomaali) [SOM]” added

11.02.2017 | Map | New version of the Carto web map released, including dynamic analysis widgets

10.02.2017 | Languages | “Sorbian (Serbšćina) [WEN]” was replaced by “Dolnoserbšćina (Lower Sorbian) [DSB]” and “Hornjoserbšćina (Upper Sorbian) [HSB]”

02.02.2017 | Languages | Generic Label “Other language [OTH]” added

28.01.2017 | Languages | “Armenian (հայերեն) [HYE]”, “Georgian (ქართული) [KAT]”, “Hawaiian (Hawai’i) [HAW]” and “Icelandic (Íslenska) [ISL]” added

27.01.2017 | Update | Project update for researchers released

Media coverage

Newspapers

25.01.2017 | Luxemburger Wort | Project presentation | Deutsch

22.11.2016 | Lëtzebuerger Journal | Interview | Deutsch

19.11.2016 | Tageblatt Print | Project presentation | Deutsch

23.10.2016 | Wort.lu Online Portuguese | Project announcement | Português

21.10.2016 | Chronicle.lu | Project announcement | English

20.10.2016 | Wort.lu online English | Project announcement | English

 

Magazines

24.11.2016 | Zäit fir Kontakter | Project announcement | Deutsch

 

Radio

27.10.2016 | Radio 100,7 | Interview | Deutsch

21.10.2016 | Eldo.lu Radio | Reportage | Deutsch

20.10.2016 | RTL.lu Radio | Feature | Lëtzebuergesch

08.08.2016 | RTL.lu Radio | Interview  | Deutsch

 

Blogs

02.02.2017 | GamesWithWords.org | App report | English

23.12.2016 | Nstacommunities.org | App report | English

25.11.2016 | Stadtstreunen.at | Reportage | Deutsch

22.11.2016 | Stadtstreunen.at | Interview | Deutsch

17.11.2016 | Msiemund.de | Reportage | Deutsch

03.11.2016 | Infolux.lu | Project announcement | Lëtzebuergesch

30.10.2016 | Science.lu | Reportage | Deutsch Français

23.10.2016 | Webspeak. Language on the internet – Tumblr | Project announcement | Deutsch

21.10.2016 | Maps Mania Blog | Project announcement | Deutsch

21.10.2016 | Uni.lu – News | Project announcement | Deutsch English Français

20.10.2016 | Innovation.public.lu | Project announcement | English Français

28.09.2016 | Msiemund.de | Reportage | Deutsch

 

Press Releases

20.10.2016 | Official press release by the University of Luxembourg | Project announcement | Deutsch English Français

 

Recent projects

These are some people that are currently working with Lingscape for teaching, research or to document multilingualism in public space. Here you can find a list of all projects in Lingscape.

Alexandra Hiebert, André Hofstetter, Sophia Seereiner, Rebecca Stocker
Universität Wien

error404 - language skills not found

Projekt zur Dokumentation von sprachlichen Fehlern im öffentlichen Raum

Martina Bellinzona
University of Foreigners Siena

Linguistic Landscape and Gentrification

Effects of the gentrification on the LL of some italian cities

Stefanie Clausen
Universität Bern

Linguistic Landscape in Täsch/Zermatt

Im Rahmen meiner Masterarbeit soll einerseits der Tourismusort Zermatt auf seine Linguistic Landscape hin analysiert werden (Fokus Tourismus) und andererseits der Vorort Täsch, welcher offiziell einsprachig deutsch ist, fast 60% der Bevölkerung mittlerweile jedoch portugiesischer Muttersprache sind (Fokus Status und Macht).

Our Team

Christoph Purschke
Lingscape officer
ibros.ch
App development
Peter Gilles
Lingscape officer

Contact us

Your name (required)

Your e-mail-address (required)

Subject

Your message


Do you miss a language you want to tag? Are you working on a linguistic landscaping project? Let us know what you think about Lingscape or if you would like to use the app for your research. We are happy to welcome you in the project.

We speak Deutsch, English, Français, Lëtzebuergesch and Plattdüütsch.



Université du Luxembourg
Institut fir lëtzebuergesch Sprooch- a Literaturwëssenschaft
Maison des Sciences Humaines
11, Porte des Sciences
L-4366 Esch/Alzette Luxembourg