Mehrsprachigkeitsforschung mit der, in der und für die Öffentlichkeit am Beispiel des Citizen-Science-Projekts „VisibLL – Schüler*innen erforschen die (un)übersehbare Mehrsprachigkeit der Wiener Linguistic Landscape“

Abstract

This article discusses the reciprocal relationship between science and the public in the case of the citizen science project “VisibLL – High school students explore the (in)visible multilingualism of the Viennese linguistic landscape”, under which secondary-school students documented and reflected on occurrences of languages outside of German in Vienna’s public space. On the scientific level, this served to advance a perceptual linguistic research agenda by capturing written uses of “non-German” as filtered through the students’ own perceptions. On the didactics level, the goal was to raise participants’ awareness of multilingualism in their surroundings, as well as of the manifest dynamics connecting language and society, to increase their understanding and appreciation of linguistic diversity, while also facilitating insights into (linguistic) research processes.

After placing VisibLL in the context of citizen science and linguistic landscape research as well as their public interest, I discuss the project’s outcomes and impacts. Preliminary data analysis shows English as the dominant non-German language documented, followed by Italian and French, while major Viennese migrant languages are scarcely represented. Evaluation via pre-post-questionnaires indicates a significant, sustained increase in students’ awareness of written multilingualism, alongside an improved appreciation of linguistic diversity and scientific inquiry. The project thus yields educational benefits as well as evidence to inform public debates on representation, inclusion, and democratic participation in urban space.