"The language checkers - this is how we speak in Neckarstadt"

Gastvortrag im Rahmen des GSeal-Forschungsforums

Dr. Christine Möhrs (Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache)

The Leibniz Institute for the German Language (IDS), together with local partners, is conducting the citizen science project “The language checkers – this is how we speak in Neckarstadt” (Ger.: Die Sprach-Checker – So sprechen wir in der Neckarstadt) to explore the multilingual environment of children and adolescents in the Neckarstadt-West district of Mannheim. The project focuses on strengthening local collaboration, developing educational offerings, and gaining new insights in the fields of language contact and research on multilingualism. Citizen science, meaning the active participation of the public in scientific processes, plays a key role in this project. Neckarstadt-West is a district characterised by great cultural and linguistic diversity, with residents from over 100 nations. This diversity presents opportunities but also challenges, especially in the field of education. The project actively involves children and adolescents by having them work with researchers to develop questions and collect language data, such as through the analysis of linguistic landscapes or language biography interviews. The goal of the project is to raise awareness of the linguistic abilities of children and adolescents and to value their multilingualism. At the same time, the project promotes participation in science and knowledge. The presentation highlights the project’s goals, methods, activities, media outreach, and initial results. It also provides insight into the specific background of the project application within the framework of the competition "On Your Marks! Citizen Science in Your City" (Ger.: Auf die Plätze! Citizen Science in deiner Stadt) (financial support from the BMBF).

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