Using smartphones to document linguistic landscapes: The LinguaSnapp mobile app

Abstract

LinguaSnapp is a smartphone application developed to support documentation of linguistic landscapes, especially in multilingual urban settings. Since its launch in Manchester in 2016, bespoke versions have also been created for Melbourne, Jerusalem, St Petersburg and Hamburg. We describe the rationale and the operational setup behind the app, and provide examples of how the documentation facility can support analyses pertaining to the relation between language repertoire and spatial demarcations, and how it can be used in public engagement.