Veranstaltungsprogramm

Introduction: This paper examines the sign language choices and motivations of signers in six selected multilingually diverse settings in four countries: Estonia, Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium,Spain, Austria, and Brazil. (a) Sign language attitude and choices of signers with multiple sign languages (with a particular focus on the major and minority sign languages of a respective country), (b) The sign language choices made on social media (with a focus on the use of minority and majority sign languages, as well as International Sign Language)

Data: The empirical data is derived from online surveys and exploratory interviews with sign language users in the respective countries. The results will provide some novel insights into the positionality of minority sign languages and language choice in respective countries.

Discussion: This section focuses on the social dynamics surrounding the use of minority sign languages in multilingual environments, with a particular emphasis on two key issues: the fear of inadequate self-expression and self-representation, and the fear of discrimination.

Conclusion: We will revisit the existing literature on sign language multilingualism and sign language attitudes, including the works of Hill (2015), Krausneker (2015), and Rowley & Cormier (2023). Additionally, we will examine the concept of language attitudes in relation to the notion of powerful/powerless languages, as discussed by Dragojevic et al. (2021) and Gibbons et al. (1991).