Visual Communication. Theoretical, Empirical, and Applied Perspectives
DFG Priority Programme 2329
ViCom investigates the special features and linguistic significance of visual communication. This comprises sign languages as fully developed natural languages which exclusively rely on the visual channel for communication, but also visual means that enhance spoken language such as gestures. It aims at disclosing the specific characteristics of the visual modality as a communication channel and its interaction with other channels (especially the auditory channel) to develop a comprehensive theoretical linguistic model of human communication and its cognitive foundations.
For ViCom’s first phase (September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2025), the DFG has approved of 20 projects which investigate visual communication phenomena in 3 basic dimensions: (a) theoretical, (b) empirical, and (c) applied. All projects are organised in at least one of 6 project clusters corresponding to the different research objects relevant for ViCom: (1) gesture, (2) sign language, (3) visual studies, (4) animal communication, (5) didactic and clinical aspects and language acquisition, and (6) human-computer interaction systems.
Article about ViCom in the 02/2021 issue of the science magazine of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main (in German)
Presentations and posters from the DGfS-Workshop:
Visual Communication. New Theoretical and Empirical
Developments.
DGfS-Workshop on Ideophones and Lexical Iconicity (from Project FLESH)
Workshop at the 45th Annual Conference of the German Linguistic Society (DGfS) 2023 from the project “On the FLExibility and Stability of gesture-speecH coordination (FLESH): Evidence from production, comprehension, and imitation” Time: 8th—10th March 2023Location: University of Cologne Workshop description This workshop takes ideophones as a starting point to investigate lexicalized or conventionalized iconic forms in language from an interdisciplinary perspective.…
DGfS-Workshop on creativity and routine in linguistic feedback (from Project GeSi)
Workshop at the 45th Annual Conference of the German Linguistic Society (DGfS) 2023 from the project “Gestures or signs? Comparing manual and non-manual constructions sharing the same form in co-speech gesture and sign language: a corpus-driven approach. (GeSi)“ Time: 8th—10th March 2023Location: University of Cologne Workshop description Feedback is central to interaction. It is omnipresent in interpersonal communication and reflects interlocutors’…
ViCom 