TUESDAY 10 July: Khartoum's Linguistic Landscape

The Sudanese Knowledge Society (SKS) cordially invites you to attend our monthly seminar that will be held on Tuesday 10^th of July 2018 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Natural History Museum, University of Khartoum, Algamaa Street, near Sharqa Hall.

The researcher, Mohammad Sulieman, will take us in a journey exploring Khartoum city through a linguistic lens by presenting a seminar entitled "Khartoum through the lens of linguistic landscape: The hidden messages of the public space". The seminar reflects part of the activities and academic interest of the researcher. Please spread the word through your network and friends.

ABOUT THE LECTURE

Khartoum through the Lens of Linguistic landscape: the hidden messages of the Public space

The visibility of language in social space (technically termed as linguistic landscape) is a recent addition to the study of language.  In Sudan the linguistic landscape falls outside the radar of linguistic enquiry. Despite the seemingly great changes taking place in the urban communities of Sudan and the highly dynamic nature of public landscape that no observer can miss; linguistic landscape of urban communities of Sudan is likely remain under-researched. Our knowledge of languages visibility in Sudanese street, the level of multilingualism, the social, economical and the discursive construction of linguistic landscape is still very remote.

This presentation encapsulates the research interests of the presenter over last three years. In this respect, photographic data from different sites in Khartoum will be discussed through the lenses of linguistic landscape. It covers both public and institutional spaces of the Sudanese capital including its streets, markets and educational institutions. The visual space will be reviewed using critical approaches in an attempt to unravel the hidden messages of public space. The public and social space of the Sudanese is understood as an arena for constructing, negotiating and contesting different identities. The same is true for producing, representing and circulating ideologies and resisting it as well.  All these issues will be raised through visual examples and ethnographic accounts of literacy practices in the linguistic landscape under scrutiny.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Mohammad Sulieman Alkhair

I received B.A. in Education in English Language in 2012 and M.A. in English in 2014. In 2014 I have been appointed as TA and latter promoted a lecturer at English Department, Alzaiem Alazhari University- Sudan. Now I am doing PhD in linguistics on cultural identity represented and constructed in an educational setting.  Since then I have been teaching courses in English and linguistics.                                                                           

My research interest includes; sociolinguistics, language contact and change, linguistic taboos in the Sudanese context, linguistic landscape, language ideologies and identities and the cultural politics of English in Sudan. I have participated in several conferences, symposia and workshops at the local and international levels in related areas of interest. I equally organized a number of workshops in sociolinguistics at the local level.