LLS Methode
Linguistic Living Spaces (LLS) is a creative and reflective method that helps individuals explore their personal language use. Through simple visual mapping, participants discover how their languages function in everyday life — at home, at work, and in the community. Developed by Carola Koblitz in collaboration with multilingual professionals and rooted in minority language research, this tool brings language stories to life and highlights the power of multilingualism.
The Linguistic Living Spaces silhouette was developed in collaboration with an art therapist to foster creative and emotional expression. Placed slightly to the left, it leaves space for notes, reflections, and comments—intentionally avoiding a fixed or home-centered focus. Its slightly irregular lines and varied proportions are designed to invite perspective and depth.
Rooted in art therapy, the method emphasizes: there are no right or wrong answers—just your voice, your story, your languages.
And because expression is personal, participants are always encouraged to turn the page and create their own design on a blank sheet. Your language world, your way.
Ready to explore your linguistic world? Download the silhouette here!
Before starting the creative drawing process, it's important to create a moment of reflection to help participants connect more deeply with their language experiences. This sensitization step helps make the activity more meaningful and expressive.
The method can be done individually or in small groups—flexible and adaptable to your goals. Depending on the focus, you can choose the setting or silhouette that fits best.
To guide this process, we’ve prepared a step-by-step instructive inspired by art therapy, designed to gently open up space for creativity and insight.
The Linguistic Living Spaces method is suitable for all ages – from young children to adults! Its power lies in the personal, visual expression of language experiences.
After completing the drawing activity, we recommend conducting follow-up interviews. These conversations allow for deeper reflection and help make the outcomes more visible and meaningful.
To support this process, we’ve created a suggested interview guide tailored for three groups: Pedagogues (also suitable for adults in general), Adolescents and Children
Want to go even deeper with the Linguistic Living Spaces method?
If time and resources allow, conducting pre-interviews before the drawing activity can offer incredibly valuable insights.
These conversations help set the stage and enrich the understanding of each participant’s linguistic background—making the entire process even more meaningful, especially in research or pedagogical contexts.
While we understand that pre-interviews aren’t always possible, we highly recommend them whenever feasible.
We’ve created a pre-interview guide for three groups: Pedagogues (adults), Adolescents, and Children.
Would you like the interview or session guidelines in German?
No problem! Just contact us using the button below and we’ll be happy to send them to you.
Danke and talk to you soon!
