Dresden Sign Language Festival 2026

Dresden Sign Language Festival 2026: Discover German Sign Language

How do sign languages develop? What dialects exist? And how do figurative and idiomatic signs emerge? The Dresden Sign Language Autumn 2026 invites you to explore German Sign Language (DGS) from various academic perspectives.

In October and November 2026, three exciting lectures featuring experts in sign language research await you. Topics range from the development of sign vocabulary to linguistic diversity and language change, as well as metaphors and idioms in DGS.

The lecture series is open to anyone interested in sign language, language, and communication. Those without prior knowledge are also warmly welcome.

The event will be accompanied by interpretation into German Sign Language.

The Program

October 22, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 p.m.

Diagnosis of Sign Vocabulary Development: Standardized and Dynamic Methods

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Mann, University of Cologne

October 27, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 p.m.

Linguistic Variation in Sign Language: Dialects, International Sign, and Language Change

Cornelia Ruppert, LMU Munich

November 11, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 p.m.

Idiomatic Signs and Metaphorical Mapping in German Sign Language (DGS)

Prof. Dr. Markus Steinbach and Bengt Förster, University of Göttingen

Venue

TU Dresden, Auditorium Center (HSZ), Room 403
Bergstraße 64, 01069 Dresden

This lecture series is part of the Dresden Sign Language Fall 2026.
It is part of the project “Focus on DGS—Metaphors, Idioms, and Academic Phrases.”

Contact person and project director: Dr. Bin Zhang, Research Associate at the Chair of German Linguistics and Language History.

Discover the diversity of German Sign Language and gain new perspectives on language and communication!