I am a graduate at the Department of Linguistic and Intercultural Studies, University of Thessaly. During the sixth academic semester I also had the opportunity as a third-year student to participate in Volos Linguistic Landscape Research Diaries. Through our discussions with Ms. Kitsiou we have learned not to take language for granted. Instead, language is a powerful tool with which we can change the world. The subject of Sociolinguistics introduced me to this perspective, but also to concepts such as linguistic sexism, as well as the issue of inclusiveness regarding language. Before I get to the research part, what I would like to point out is that by reaching my third year of studies, I had become acquainted with the concept of contestation and, in particular, the contestation of conventions. All of this, combined with the struggle to make some issues visible and to question others, goes hand in hand with elements of my character such as the defence of equality and social justice. At the same time, my research interests include sexism in public discourse, identity politics, and the phenomena of feminism and homonationalism, taking critical discourse analysis as a starting point. Participating in the Diaries is a new experience for me that has brought me closer to the research process. Through the trails of the linguistic landscape I have discovered that the concept of “seeing” is very different and has many different connotations. Many times I have realised that I do not ‘see’, while others I need to see something all over again or with different lenses. Either way, we have to forget what we knew …
