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Abstract This introduction to the special issue situates cemeteries as culturally and linguistically rich “heterotopias” that negotiate societal values, identities, and power structures. It positions gravestones, grave and cemetery layouts, and funerary practices as dynamic expressions of social norms, revealing how communities construct meaning through these elements. Particular attention is given to multilingual contexts, where gravestones serve as discursive practices that encode tensions, affiliations, and identities. It contextualizes the articles contained in this special issue and underscores cemeteries’ significance as linguistic landscapes for historical sociolinguistic inquiry.
Kühl et al. (Thu,) studied this question.