Linguistic Landscape - Volume 8, Issue 1, 2022

Abstract

In May 2018, voters in the Republic of Ireland passed a referendum proposal to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, lifting the Irish state’s near-total ban on abortion. Scholars have argued that Ireland’s abortion ban has historically played a key role in the construction of Irish national identity along Catholic, traditional, and heteronormative lines, meaning the lead-up to the vote allowed for key insights into the discursive construction of national identity and gender in Ireland. Drawing on theoretical discussions in both the nationalism and Linguistic Landscape (LL) literature and adopting a qualitative, multimodal approach to analyse the referendum campaign’s LL, I argue that there was a dominant understanding of the relationship between women and Irish national identity, predicated on a positive stance towards Irish identity, while any dissenting voices which questioned whether advancing gender equality was compatible with nationalist ideology were confined to the margins of the debate.

Abstract

This article presents a methodological proposal for using the Linguistic Landscape (LL) to examine the intersection of multilingualism and social class in urban settings. The article draws from a study that considered how patterns of linguistic diversity in public signage in a mid-sized US city mapped onto socioeconomic levels. The main innovation for LL methodology is the study’s use of census data and geographic information system (GIS) to increase representativeness using two main constructs (social class and linguistic diversity). After presenting the project design, the challenge of creating representative mapping in the LL is considered, with the solutions the research team generated. Finally, we discuss several practical issues specific to doing LL fieldwork in urban contexts: access, safety, and photography.

Abstract

Practitioners of additional-language (AL) education have consistently argued for the pedagogical benefits of engaging students in Linguistic Landscape (LL) research. The potential of how LL study may contribute to students’ development in (meta-)cultural understanding is yet to be explored. Additionally, while a number of present studies target students at the intermediate or advanced level, student-led LL research projects designed for learners with beginning AL proficiency are under-explored. This paper seeks to fill these gaps by offering a study of undergraduate students learning Chinese and those learning Korean in their first year in the United States. Analysis of student work and pre- and post-project survey data demonstrates that engaging beginning learners of AL in LL research enables them to develop enriched and nuanced understanding of cultural authenticity as well as a deeper appreciation of their target culture. In other words, it is beneficial for promoting their meta-cultural as well as culture-specific learning.

Abstract

This paper presents a taxonomy of indexicalities attached to Linguistic Landscapes in the city of Manchester, UK, which utilise Vietnamese writing and imagery. The taxonomy contrasts the employment of Vietnamese as a foreign language by a British restaurant chain, as a heritage language by second-generation Vietnamese businesses, and as a first language by first-generation businesses. Through the incorporation of scale analysis, the paper aims to show that while all three types of landscapes index Vietnamese authenticity on the surface level of indexicality, on a higher level, a distinction can be drawn between place-making, identity work, and purely commercial indexicalities. That distinction is argued not to be identifiable in the visual resources of the landscapes themselves, but rather in the shared knowledge drawn on in their interpretation. The paper hopes to further contribute to the theoretical diversity of Linguistic Landscape by demonstrating the compatibility and benefits of scale analysis.

This article reviews What the signs say: reading a changing Brooklyn9780826522788

This article reviews Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space978-3-030-55760-7