English usage in the linguistic landscape of Balikpapan’s main thoroughfares

Numerous research in linguistic landscape (LL) have shown that the languages exhibited on signage in city space can offer an abundant resource enabling language learning in “real-life” situations. However, there are rare studies investigate the pedagogical value from the perspective of the learners. Taking English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in China as research subjects, a qualitative and quantitative combined method was adopted in this study to survey three groups of students’ beliefs about the pedagogical value of LL (classified as senior high school students, undergraduate students, and postgraduate students). The findings show that almost students hold a positive attitude toward English in LL, but with the different knowledge base, learning methods and ideology of “standard” English usage, the learners show different perceptions towards the specific issues on to what extent the English in LL can help them to learn English.

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Understanding the Dynamics of English in the Linguistic Landscapes of Guangzhou

International Journal of Modern Languages And Applied Linguistics ◽

10.24191/ijmal.v5i1.12851 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 31-50

Author(s):

Junhua Peng ◽

◽

Nor Shahila Mansor ◽

Lay Hoon Ang ◽

Zalina Mohd Kasim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Life ◽

Language Change ◽

Southern China ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Linguistic Landscape ◽

Guangzhou City ◽

Code Mixing ◽

Southern Chinese ◽

English Usage ◽

The Public Sphere

Linguistic landscape is a study field covering all linguistic objects in public spaces. It provides an important perspective for investigating the dynamics of social life and language change in given territories. Guangzhou, a significant commercial center in southern China, is renowned for its globalized development. With the growth of globalization, the increasing intrusion of English and the emerging English varieties have occurred in the urban linguistic landscapes of Guangzhou City. Therefore, this descriptive qualitative study collected English usage in the public sphere by taking pictures of private signs in two commercial centers. Monolingual and bilingual public signage displayed in public spaces shows that English has been an important foreign language widely used in Guangzhou's cityscape. Meanwhile, the use of English in Guangzhou is somewhat affected by local languages, a phenomenon called glocalization. The misuse of English, code-mixing between Chinese and English, and emerging English varieties are the product of glocalization. This study can shed light on the present linguistic situation of English in Guangzhou. Additionally, it provides evidence for the development process of glocalized English and translanguaging practice in southern Chinese communities.

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Language, Politics and Society in the Middle East

10.3366/edinburgh/9781474421539.001.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Abeer AlNajjar

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Linguistic Landscape ◽

Language Politics ◽

Road Signs ◽

Grassroots Initiatives ◽

Language And Politics ◽

Development Of Language ◽

Core Questions ◽

The Relationship ◽

Shed Light

This book aims to shed light on core questions relating to language and society, language and conflict, and language and politics, in relation to a changing Middle East. While the book focuses on Arabic, it goes way beyond a purely linguistic analysis by bringing to the fore a set of pressing questions about the relationship between Arabic and society. For example, it touches on the development of language policy via an examination of administrative mandates (top-down) in contrast to grassroots initiatives (bottom-up); the deeper layers of the linguistic landscape that highlight the connection between politics, conflict, identity, road signs and street names; Arabic studies and Arabic identity and the myriad ways countries deal simultaneously with globalisation while also seeking to strengthen local and national identity, and more.

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Perceptions of Palestine: The View from Large Linguistic Datasets

Journal of Palestine Studies ◽

10.1525/jps.2016.45.2.41 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 41-54

Author(s):

Terry Regier

Keyword(s):

Language Use ◽

Cultural Norms ◽

Cultural Perceptions ◽

Cultural Changes ◽

Cultural Shift ◽

General Theme ◽

English Usage ◽

English Speaking ◽

English Speaking World

Cultural norms and trends are often reflected in patterns of language use. This article explores cultural perceptions of Palestine and Palestinians in the English-speaking world, through two analyses of large linguistic datasets. The first analysis seeks to uncover current conceptions of participants in the Israel-Palestine conflict, by identifying words that are distinctively associated with those participants in modern English usage. The second analysis asks what historical-cultural changes led to these current conceptions. A general theme that emerges from these analyses is that a cultural shift appears to have occurred recently in the English-speaking world, marked by greater awareness of Palestinian perspectives on the conflict. Possible causes for such a cultural shift are also explored.

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