Degrees of authenticity

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.

Examining social class and multilingualism through the Linguistic Landscape

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.

Developing beginning language learners’ (meta-)cultural understanding via student-led Linguistic Landscape research

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.

Perceptions of invisible Zhuang minority language in Linguistic Landscapes of the People’s Republic of China and implications for language policy

The article presents data from a 2013–2019 ethnography of Zhuang language policy to support an analysis of implications for language policy research and scholarship of findings about the (in)visibility of publicly displayed Zhuang. The analysis challenges core assumptions of language policy-making, advocacy and scholarship and explicates the general implications of this challenge beyond China, particularly for minority languages. The most important assumption that this article interrogates is that a written language on display will be recognised as that language by its speakers. Further, it argues that literacy, script, and other language policies impact on display policies and must work together; they do not in the Zhuang case. In making a case for language policy informed by ethnographic research, this article reviews the foundations of socially-situated analyses of Linguistic Landscapes. To galvanise further such research and articulate it to policy-makers, the article employs the term ‘lived landscape approach’.

Diaspora and Asian spaces in a transnational world

Earlier versions of the papers in this Special Issue of Linguistic Landscape were originally presented at XIScape, the Eleventh Linguistic Landscape Workshop in Bangkok. As the first ever Linguistic Landscape Workshop convened in Asia, it afforded scholars from six continents, many of whom had never had the chance to attend a LL workshop in the past, the opportunity to present their work and to hear what others were doing. Some adhered strictly to the workshop theme, “East Meets West: Social Reflection and Integration.” Others interpreted the theme more loosely. Still others overlooked it. The result was a program of approximately seventy papers on a diverse range of topics employing an eclectic array of theoretical frameworks and methodologies.