LL explorations and methodological challenges

Blackwood, Robert

doi:10.1075/ll.1.1-2.03bla

Cited by 58 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Following Backhaus (2007), we define a sign as "any piece of text within a spatially definable frame" (66) and recorded signs that were visible from the perspective of a passerby on the sidewalk. While this approach may have left out smaller signs (such as stickers or business cards) present in Pilsen's LL, we follow the point brought up in Huebner (2009) and re-addressed in Blackwood (2015) that it is problematic in a quantitative analysis to assign "equal weight" to significantly less visible signs (e.g. stickers) and larger signs (e.g.…”

Section: The Studymentioning

confidence: 71%

Quantifying the Linguistic Landscape: A Study of Spanish-English Variation in Pilsen, Chicago

Lyons¹,

Rodriguez²

2017

Preprint

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Study of speech and written texts has provided significant insight regarding linguistic variation and its social correlates. Variation in the representation or display of language, however, remains a relatively understudied phenomenon. With this in mind, we present a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the variation observed in the Linguistic Landscape (LL) of Pilsen, Chicago. A community undergoing perceived processes of gentrification, Pilsen is an active site of economic, sociocultural change as well as newly intensified language contact. To investigate Pilsen's displayed language variation, we implement a series of logistic regression models that analyze the distribution of both language and contextual framing observed on signs in four key areas in Pilsen. In doing so, we present an informed means with which to understand the sociolinguistic context of Pilsen as a community undergoing change and provide a replicable framework for future study of LLs that experience similar dynamics.

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Section: The Studymentioning

confidence: 71%

Quantifying the Linguistic Landscape: A Study of Spanish-English Variation in Pilsen, Chicago

Lyons¹,

Rodriguez²

2017

Preprint

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“…This has seen a general departure from 'counting signs' (Blackwood, 2015) towards more focussed analyses of smaller numbers of objects. Whilst such an approach undoubtedly captures the superdiverse details exhibited in parts of the LL, it does not permit a comparative evaluation of multiple data within this.…”

Section: Ll: a Methodological Battlegroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This level of granularity has been encouraged in the qualitative arm of the field (Coupland & Garrett, 2010;Kallen, 2010;Leeman & Modan, 2009), though it has yet to be applied quantitatively. Rather, a fallback to the qualitative suggests that the complexity of variation in the LL is not easily adapted into an empirical model (Blackwood, 2015).…”

Section: Research Questions and Methodologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Chinatown by numbers

Amos

2021

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This article explores the potential of the LL to evaluate ethnically-defined spaces. Focusing on the area referred to as 'Chinatown' in central Liverpool, it examines the relationships between space, representation, and identity. Interviews with actors and passers-by indicate that the location and definition of Chinatown are interpreted inconsistently. As the article argues, however, the LL contains useful information for locating and qualifying the ethnic space. Scrutinizing both interview data and an empirical corpus of all the texts visible in the space, the article aims to define the borders of Chinatown, and the expression of ethnic identity therein. Whilst testifying to the commodification of aesthetic ideals and symbolic imagery, the LL simultaneously reveals an in-group community representative of authentic Chineseness. Exploring the dynamics of linguistic exclusion and accommodation, the data indicate not only that the identity of Chinatown is multi-layered, but also that its borders are subjective and not definable spatially.

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“…Some researchers (Blackwood 2015;Pavlenko 2010) have taken a diachronic approach to the study of LL. The analysis in this article draws on diachronic website data collected with the help of The Internet Archive, tracing the developments in the use of different languages on the websites of the three Norwegian state institutions from their respective year of launch until 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Language is a costly and complicating factor’: a diachronic study of language policy in the virtual public sector

Berezkina

2016

Lang Policy

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This article examines language policy in the virtual linguistic landscape (VLL) in Norway and its development over time. The analysis is based on diachronic website data and interviews with state employees concerning the presence or absence of different languages on the websites of three central state institutions. The article reveals a linguistic homogenization of the VLL of the public sector in Norway, which is mostly due to the removal of immigrant languages from state websites. The analysis also shows an increased linguistic presence of Nynorsk (the less used written standard of Norwegian), of the indigenous Sámi language, and of English, which performs a 'hypercentral' function. The virtual linguistic ethnography and follow-up interviews show that the websites of the three institutions in focus exist more or less fully only in two language versions: Bokmål (the more widespread written standard of Norwegian) and English. The translations into Nynorsk and Sámi are mainly done to comply with official regulations. Furthermore, immigration, rather than leading to an increased visibility of language diversity in the VLL, can also put pressure towards homogenization. One could perhaps even go so far as to see Norway as the harbinger of change: once multilingual provision has reached a notional peak, there is a chance that more and more state institutions will cut down on 'less than necessary' languages online, opting instead for 'commonsense' English together with the respective official language(s).

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LL explorations and methodological challenges

Cited by 58 publications

References 11 publications

Quantifying the Linguistic Landscape: A Study of Spanish-English Variation in Pilsen, Chicago

Quantifying the Linguistic Landscape: A Study of Spanish-English Variation in Pilsen, Chicago

Chinatown by numbers

‘Language is a costly and complicating factor’: a diachronic study of language policy in the virtual public sector

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