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

Abstract

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.

Presupposing Authenticity Through Typographic Traits in Commercial Signs

“…They have focused on authentication processes (Lacoste et al, 2014) related to single words (Strandberg, 2020); sublexical parts, such as graphemes and diacritical marks (Presutti, 2021;2022;Strandberg, 2020); calligraphy (Zhou et al, 2013), and typography (Järlehed, 2015;Presutti, 2023). Moreover, other studies focused on the authenticity expressed by the use of non-dominant languages or writing systems which can highlight in specific urban locations a grapho-visual otherness with the dominant linguistic and grapho-linguistic systems (Lyons et al, 2015;Moriarty, 2015;Wu et al, 2020).…”

Exploring the Linguistic Landscape of Cities Through Crowdsourced Data

“…A similar development can be seen in linguistic landscapes research. In the last few years, quantitatively oriented studies that capture and analyze linguistic landscapes statistically and with the help of technical aids are gaining more attention compared with traditional, more qualitative ethnographic analyses (Lyons and Rodríguez-Ordóñez 2017). In addition to computational data analysis, this includes crowdsourcing apps that can be used to collect, process, and visualize data together with the public (Gaiser and Matras 2016).…”