Signs in the linguistic landscape as markers of an ethnic group’s identity and ownership

Abstract

Whereas the geography of a certain area is certainly linked in many ways to the ethnic group occupying it (or who used to occupy it), the link between the land and the language/s spoken (or that used to be spoken) can only become visible through the linguistic landscape, which not only asserts identity and ownership but can also help to reinforce prestige and vitality of the languages employed. The problem is that if the local heritage language is a minority or regional one, only in few cases can it be used to affirm the identity and ownership of its speakers. There are two sine qua non conditions for the local language to appear in the linguistic landscape: 1) The language must have gone beyond the 'threshold of literacy', i.e. it must have developed as a written language, with its own orthography and literature; 2) The language must be allowed to be used in the linguistic landscape and/or enjoy a degree of official recognition. This article presents five case studies on the presence of local minority/regional languages in the linguistic landscape based on the author’s research: two in Italy (Udine and Milan) and two in Southeast Asia (Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Seri Begawan, the capitals of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam respectively). The very interesting situation in Macao will also be touched on, where the colonial language, Portuguese, has been given prominence in the linguistic landscape in spite of the fact that only a tiny percentage of the population can speak it. In this case, Portuguese is portrayed as a kind of heritage language (as well as an international language) that does not need to be mastered as its main function is symbolic, i.e. to help Macao retain its special status as a Special Administration Region of China.

A Panorama of Linguistic Landscape Studies

“…In Malaysia, a language policy is in place that prescribes the use of Malay in signage and advertisements. The law from 1972 stipulates that Malay has to appear prominently on all signage, and this was reaffirmed in 2007 (Coluzzi, 2020;. This policy and its complex language situation make Malaysia an interesting place for linguistic landscape studies.…”

“…Other languages have a more limited presence and are seen as less important. The respondents interviewed by Coluzzi and Kitade (2015) were, in general, satisfied with the status quo and they considered English as the international language that is useful for obtaining economic, cultural and educational advantages.…”

“…One of the explanations the authors give for these patterns is the economic value of multilingual signage for the business owners. Coluzzi and Kitade (2015) studied places of worship in Kuala Lumpur. They found that depending on the ethnic or religious group attending the place, the dominant language on display was the ethnic language plus English, while Malay was little used.…”

“…Since 1988, a law has prescribed the use of Jawi next to Roman script, but on top and twice as big. Coluzzi (2011Coluzzi ( , 2012Coluzzi ( , 2020 has studied the linguistic landscape of the capital of Brunei. His main finding was that English and Malay (in Jawi or Roman script or both) were more or less equally dominant, on 79.4% and 82.2% of signs, whereas he encountered Chinese on 18.6% of signs (n = 102) (Coluzzi, 2011: 227-228).…”

“…Their results are more detailed, but by and large are in agreement with the results of Neves (2016). According to Coluzzi's (2020) small-scale research in the main central square of Macao, most of the 56 signs were trilingual with Chinese, Portuguese and English and only one with Italian, so he observed slightly more Portuguese than English. Radwańska-Williams (2018) investigated signs in the main street of the historical center of Macao.…”