Σεμινάρια της Τρίτης του ΕΕΠΓ - ΑΝΟΙΞΗ 2024

Linguistic Landscape Studies as a Reflection of Multilingualism in the United States

Robert A. Troyer
Western Oregon University

Περίληψη/ Abstract

As of 2023, Linguistic Landscape (LL) scholars had published over 100 studies in the United States context. This presentation provides an overview of this body of work which spans more than two decades. The progression of US-based LL studies over the years exemplifies global developments in the emergence of this field from a focus on perceptions of ethnolinguistic vitality to geosemiotic explorations of public space to the examination of multimodal discourse constructions of identity. This body of work is also a reflection of the linguistic contexts in the US, which despite a history of multilingualism and a laissez faire approach to language policy, is primarily monolingual English in the public sphere. However, studies of the LL in the US can document and legitimize language variation that promotes pluralistic ideologies, minority language maintenance, and societal multilingualism.
After a brief introduction to LL studies, the presentation will describe the historical growth of LL studies in the US context. This is followed by a discussion of the geographical dispersion of LL research in the US and its connection to demographics and multilingualism. One trend that has emerged in these LL studies is an emphasis on a particular minority language; thus, an examination of the languages documented in the publications will address the role of Spanish and other languages vis a vis English as the defacto language of the US as well as prominent themes among the studies. A novel method of conceptualizing studies of the LL is presented here by categorizing studies based on their orientations toward ‘situatedness’—the degree to which an LL publication is grounded in empirical analysis of a specific place, time, variety, or modality. Within this framework, it is possible to distinguish between several types of LL study, for example, those focused on urban multilingual settings, specific events and processes like political demonstrations, discourses such as COVID signage or social media, or applications of LL to language pedagogy. Following these various characterizations of LL research in the US, we will consider topics that are absent in this body of work, suggestions for future directions, and potential uses of this overview for scholars in other countries.