The Linguistic Landscape in China: Commodification, Image Construction, Contestations and Negotiations

✍ Scribed by Yanmei Han, Guowen Shang

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2024
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 189
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book explores the linguistic landscape of various cities in China, systematically examining the intricate relationship among language policy, language ideologies, and visible multilingualism in the public space. Framed in the spatial triad encompassing spatial practice, conceived space and lived space, this study conceptualizes linguistic landscape practices, language policy and residents’ perception as three interconnected dimensions of linguistic landscape to unpack the motives, manipulations, contestations and negotiations behind the language display in China, a highly regulated society that attaches great significance to language planning. Taking the linguistic landscape of key cities as cases, this book demonstrates how linguistic landscape mediates city governance and image/identity construction, ontestations and negotiations in language ideologies, and in what ways the agency of linguistic landscape contributes to the harmony of language life in the multilingual society.

The book is unique in three aspects. First, it is the first book with a keen focus on mapping the linguistic landscape in the Chinese contexts. Second, it uncovers the relationship between linguistic diversity on display and macro issues concerning city image construction, language politics and language ideologies. Third, it provides a lens to look into China’s governance of the public space and instrumentalization of multiple languages in the globalized era.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Contents
About the Authors
1 Introduction
1.1 Overview of Linguistic Landscape Studies
1.1.1 Definitions of Linguistic Landscape
1.1.2 Functions of Linguistic Landscape
1.1.3 Classification of Signs
1.1.4 Perspectives of Linguistic Landscape Studies
1.2 Theoretical Approaches to Linguistic Landscape
1.2.1 Sociological Approach 
1.2.2 Geosemiotic Approach
1.2.3 Triad Linguistic Landscape Analytical Model
1.2.4 Ethnographic Approach
1.3 Language Situations in China
1.4 Linguistic Landscape Research in China
1.5 The Current Study
References
Part I Commodification of Multilingual Practices
2 Displaying and Commodifying English on Shop Name Signs
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Language Management on Commercial Signs
2.3 English Uses on Shop Name Signs
2.3.1 Research Sites and Data Collection
2.3.2 Visibility and Salience of English Signs
2.3.3 English Forms on Shop Name Signs
2.4 Business Practitioners’ Perspectives on English Shop Signs
2.4.1 English Competence of Business Runners
2.4.2 Motivations for Presenting English on Shop Name Signs
2.5 Discussion
2.5.1 Commodification of English on Commercial Signs
2.5.2 English Vogue and China’s Linguistic Landscape Policies
2.5.3 English and Identity Construction
2.6 Summary
References
3 Variations of Linguistic Landscape in Commercial Areas
3.1 Three Commercial Areas in Guangzhou
3.2 Language Practices in the Three Commercial Areas
3.2.1 Language Visibility and Salience
3.2.2 Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese
3.2.3 The Use of Cantonese on Signage
3.3 Translocalization and Social Rescaling in the Linguistic Landscape
3.4 Linguistic Resources as Commodified Products
References
4 Intertextuality in the Linguistic Landscape
4.1 Recontextualization and Discourse-Historical Approach to the Study of Linguistic Landscape
4.2 Language Practices of Intercultural Intertextuality
4.2.1 Direct Intertextuality
4.2.2 Creative Intertextuality
4.2.3 Interdiscursivity
4.2.4 Multimodal Intertextuality
4.3 Paths and Functions of Intercultural Intertextuality
4.4 Summary
References
Part II Construction of Urban and National Images
5 Unpacking the Language Dynamics in the Top-Down Linguistic Landscape
5.1 Language Management of the Public Signs
5.2 Language Practices on Official Signage
5.2.1 Code Choice
5.2.2 Code Preference
5.2.3 The Uses of English Language
5.2.4 The Uses of Traditional Chinese Characters
5.3 Public Attitudes Towards the Language Uses on Public Signs
5.3.1 Public Awareness of the Urban Multilingualism
5.3.2 Purposes of Urban Multilingualism
5.3.3 Necessity of Urban Multilingualism
5.3.4 Attitudes Towards Language Variations on Signs
5.4 Discussion
5.4.1 Linguistic Landscape Policy in Metropolitan Cities
5.4.2 Standardized English and City Images
5.4.3 Rationalist Attitude Toward Urban Multilingualism
5.5 Summary
References
6 A Diachronic Approach to the Linguistic Landscape of Shenzhen
6.1 Introduction of Shenzhen
6.2 A Diachronic Approach and Data Collection
6.3 Perceived Space of Shenzhen Linguistic Landscape
6.3.1 A Diachronic Comparison
6.3.2 The Perceived Linguistic Landscape in Recent Years
6.4 Conceived Space of Shenzhen Linguistic Landscape
6.5 Significance of Linguistic Landscape to the City
References
Part III Contestations and Negotiations in Ideologies
7 Valorizing Cantonese in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobility, Complexity and Unpredictability
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Cantonese Use in Guangzhou
7.3 Superdiversity and Ethnography in Linguistic Landscape Studies
7.4 An Ethnographic Approach to Cantonese Signage
7.4.1 Cantonese Use in the Historic Site of Ancient Whampoa Anchorage
7.4.2 Cantonese Use in the Central Business District
7.4.3 Cantonese Use in an Urban Village
7.4.4 Cantonese Use of a Government Agency
7.5 Residents’ Perceptions of Cantonese Use
7.6 Summary
References
8 Localization and Globalization in Linguistic Landscape
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Linguistic Landscape in HK After Its Return to China
8.3 Data Collection
8.4 Language Use on Signage in the Surveyed Areas
8.4.1 English Use in the Linguistic Landscape
8.4.2 Cantonese Use in the Linguistic Landscape
8.4.3 Use of Simplified and Traditional Chinese in the Linguistic Landscape
8.4.4 Competition and Integration of Various Scripts
8.5 Summary
References
9 Conclusion
9.1 Commodification of Multilingual Practices
9.2 Construction of City and National Image
9.2.1 City Image Construction
9.2.2 National Image Construction
9.3 Contestations and Negotiations in Language Ideologies
9.4 Possibilities of Linguistic Landscape Management in China
References