d. gorter: minority languages in the linguistic landscape: basque and frisian
DESCRIPTION
Durk Gorter; Jasone Cenoz"Minority languages in the linguistic landscape: Basque and Frisian"Ikerbasque / University of the Basque CountryBarcelona, 16 d'octubre de 2008Minority languages in the linguistic landscapeConferència a càrrec de Durk Gorter12 a 14 hores, Sala de ProfessorsOrganitza: CUSC-UB, Càtedra Linguamón i Xarxa CRUSCATTRANSCRIPT
Durk Gorter
Jasone Cenoz
Ikerbasque / University of the Basque Country
Minority languages in the linguistic landscape: Basque and Frisian
Barcelona 16 October 2008
DEFINITIONS
• “Landscape” =
• 1) expanse of scenery
• 2) picture representing such a view
Linguistic landscape defined (1)
Hobbema - Avenue at Middelharnis, 1689
LITERAL &REPRESENTATIONAL
Existing literature• Sciriha, L. and Vassallo, M. (2001) Malta : A Linguistic Landscape.• = language situation
• Labov, W., Ash, S. and Boberg, C. (1997) A National Map of The Regional Dialects of American English.
• = spread and boundaries of dialects
• Tafoya, S.M. (2002) The Linguistic Landscape of California Schools.• = non-English speakers in primary schools
• Hicks, D. (2002) Scotland's linguistic landscape: the lack of policy and planning with Scotland's place-names and signage.
• = signage and place-names
“Linguistic landscape” defined (2)
Linguistic landscape defined (3)
‘The language of public road signs, advertising
billboards, street names, place names, commercial shop signs, and public signs on government buildings combines to form the linguistic landscape of a given territory, region, or urban agglomeration’
(Landry and Bourhis 1997: 25)
Linguistic landscape defined (4)
• Written language(s) in public space
• Language visible in a specified area
• Alternative term: “multilingual cityscape”
Motivation
• Study of linguistic diversity
• Reflect different strengths of languages
• Related to identity and language policy
• Additional source of information
PERSPECTIVES
Conceptual approaches
historical
language policy
semiotics sociolinguistics
education economic
SLA
urban geography
LinguisticLandscape
Historical
• LL as old as writing
• Origin of writing
- urbanisation
- public sphere
• ReadershipMene tekel : “writing on the wall”
Historical
Jerusalem street signs
Spolsky 2008
Model of language policySpolsky 2004
Language
Policy
Language
Practices
Language
Beliefs
Language
Management
Language policy
• Rules and regulations
• Status and corpus planning
• Bilingual signage
• Reflection of traditions and ‘uniqueness’
• Contestation of space
Top-down
• Written by authorities (traffic signs, street names, public notices, etc.)
• = ‘top-down’
Bottom up
• Written by citizens (advertisements, shop signs, graffiti, etc.)
• = ‘bottom-up’
Contested spaces
Slovenes, Austria Brussels, Belgium
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Data collection
Technology
Sampling
Some examples:
• Tokyo: 28 stations (Backhaus 2006)
• Bangkok: 15 neighborhoods (Huebner 2006)
• Israel: 8 localities (Ben Rafael et al 2006)
• Basque Country/Friesland: 2 streets (Cenoz & Gorter 2006)
• Netherlands: 11 locations (Edelman 2008)
• Roma: 4 neighborhoods (Gorter 2008)
Wrappers in street
Crawler Crawler
Sandwich board Posters/signs on trucks/buses
Text on t-shirts, bags, etc
Unit of analysis
Coding
Coding scheme:
type of sign
top-down vs. bottom-up signs
number of languages
languages displayed
conspicuity
repetition
etc.
Data analysis
Special software:
Barni & Bagna 2008
STUDIES on BASQUE and FRISIAN
Basque Country & Friesland:two streets
Boulevard, Donostia Nieuwestad, Ljouwert
Cenoz & Gorter 2006
Basque C.
BAC
Friesland
20.664 km2
7.234 km2
3.339 km2
Size
Population
Basque C
BAC
Friesland
3.000.000
2.100.000
643.000
Navarre
Basque Autonomous Community
IparraldeFriesland
Ljouwert
Donostia
Geography
Sociolinguistic context: speaking
56%
44%
Frisian Dutch
Donostia
33%
67%
Basque Spanish
Ljouwert
Language policy
Recent: since 1979
Normalization
1st Education: strong
2nd Media: strong
3rd Government: medium
Old: gradual 19th C.
Formalization
1st Education: weak
2nd Government: medium
3rd Media: weak
Basque Autonomous Community
Fryslân
Examples of monolingual signs
Basque
Frisian
Dutch
Spanish
English English
Examples of bilingual signs
Donostia Ljouwert
Study of Donostia-Ljouwert
- Pictures all texts n = 975
- Coding-scheme: 16 variables
- Code units n=207, Ljouwert 103, Donostia 104
Number of languages found
64%
36%
0% 0%
Ljouwert
Donostia Ljouwert
Which languages on signsDonostia Ljouwert
Dutch53%
Frisian3%
English6%
Other5%
Fri&Du2%
D&E31%
Prominent language bilingual signs
Dutch, 78%
Frisian, 2%
English, 20%
Donostia Ljouwert
Street interviews
1st tourists visiting the city
Donostia N = 314
Ljouwert N = 251
2nd local inhabitants
Donostia N = 56
Ljouwert N = 76
Second study
Cenoz & Gorter 2008; Aiestaran, Cenoz, Gorter & Hanenburg forthcoming
Stated preference: nr of languages - tourists
Donostia Ljouwert
19%
45%
36%
one two more than two
“How many languages should be used in the language signs?”
Allocation scenario:• “In order to assess and rank your priorities, we
kindly ask you if you were given 100 euros, how would you allocate this amount of money among the following activities?”
Willingness to pay
Scenario: average amounts tourists
Donostia Ljouwert
FURTHER STUDIES
Education
Multicompetence
euskara
español english
euskara
español
english
Languages as a resource
- Languages not in compartments
- Allocation is planned: aesthetic value, symbolic force, audience effect
- Use languages in different ways
- Interaction between different languages
- Mixing blurs lines separate languages
CONCLUSIONS &MAIN TRENDS
• Information function:
- communicate official messages
- communicate with visitors or immigrants
• Symbolic function
Functions
Characteristics
• Visible for all citizens
• Combines public and private sectors
• Can be regulated by authorities
• Linked to economic value (e.g. advertising)
• World-wide phenomenon
• “multilingual cityscapes”
Main trends
• The spread of multilingualism
• The spread of English
• Top-down and bottom-up signs
• The effect of globalization
CONTACT?:
Special issue International Journal of Multilingualism: link
http://www.multilingual-matters.net/ijm/003/1/default.htm
New book on linguistic landscape research: link
http://www.routledgelinguistics.com/books/Linguistic-Landscape-isbn9780415988735
SOURCES can be found in :