Session Information
31 SES 03 A, Multilingualism and Literacy
Paper Session
Contribution
The topic of linguistic landscape (LL) and educational space has caught the attention of Latvian scholars in the last decade. Studies examine the use of language and its representation in society, especially in the public sphere, where languages interact with cultural, political, and social structures, as well as in educational materials. (Gorter, Marten, & Mensel, 2019; Burr, Griķe, & Krieviņa, 2022; Pošeiko, & Murinska, 2023; Martena, 2024).
The study of the linguistic landscape allows us to understand how languages interact with space and society, shaping identities, social hierarchies and relationships between different language groups. It is an important tool for analysing language policy, linguistic diversity and how language is used to reinforce or challenge power structures. Research indicates that the linguistic landscape reflects both the presence of dominant languages and other languages, providing insight into the language choices of a society and their changes.
International research highlights that linguistic landscapes are also an important pedagogical tool that can help in education by promoting language understanding and critical thinking. (Bernardo-Hinesley, 2020; Bever, & Richardson, 2020; Burr, S, 2021; Krompák, Fernández-Mallat, & Meyer, (Eds.), 2021; Malinowski, Maxim & Dubreil, 2020; Lozano, Jiménez-Caicedo, & Abraham, 2020).
These studies contribute to understanding how language, space, and society interact in various learning and everyday situations. Overall, linguistic landscapes offer a valuable perspective on the role of language in education, with a particular emphasis on its relationship to linguistic diversity, identity, and social processes. It becomes an important teaching and learning tool that helps students not only acquire language, but also understand its context and impact on society.
By incorporating linguistic landscape research into the teaching process, educators can promote critical thinking, strengthen language skills, and create opportunities to learn outside of traditional classrooms, thereby ensuring a more complete education in today's multilingual world.
The aim of our research is to review the research conducted so far on the linguistic landscape of Latvia, to document the linguistic landscape in different regions of Latvia, focusing on the visibility and role of languages (Latvian, English and minority languages). By examining public signs and other visible texts in cities and rural areas, the project aims to bridge the gap between real multilingual practice and language education in the classroom.
Research Questions
1. How does public space reflect the multilingual nature of Latvia in the context of social and political change?
2. How does a critical analysis of the linguistic landscape promote language learning and shape attitudes towards multilingualism and national identity?
Method
Method Mixed research: field research, content analysis and survey Study sample Linguistic landscape of Latvia Measurements - All types of visible texts: the study will examine public signs, advertisements, street names, company names, educational institution signs and other visible texts that indicate language use and diversity. - Photography and annotations: Photographs will be taken from different regions, with annotations indicating language use and the role of the texts included in it. - Interviews with local residents and expert groups: In order to obtain qualitative information, interviews will be conducted with local residents and expert groups (language policy specialists, teachers, sociologists) to understand the motivations for language use and the impact on local culture. Procedure 1. Documenting the linguistic landscape 1.1 Selection and sampling of regions The study will include different regions of Latvia to ensure the diversity of the territories represented. Both cities (Riga, Daugavpils, Liepāja) and smaller settlements and rural areas will be selected. The study will take into account different administrative districts that may reflect regional differences in language use and accessibility. 1.2 Data collection methods - All types of visible texts: public signs, advertisements, street names, company names, educational institution signs and other visible texts that indicate language use and diversity. - Photography and annotations. - Interviews with local residents and expert groups: to obtain qualitative information.
Expected Outcomes
740 / 5 000 The research is carried out with the aim of finding new knowledge and developing and publishing practical guidelines that would promote language learning and strengthen national identity. Conclusions based on the obtained data on the composition of the linguistic landscape: - code switching, translanguaging as a new feature in metropolitan texts, - discussion of creativity versus language norms; - Aspects of diversity and language policy reflected in public texts. - Understanding language policy and its impact from a teaching perspective. Recommendations and guidelines - Recommendations on how to integrate linguistic landscape analysis and its importance in language education into the teaching process. - What methods best help to critically analyze linguistic diversity and its impact on society.
References
Bever, O. L. G. A., & Richardson, D. I. A. N. E. (2020). Linguistic landscape as a tool for literacy-based language teaching and learning: Application for the foreign language classroom. Reterritorializing linguistic landscapes: Questioning boundaries and opening spaces, 364-386. Bernardo-Hinesley, S. (2020). Linguistic landscape in educational spaces. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 3(2), 13-23. Burr, S., Griķe, A. E., & Krieviņa, K. (2022). Look at the Graves!: Cemeteries as Guided Tourism Destinations in Latvia. In The Palgrave Handbook of Digital and Public Humanities (pp. 459-477). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Burr, S. (2021). Linguistic Landscape Signs in E-Textbooks: Teaching Language as A Compass for Exploring Multimodal Texts, Multilingualism, and Digital Resources. Human, Technologies And Quality Of Education, 937. Gorter, D., Marten, H. F., & Van Mensel, L. (2019). Linguistic landscapes and minority languages (pp. 481-506). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.). (2021). Linguistic landscapes and educational spaces (Vol. 98). Multilingual Matters. Lozano, M. E., Jiménez-Caicedo, J. P., & Abraham, L. B. (2020). Linguistic landscape projects in language teaching: Opportunities for critical language learning beyond the classroom. Language teaching in the linguistic landscape: Mobilizing pedagogy in public space, 17-42. Malinowski, D., Maxim, H. H., & Dubreil, S. (2020). Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape. Springer International Publishing. Marten, H. F., Van Mensel, L., & Gorter, D. (2012). Studying Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape. In Minority languages in the linguistic landscape (pp. 1-15). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK. Marten, H. F. (2023). Linguistic landscape under strict state language policy: Reversing the Soviet legacy in a regional centre in Latvia. Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS)[Zweitveröffentlichung]. Marten, H. F., Lazdina, S., Pošeiko, S., & Murinska, S. (2023). Between old and new killer languages? Linguistic transformation, Linguae Francae and languages of tourism in the Baltic states. In Linguistic landscapes, multilingualism and social change (pp. 289-308). Peter Lang. Martena, S. (2024). Review of Burr (2020): Ceļvedis pilsētu tekstu izpētē. Populārzinātnisks izdevums valodniecībā. Linguistic Landscape, 10(1), 107-110.
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