Signs of belonging

Unveiling the superdiverse tapestry of City Road’s linguistic landscape

Bibliographic Data

ID17812644
AuthorsJosé María Santos Rovira (0000-0001-9501-6870, University of Lisbon, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePragmatics and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1878-9714 • E-ISSN: 1878-9722
PublisherJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/ps.24125.san
OpenAlexW7160022043
LanguageEN
References cited20

This paper explores the linguistic landscape of City Road, Cardiff, using Vertovec’s superdiversity theory to analyse how multiple languages, particularly Arabic script and Chinese characters, shape the public and economic spaces of this diverse urban area. Through a combination of photographic analysis of signage and interviews with shop owners from Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, and China, this study examines how businesses use language to cater to their own communities while navigating the broader, multicultural environment. The research reveals that while most businesses primarily serve their linguistic and cultural groups, the interaction between language, culture, and economy creates a dynamic landscape where identity and commerce intersect. This study highlights how multilingual signage reflects both cultural retention and cross-cultural exchange, contributing to the broader understanding of how superdiversity transforms urban spaces. The conclusions drawn from City Road are applicable to other superdiverse areas around the world, making this analysis relevant for urban studies and sociolinguistics

Arabic · Cultural identity · Identity (music) · Linguistic landscape · Multiculturalism · Semiotics · Signage · Urban landscape · China's Global Influence and Migration · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Multilingual Education and Policy

Tools

Open DOI