Signs of multilingualism in the urban linguistic landscapes of Fiji and Vanuatu

Reflections of National Identity

Bibliographic Data

ID2999530
AuthorsFiona Willans (0000-0002-5456-5897, School of Language, Arts & Media, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji, corresponding author), Jim Gure (University of the South Pacific), Salanieta Koro (School of Language, Arts & Media, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji)
Year2020
Volume26
Issue4
Pages475-498
Publication date2020-07-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Identities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1350-4630 • E-ISSN: 1363-0296
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13504630.2020.1772742
OpenAlexW3033527593
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited15

This paper examines the visibility of different languages within the landscapes of two capital cities, Suva (Fiji) and Port Vila (Vanuatu), as an exploration of symbolic constructions of national identity. Data from digital photographs is analysed from four different angles: the languages that appear to be used to serve and sell to the multilingual public of each city; the languages that are found on top-down official signage; the presence or absence of the indigenous languages of the land from which independent nations have been created; and the fusions of multiple linguistic resources together as signs of a national linguistic hybridity that is meaningful to all

Aesthetics · Geography · Hybridity · Indigenous · Interactive kiosk · Linguistic landscape · Linguistics · Multilingualism · National identity · Political science · Signage · Sociology · Symbolic capital · Visibility · Visual arts · Anthropology · Computer Science · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Law · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Multilingual Education and Policy

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