Linguistic landscapes – Page 3 – Language on the Move

Linguistic landscapes

French – the brand

Installment #6 in the mini-series on multilingual signage Multilingualism sells! Some forms of multilingualism that is. In the world of marketing, languages operate like brands: they are a signifier for…

Ingrid PillerMay 19, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Banal nationalism for breakfast

Installment #5 in the mini-series on multilingual signage Signage not only appears in public space. Through our consumption of all kinds of products, we bring a multiplicity of signs into…

Ingrid PillerMay 15, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Toiletology

Installment #4 in the mini-series on multilingual signage Toilets as an object of sociolinguistic research?! Not likely?! Think again! Today, I am going to discuss toilet signage as an indicator…

Ingrid PillerMay 7, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Multilingual prohibitions

Installment #3 in the mini-series on multilingual signage The lovers of English poetry among you will recall how the phrase “Betreten verboten” (“No trespassing”) encapsulates his alienation from Berlin and…

Ingrid PillerMay 3, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

English, the non-language

Installment #2 in the mini-series on multilingual signage Much of the signage that can be found in contemporary public spaces is commercial. It is a form of advertising, and language…

Ingrid PillerApril 29, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

The magic of English

Over the next few weeks my introductory sociolinguistics students are doing a group work task in which they explore the linguistic landscape in their suburb and relate the visibility of…

Ingrid PillerApril 27, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

On the fine line between humour and racism

The supermarkets of Germany are the site of a more sinister example of multilingual diversity marketing. The pictured chip packet leaps off the shelf with its mix of German, English…

Emily FarrellJanuary 18, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Transliterated brand names

London Dairy ad on a building in Abu Dhabi, UAE Igloo ad on truck in Abu Dhabi, UAE I’ve just come across a 2006 University of South Africa MA thesis investigating…

Ingrid PillerJanuary 15, 2010

Linguistic landscapes

Croc warning

I took a picture of this sign during a family holiday in Cairns. My then-six-year-old daughter noticed the German “Achtung” and so asked why it didn’t say “Warning” in her…

Ingrid PillerDecember 4, 2009

Linguistic landscapes

Ridiculous English signs

Ridiculous English signs English speakers sometimes like to amuse themselves with ridiculous English signage from around the world. www.engrish.com is a typical example and I have to admit that there…

Ingrid PillerNovember 26, 2009

Linguistic landscapes

Halloween Mystery

This chocolate wrapper turned up in my child’s trick-or-treat bag and now we don’t know which language Prestÿ is! Anyone out there who can help? One dad in our trick-or-treating…

Ingrid PillerNovember 2, 2009

French – the brand

Banal nationalism for breakfast

Multilingual prohibitions

English, the non-language

The magic of English

On the fine line between humour and racism

Transliterated brand names

Ridiculous English signs

Halloween Mystery

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