Linguistic landscape as social identity construction of the public space: an empirical study of the plain region of Darjeeling district

Abstract

In the past decade, Linguistic Landscape Studies (LLS) have grown into a robust discipline within sociolinguistics. There is a growing focus on multilingualism within linguistic landscape (LL) scholarship, which is gaining traction in European contexts. However, empirical research conducted in Indian contexts has been notably scarce despite India’s potential as a multilingual society. This study addresses the research gap by focusing on an Indian urban context, i.e. Siliguri. The study aims to explore the social identity construction of Siliguri through LL in light of the theoretical underpinning proposed by Landry and Bourhis (1997) and Ben-Rafael et al. (2006). A total of 446 photographic data were collected and analysed employing a mixed method analysis. The findings show five languages in the LL: English, Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, and Urdu. English is the most commonly used language, followed by Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, and Urdu. Furthermore, the finding shows the city as an emerging commercial hub in the entire North Bengal, leaning towards Western cultural influences and the process of globalisation. The predominant representation of English signs in public spaces also proves their high symbolic value in the city, making it a language with ‘linguistic capital’.

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