Linguistic landscape of Pyla, a bi-communal village in Cyprus: multilingualism, ethnolinguistic vitality and internationalisation

Abstract

This study investigated the linguistic landscape (LL) of Pyla, a bi-communal village in Cyprus. The data collection and analysis were based on the geosemiotics theoretical framework. The researcher created a corpus of visible linguistic signs photographed during the fieldwork with a focus on bottom-up and top-down signs in Pyla. The analysis of the data showed that the overall pattern of Pyla's LL was monolingual, with English playing a prominent role. However, bilingual, and multilingual signs were also present, with English, Greek and Turkish being the dominant language constellation. The LL in Pyla is indicative of its ethnolinguistic vitality as a bi-communal village inhabited by both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot populations; the LL also reveals the agency of the sign creators and owners regarding the choice of languages and the content of the signs, as well as such processes as internationalisation, commodification and linguistic instrumentalism. The importance of this study stems from its goal to deepen the understanding of linguistic landscape (LL) and multilingualism in Cyprus. It specifically analyses both private and public signage in the mixed village of Pyla, while considering the island's geopolitical division and the role of English as a mediating language in the process of peacebuilding.

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