Publisher:

Instytut Języka Polskiego Polskiej Akademii Nauk

Place of publishing:

Kraków

Abstract:

According to Pavlenko (2010), linguistic landscape (LL ) studies cannot be fully understood without consideringthe past. Consistent with this idea is conceptualising LL research as a diachronic process. In this study,we explore the LL of George Town (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Penang in Malaysia, which is filledwith evidence of historical changes from the past until its current state. A unique characteristic of GeorgeTown is its blend of different languages, which are displayed on shop signs and can be traced back to the late18th century. To understand the social and historical changes that have taken place in George Town, data wasgathered from several resources, including personal narratives by shop owners and historical artefacts suchas postcards, books, and brochures obtained from the heritage centre. A geosemiotic approach is adoptedto categorise, analyse, and interpret the subsequent collection of shop signs. In terms of the materiality of signsand their linguistic content, the findings reveal that old shop signs from the British colonial period wereengraved on wooden boards and mostly written in Chinese or English. After Malaysia gained independence,metal signboards and non-standard Malay were used. In 1975, several Malay terms were changed, and shopowners started using Modern Standard Malay on signs. Currently, shop signs are more multi-modal, colourful,and most likely made of polycarbonate. More recent signs also light up at night. Through a diachronicexamination of the LL , we reflect on how phenomena such as globalisation and technological innovation arehaving an impact on the nature of George Town’s shop signs, and the materiality of these signs.

Relation:

Socjolingwistyka

Volume:

33

Start page:

209

End page:

230

Detailed Resource Type:

Article

Format:

PDF

Resource Identifier:

oi.org/10.17651/SOCJOLING.33.13 ; oai:rcin.org.pl:164641

Language:

eng

Language of abstract:

eng

Rights:

Rights Reserved - Free Access

Terms of use:

Copyright-protected material. May be used within the limits of statutory user freedoms

Access:

Open