The Linguistic Landscape in China: Commodification, Image Construction, Contestations and Negotiations (2024)

By: Yanmei Han and Guowen Shang

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Synopsis: This book explores the linguistic landscape of various cities in China, systematically examining the intricate relationship among language policy, language ideologies, and visible multilingualism in the public space. Framed in the spatial triad encompassing spatial practice, conceived space and lived space, this study conceptualizes linguistic landscape practices, language policy and residents’ perception as three interconnected dimensions of linguistic landscape to unpack the motives, manipulations, contestations and negotiations behind the language display in China, a highly regulated society that attaches great significance to language planning. Taking the linguistic landscape of key cities as cases, this book demonstrates how linguistic landscape mediates city governance and image/identity construction, ontestations and negotiations in language ideologies, and in what ways the agency of linguistic landscape contributes to the harmony of language life in the multilingual society. The book is unique in three aspects. First, it is the first book with a keen focus on mapping the linguistic landscape in the Chinese contexts. Second, it uncovers the relationship between linguistic diversity on display and macro issues concerning city image construction, language politics and language ideologies. Third, it provides a lens to look into China’s governance of the public space and instrumentalization of multiple languages in the globalized era.