Examining social class and multilingualism through the Linguistic Landscape

Abstract

This article presents a methodological proposal for using the Linguistic Landscape (LL) to examine the intersection of multilingualism and social class in urban settings. The article draws from a study that considered how patterns of linguistic diversity in public signage in a mid-sized US city mapped onto socioeconomic levels. The main innovation for LL methodology is the study’s use of census data and geographic information system (GIS) to increase representativeness using two main constructs (social class and linguistic diversity). After presenting the project design, the challenge of creating representative mapping in the LL is considered, with the solutions the research team generated. Finally, we discuss several practical issues specific to doing LL fieldwork in urban contexts: access, safety, and photography.