English usage in the linguistic landscape of Balikpapan’s main Thoroughfares

ABSTRACT Recognising the global prestige of English and its prominence in Indonesia, this study examines the linguistic landscape of roadside signage alongside main thoroughfares in the Indonesian city of Balikpapan, a provincial city of East Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo. We find that some signs are entirely in Indonesian, some are entirely in English and some combine both languages, while there is an absence of ‘local’ languages in signage. Applying Bakhtin’s theories of heteroglossia in language production, and contextualised by Indonesia’s most recent language laws, we examine the indexical dimensions of language use in signage where Indonesian is a centripetal force towards nationalistic positioning and English represents a centrifugal force, potentially undermining the national language and associated identity positions. Complexity is evident in the deliberate mixing of English with Indonesian languages (code switching) in top-down official signage and in bottom-up non-official signage. We suggest that the ‘invasive’ use of English that conflicts with Indonesian laws reflects a contestation of identity positioning between a centripetal idealised national identity and a centrifugal foreign influence. Of greatest interest is the intersection of these seemingly competing forces through deliberate blended language use (code switching). This suggests complex, hybridised identity positioning that combines nationalistic sentiment with an outward gaze that aspires towards more globalised identity positions.