linguistic landscapes

Harnessing Linguistic Landscapes for Language Learning: A Comprehensive Guide (5 Key Areas of 25 Awesome Tips)

linguistic landscape

Unleash the power of LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES for language learning with this comprehensive guide. Unlock 25 powerful actionable tips across five key areas, empowering you to engage effortlessly with the environment. Embark on the journey here!

Table of Contents

Have you ever wondered where language resides? In its most common definition as a tool and system of human communication, we tend to associate language in action with humans present in interactions. Yet, language goes beyond those boundaries, manifesting itself diversely in various forms and shapes. The study of LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES gains significance as it reveals how language is ever-present in our environment. As language educators, this revelation holds significant importance for us.

Research in LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES reminds us that language learning can be extended into our everyday environments – the streets we walk, the media we consume, the conversations we hear, and the signs we observe. Leveraging these LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES as resources for language learning can provide a more inclusive, comprehensive, and invigorating learning experience for our learners.

With the skilful use of LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES, we can encourage additional engagement with various facets of language, deepen language awareness, and promote an integrated approach towards learning not just the language but also the culture, norms, and ideologies associated with it. More so, we can use them to stimulate our learners to be critically reflective and analytical, looking beyond the literal words to interpret the underlying meanings, contexts, and connotations.

Let’s embark on this voyage as I present the potential of LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES for language learning. This comprehensive guide presents 21 actionable tips, meticulously categorised into five key areas. By assimilating these transformative insights, we can effortlessly engage with our linguistic surroundings and introduce refreshing insights to our approaches to language education. Let’s start now!

Get real-time updates and BE PART OF THE CONVERSATIONS by joining our online communities on your favourite platforms! Connect with like-minded language educators and get inspired for your next language lesson.

What are LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES? What does a linguistic landscape comprise?

enoshima road signs
A board of commercial signage in Enoshima (Kamakura), Japan

Before we blast off to the tips, allow me to provide absolute clarity regarding the concept of LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES. Where a definition is required, scholars in in the field of linguistic landscape generally employ the one constructed by Landry and Bourhis (1997) as a start:

“The language of public road signs, advertising billboards, street names, place names, commercial shop signs, and public signs on government buildings combines to form the linguistic landscape of a given territory, region, or urban agglomeration.”

In its age of inception, the definition encapsulates well the objects of study within linguistic landscapes, specifically six major types. However, propelled by technological advancements and enriched perspectives engendered by linguistic landscape research, these objects have been expanded into a larger repertoire which include:

  • “fast emerging virtual spaces, the internet and cyber spaces” (Shohamy & Gorter, 2009);
  • “electronic flat-panel displays, touch screens, and scrolling banners” (Gorter & Cenoz, 2017);
  • “posters”; “moving signs such as protest banners, advertisements on buses, etc” (Gorter, 2018);
  • “warning notices and prohibitions”; “building names”; “informative signs (directions, hours of opening)”; “commemorative plaques”; “objects (postbox, police call box)”; and “graffiti” (Spolsky, 2009).

In a nutshell, any physical object that displays the use of language (usually explicit, but may also include implicit elements) within an area of investigation (usually a public space) can be an item of inquiry in the linguistic landscape (including moving objects such as mobile signage which enter the space temporarily). Scholars make further methodological differentiation where necessary to distinguish between objects that are produced by public institutions (e.g. government top-down signs) and those that are constructed by private entities (e.g. bottom-up signs from local businesses, and individuals).

What are the key insights derived from LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE studies?

Research on LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES has very much been couched within sociolinguistics, language policy, multilingualism and education, with interfaces with cultural and economic studies. Simply speaking, a linguistic landscape thus presents a mirror of the societal structure and linguistic diversity of a region, being a complex amalgamation of socio-cultural, historical, political, and economic facets of society. Below are some of the key insights that hold relevance for language learning of which language educators should be cognisant:

  • A linguistic landscape holds informational and symbolic functions of the speech communities that inhabit the geographical location in question. It can influence personal perceptions on relative vitality of languages in the people who interact with it (Landry & Bourhis, 1997);
  • The linguistic landscape mirrors language power and status in a given sociolinguistic setting. Simultaneously, it also shapes this context as people interpret visual information and adjust their perception of the languages and their own language practices (Cenoz & Gorter, 2006; Mensel, Marten & Gorter, 2012; Puzey, 2012);
  • The configuration of a linguistic landscape is partly the function of established protocols and regulations intrinsic to the domain of language management that happens over time (Backhaus, 2009; Spolsky, 2009);
  • Linguistic landscapes represent the material culture of multilingualism. Embedded within these landscapes are numerous physical artefacts that serve as evocative depictions, unraveling the narratives and historical resonance of the multilingual paradigm within a specific geographic domain (Aronin & Ó Laoire, 2012; Pütz & Mundt, 2019);
  • Languages that have higher presence within a given linguistic landscape have more favourable conditions of been maintained by their respective speech communities (Barni & Barna, 2010); and
  • The linguistic landscape can also reflect the relative literacy rates of various communities that reside within a given location (Coulmas, 2009; Spolsky, 2009).

In recent years, studies on linguistic landscapes have ventured much into specialised areas, thus giving birth to a series of new terms “cityscapes”, “schoolscapes”, “educationscapes”, “sensescapes” and “homescapes” (Lourenço & Melo-Pfeifer, 2023; Purschke, 2023; Shohamy, 2019).

Within language education, the linguistic landscape presents us a promising avenue to increase the sources of language input, address the intricacies of multilingualism, foster language awareness, and facilitate multiple and critical literacy practices (Gorter & Cenoz, 2017; Lourenço & Melo-Pfeifer, 2023; Malinowski, Maxim & Dubreil, 2020; Shohamy, 2019). So, with the insights gained from the wealth of research, let us prepare to embark on an enlightening journey as I unveil a treasure trove of tips from 5 key areas to spur our innovation in language teaching.

1. Using LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES as a source of input

commercial signs on Japanese restaurant
An exterior display of a restaurant in Kawagoe, Japan

Language input plays an indispensable role in language learning – a concept that I assume all of us are familiar with. However, the importance of purposeful language input exceeds mere exposure. There exist important characteristics associated with language input that necessitate our understanding and assimilation into our teaching methodologies. Quantity and frequency constitute two such critical aspects that merit careful consideration. LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES, in this context, furnish a prolific source of language input, augmenting both the quantity of received input and the frequency at which our learners encounter it.

In general, LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES provide authentic contextual input under naturalistic conditions, serving our learners an important type of language input to trigger their representation of the target language. As mentioned earlier, objects in a linguistic landscape are usually there to fulfil informational and symbolic functions; they represent a range of communicative contexts in which these objects are produced and presented (e.g. commercial advertisements to persuade consumers, warning signs to inform people).

Such input instils a nuanced understanding of the target language which can direct our learners in mastering not only the structural components but also the pragmatics of the language (e.g. indirect speech, metaphors, implicatures), contributing to the development of both their linguistic and pragmatic competence (Cenoz & Gorter, 2008; Dagenais, Moore, Sabatier, Lamarre & Armand, 2009).  With deliberate guidance, our learners can seek out learning opportunities within accessible geographical locations as part of a rich language immersion experience to reinforce or supplement what has been learned in the classrooms.

TIPS:
  • Encourage learners to pay attention to their linguistic landscapes: We can encourage learners to venture beyond the confines of the classroom and explore the linguistic landscapes in their surroundings. Specifically, we can ask them to observe the items I have presented in earlier sections (e.g. road signs, posters, banners) and take note of how language is presented or used. Engage parents as partners if we are dealing with young learners.
  • Create guided tasks to targeted linguistic landscapes: If we have explored specific locations and found them to be conducive for our learners (e.g. abundance of objects in target language), we can design activities that prompt learners to actively engage with the linguistic landscape that develop their linguistic and pragmatic competence (e.g. compare and contrast grammatical structures in advertisements vs informational posters, patterns of vocabulary use in public and commercial signs).
  • Plan for short language immersion trips to targeted linguistic landscapes: If these places are indeed worth a deep exploration, why not consider planning for a short language immersion trip centred on the study of the linguistic landscape? Through the trip, we can guide our learners in examining the linguistic landscape. We can also record and archive the linguistic landscape data (e.g. multilingual signs in public space). The collection of these input can form a wealth of resources for future lessons. Examples of such places can include those where language is prominently displayed, such as museums, art galleries, or cultural events.
  • Provide explicit instruction about linguistic landscape items: By drawing our learners’ attention to these items and providing information about their taxonomy and examples, our learners are more likely to notice and register linguistic features from objects in a linguistic landscape.
  • Leverage technology as part of exploration: We can actively utilise technology to enhance the exploration of linguistic landscapes. Encourage our learners to use their smartphones or tablets to take pictures, record audio, or even create digital maps of the linguistic features they find as they explore. For learners that may not be privileged to travel around, we can also facilitate active exploration of linguistic landscapes through the use of digital tools or apps (e.g. Google Street View).

Join our mailing list!

Receive insights and EXCLUSIVE resources on language education in a monthly newsletter, fresh into your inbox. No Fees, No Spam, so No Worries!

Post Subscription Box

2. Developing language awareness through LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES

Interior of a cafe in Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Interior wall decoration with Mandarin and English words in a cafe at Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Language awareness refers to the “sensitivity to and conscious awareness of the nature of language and its role in human life”. In other words, it is the cognisance of how different facets of language interact with one another to fulfil its various functions in our lives. A heightened language awareness can enhance our learners’ capability in analysing and comprehending the target language as a complex system. Consequently, their capacity in noticing specific linguistic features vital for acquisition is strengthened.

How do LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES aid in developing language awareness? Items within a linguistic landscape reflect the authentic use of language. They serve as tangible and visually accessible representations of language under naturalistic conditions; they also exhibit the social and cultural nuances that come with language variation (e.g use of varieties alongside standard languages) and linguistic diversity as part of bilingualism or multilingualism (Cenoz & Gorter, 2008; Dagenais et al., 2009; Melo-Pfeifer, 2023; Pennycook, 2019; Pütz & Mundt, 2019).

Particularly in geographical locations characterised by bilingualism or multilingualism, a linguistic landscape as defined can provide loads of ingredients that drive an augmented language awareness. For instance, the relative presence of different languages and varieties as found in signs and posters within a designated area can reflect the relative power and status of the various languages/varieties and their vitality (Aronin & Ó Laoire, 2012; Backhaus, 2009; Barni & Barna, 2010; Cenoz & Gorter, 2006; Landry & Bourhis, 1997; Mensel, Marten & Gorter, 2012; Puzey, 2012; Shohamy, 2019).

In addition, language practices of bilinguals/multilinguals are usually unfiltered in linguistic landscapes where we can find many examples of translanguaging. Our learners must actively engage with such practices and the communicative contexts they entail, as these experiences are deemed crucial milestones on their path towards becoming bilingual or multilingual. In fact, language awareness is a primary enabler for the development of the critical literacy and multiliteracies which I will explore in following sections.

TIPS:
  • Facilitate the analysis of language functions that linguistic landscape elements exhibit: We can provide guiding questions or structures for our learners to actively interact with the target language practices they encounter in linguistic landscapes. This includes observing, analysing, and thinking through about the linguistic features they notice in the linguistic landscape items, as well as the communicative contexts in which they are used. When thinking about these, we could direct their attention to both quantitative and qualitative aspects of those features. Put together, this helps them develop the awareness of how rich social and cultural nuances are shaped by the different ways the target language is used.
  • Provide guidance on translanguaging practices: Our learners may not be immediately familiar with translanguaging as a concept and its practices. Through our own research, we can provide evidence-based insights to the understanding of translanguaging and translanguaging practices, thus sensitising our learners to their presence in linguistic landscapes while empowering them to embrace their own linguistic backgrounds and utilise their linguistic repertoires holistically.
  • Create meaningful connection through reflection: We can help our learners connect the languages and varieties they encounter in linguistic landscapes to their own language learning journey. Encourage them to find personal relevance in the language practices they observe within the linguistic landscape items, and to reflect on how these practices shape their own language development taking into account their own language backgrounds. This can be done through discussions and reflections on how the language use encountered in linguistic landscapes relates to the target language being learned. Our learners can also be guided on their roles as part of a linguistic landscape (their contributions to the functions of language).
  • Leverage technology for comparison and contrast: With digital records of the material culture of bilingualism or multilingualism in different geographical locations, we can actively foster the development of language awareness by engaging in a process of comparison and contrast between language functions within linguistic landscapes that share similar or differing features. Our learners can also create their own digital linguistic landscape artefacts (e.g. taking photos) by documenting and analysing the language practices they encounter.

3. Enhancing multiliteracy with LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES

multimodal sign in Australia
Photo from Adobe Stock / A multimodal sign near Julia Creek (Queensland), Australia

The concept of multiliteracy entails individuals actively participating in and comprehending a multitude of literacies that transcend traditional reading and writing competencies. It encompasses a broader spectrum of communication techniques and media forms. This includes identifying, interpreting, creating, and communicating using an expansive range of semiotic resources, such as linguistic, digital, visual, oral, corporal, spatial and musical elements (Cenoz & Gorter, 2008). Multiliterate individuals have the capacity to navigate the relationships between these elements and make meaning of various forms of texts and information in different contexts (Pennycook, 2019).

In our contemporary interconnected and digital world, the significance of multiliteracy is progressively escalating. It empowers our learners to effectively communicate, articulate and represent their ideas and thoughts accurately, and critically assess and appraise information from a range of sources. Essentially, developing multiliteracy engenders the acquisition of digital skills, media literacy, critical thinking, and cultural comprehension.

What role can LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES play in enhancing multiliteracy in our learners? If we look into the linguistic landscape with close attention, we would notice that items such as signs and posters are hardly just a simple print of words in default Arial form; they often contain both linguistic and non-linguistic information (e.g. visual, sounds, motion, space) and express ideas through a combination of those information (e.g. selected words with deliberately designed typography and placement alongside photos, animated illustrations and diagrams with music) (Burr, 2022; Krompák, Fernández-Mallat & Meyer, 2022; Shohamy, 2019). A linguistic landscape inventory comprises a wide range of objects which can be integrated to form meaningful “semiotic assemblages” (Pennycook, 2019).

What is one guiding framework for the development of multiliteracy? Scholars in this field recommend the formulation of multiliteracy activities in the following sequence grounded in four distinct knowledge processes: engaging in situated practice (experiencing), providing explicit instruction (conceptualising), framing critically for analysis (analysing), and implementing transformed practice (applying) (Burr, 2022; Lozano, Jiménez-Caicedo & Abraham, 2020). Fundamentally, we can use this framework to guide our learning tasks within linguistic landscapes.

TIPS:
  • Introduce our learners to semiotic resources within linguistic landscapes: Our learners may not be sensitive to the range of semiotic resources where they can have at their disposal to interpret or create linguistic landscape items. Providing explicit instruction as part of the “conceptualising” phase of the multiliteracy pedagogical framework can be an important scaffold for them to then consciously experience the “semiotic assemblages” in every linguistic landscape that they encounter.
  • Provide deliberate guidance in the analysis of semiotic assemblages: In addition to the previous tip, help our learners develop the skills to critically analyse the linguistic and non-linguistic components of linguistic landscapes. This includes examining typography, visual images, colors, etc to understand how meaning is created and conveyed.
  • Initiate tasks or projects that organically integrate multiliteracies: Leveraging the task-based language instruction, we can design tasks (e.g. vlogging, menu design, urban street design) that require them to engage in such practices within the linguistic landscape naturally. This can either be the “experiencing” phase of the multiliteracy pedagogical framework, where our learners are engaging in situated practice for inductive learning later on; or the “applying” phase when they have gone through earlier scaffolding instruction. This hands-on approach allows for the development of creativity and communicative competence in applied productive skills. In fact, the artefacts of such tasks/projects (e.g. posters, videos) can really become part of the targeted linguistic landscape – an exemplar for transfer of learning from classroom to real-life contexts.
  • Familiarise with the ever-expanding repertoire of semiotic resources in linguistic landscapes: I have to confess: I am not the best exemplar of a skilful user of semiotic resources in representing contemporary communication. Notwithstanding such, I am very confident that I am making progress everyday by learning, learning about new ways of meaning-making through the ever-expanding modes of representing meaning through examples I find in linguistic landscapes I encounter (e.g. meaning conveyed by different font types and sizes, language of colours, interactive motion in language). It is through such professional development that we can be confident that we are guiding our learners appropriately, or at least role-modelling by growing alongside them.

Making a difference in language education, one sip at a time. Support my work with a coffee?

buy me a coffee

4. Leveraging LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES to nurture critical thinking

Exterior of a chinese restaurant in Chinatown, London
Exterior of a Chinese restaurant with phrases in 4 languages in Chinatown, London

Critical thinking skills refer to the composite ability to process information independently, reason with clarity and cogency, and make justified decisions. These skills involve the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement. They consist of a wide range of cognitive competencies that includes problem-solving, decision-making, logical thinking, creativity, reasoning, analysis, and evaluation.

The importance of critical thinking skills cannot be overstated as they promote effective communication and problem-solving abilities that are crucial in all aspects of our lives. In the workplace, employees with refined critical thinking skills are more likely to navigate complex situations and make sound decisions. In academia and research, these skills underpin scholarly enquiry and rigorous analysis. With societal issues becoming increasingly complex, the necessity and significance of critical thinking skills continue to grow. Indeed, in a rapidly changing world, the ability to think critically is not just important, but indispensable.

Why are LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES instrumental in the inculcation of critical thinking skills? Remember the various insights derived from research on linguistic landscapes that I have mentioned in an earlier section? Linguistic landscapes are natural sites that are loaded with socio-political and socio-economic narratives – sometimes simply through the relative visibility and salience of languages on public and commercial signs. Coupled with this, linguistic landscape items embody the intricacies associated with multiliteracy. All these wealth of information and knowledge can only be illuminated through critical thinking processes. For some learners, this may happen organically without intervention; for many others, we need to facilitate them through a transformative learning process.

TIPS:
  • Facilitate the discovery of messages and narratives through linguistic landscape analysis: Provide the necessary scaffolding (e.g. structures, guiding questions, prior instruction) for our learners to analyse the linguistic and non-linguistic elements of linguistic landscape items. Within part of the analysis, guide learners in teasing out the content and messages conveyed through the combination of those elements. For instance, we can prompt our learners to reflect on the implications of language choices in different contexts and how they contribute to the overall meaning within the confines of the location in question. This helps our learners develop sensitivity to different sources of evidence in forming coherent and informed perspectives about an issue.
  • Guide the reflection on attitudes and use in relation to the linguistic landscapes: Provide the necessary support for our learners to reflect on their own language choices and use, and the impact it has on their surroundings. Help them develop critical language awareness pertaining to language variation (e.g. standard language vs regional language, official language vs minority language) and the role it plays in shaping our identities and communities. We can also facilitate discussions and debates on language attitudes and prejudices in relation to the linguistic landscape items (e.g. learners may find certain ways of language use “weird” when they deviate from typical use), encouraging learners to challenge stereotypes and biases while addressing issues in language rights and the politics of language.
  • Adopt a spatial and diachronic perspective for investigation of linguistic landscapes: Through comparison and contrast across space and time, we may unravel powerful stories of linguistic landscape phenomena within a given context (e.g. change in composition of languages and varieties within a street over time, relative presence of political messages in specific languages and varieties across regions within a country). These stories may be congruent or incongruent with the demographic changes within the context and sometimes reveal critical insights about the area.   
  • Empower our learners in the sharing of personal stories of language practices: Particularly for speakers of minority languages, our learners may have personal experiences of varying language practices that relate to the messages and narratives illuminated through linguistic landscape items. Giving our learners a voice in engagement with linguistic landscapes can drive them to become more observant and confident in thinking about content in language input.
  • Promote in-depth discovery of the agents and their worlds underpinning linguistic landscape items: Researchers have highlighted that the agency of objects found within a linguistic landscape is often overlooked (Hernández-Martín & Skrandies, 2020). We can design projects or field trips where learners can be directed to engage and interact with the creators of those items (e.g. business owners, government officers). This affords our learners the opportunities to explore the historical, social, political and cultural factors that contribute to the linguistic landscape of a particular region or community.
  • Use linguistic landscape items as stimuli for language production: Linguistic landscape items can be used to provide contexts into deeper reflective speaking or writing about relevant issues underpinning those items. This presents a mean of traditional language learning activity accompanied with required critical thinking processes about the linguistic landscape. 
  • Provide deliberate guidance in the analysis of semiotic assemblages: In addition to the previous tip, help our learners develop the skills to critically analyse the linguistic and non-linguistic components of linguistic landscapes. This includes examining typography, visual images, colors, etc to understand how meaning is created and conveyed.
  • Plan for critical evaluation of misinformation or disinformation found in linguistic landscapes: Our learners need to know how to critically evaluate the reliability and credibility of information found in linguistic landscapes. By facilitating this process, we help them develop skills in fact-checking and identification of biases, enabling them to make informed judgments on issues based on evidence.

5. (Re)producing LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES in our authorised domains

Elementary school classroom bulletin board
Photo from Envato Elements / Using the class bulletin board as a space for linguistic landscaping

We have understood the value of linguistic landscapes hitherto as an integrated resource of language learning, whether as a source of input to drive core language learning, or as a mulit-layered entity to facilitate the development of language awareness, multiliteracy and critical thinking. In this sense, the foundation laid in preceding sections establishes linguistic landscapes as end products. Our ongoing efforts revolve around actively creating innovative pathways to interact with them to enhance language learning.

However, have we ever thought of becoming agents of linguistic landscapes? In essence, can we create or re-create linguistic landscapes ourselves? Of course, we are not talking about language educators and learners going on the streets to decorate it with language learning graffiti. Within our educational spaces (e.g. schools and classrooms), within our learners’ homes, are there not opportunities for the formation of linguistic landscapes that are conducive to language learning? By (re)creating such linguistic landscapes purposefully, we can reap additional opportunities of increased language input and enhanced language input while also socialising language practices that mirror the sociolinguistic reality (e.g. translanguaging practices in bilingual/multilingual societies, interaction of various languages in the linguistic landscape beyond the classroom). 

TIPS:
  • Co-construct the linguistic landscapes in our schools, classrooms and homes with our learners: Taking into account the characteristics of authentic linguistic landscapes where our learners are situated, we can design comprehensive projects with our learners to co-construct the items (e.g. signs, posters, menus) within our schools, classrooms and our learners’ homes (in partnership with parents). Especially for those among us that are classroom teachers, the classroom space offers many areas for “linguistic landscaping”: blackboard/whiteboard, classroom walls, noticeboards, etc. Effectively, this provides additional sources of input and many opportunities of languaging activities surrounding linguistic landscapes in general. The co-construction process empowers our learners as active agents and has the potential to ensure engagement.
  • Produce areas of specialised linguistic landscapes: Especially for minority or foreign languages, where the larger language environment in the society does not exactly support the learning of the target language, we can exercise our initiative to augment the representation of these languages within educational institutions. Such endeavours serve to convey potent messages affirming the significance of these languages, at least within the realm of the educational setting. Such areas can include specialised language museums and multilingual walls with the languages represented.
  • Capitalise on the spaces within libraries: Libraries are fantastic resources for language learning, although we may not be immediately sensitive to its role as a linguistic landscape site. The proportion of books in various languages speak something while the space can be further designed to be filled optimally with linguistic landscape items that perpetuate positive messages about the target languages.
  • Recreation of the ideal linguistic landscape in a virtual environment: Again, for the learning of a minority or foreign language, natural linguistic landscapes in the larger environment may not always be conducive to our learners’ language learning journey. However, recent advancements in digital twin technologies demonstrate the potential in re-creating a similar physical environment in the virtual world. In that digital twin, we can co-construct the ideal landscape with our learners through translations of items we find in the real world to the target languages or create completely novel items.

Join our mailing list!

Receive insights and EXCLUSIVE resources on language education in a monthly newsletter, fresh into your inbox. No Fees, No Spam, so No Worries!

Post Subscription Box

Conclusion: Use of LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES in your next pedagogical innovation

The utilisation of LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES presents a comprehensive and intricate avenue for language learning, that is grounded in real-world experiences and cultural understanding. This empowers our learners with an additional of target language input, while simultaneously fostering language awareness, multiliteracy, and critical thinking skills. Furthermore, our learners can assume an active role in collaboratively crafting or reshaping these landscapes alongside us. The attainment of these objectives necessitates our commitment to purposeful pedagogical strategising and execution. Let’s start our pedagogical innovation of integrating linguistic landscapes into our approaches and furnish our learners with a vibrant and enriching language learning experience!

Thank you for reading! If you like what you are reading, do subscribe to our mailing list to receive updated resources and tips for language educators. Please also feel free to provide us any feedback or suggestions on content that you would like covered.

References

Aronin, L., & Ó Laoire, M. (2012). The Material Culture of Multilingualism. In Gorter, D., Marten, H.F., & Mensel, L.V. (Eds.), Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape (pp. 299-318). Basingstoke UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Backhaus, P. (2009). Rules and Regulations in Linguistic Landscaping: A Comparative Perspective. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 157-172). New York USA: Routledge.

Barni, M., & Barna, C. (2010). Linguistic Landscape and Language Vitality. In Shohamy, E., Ben-Rafael, E., & Barni, M. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape in the City (pp. 3-18). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.

Ben-Rafael, E. (2009). A Sociological Approach to the Study of Linguistic Landscapes. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 40-54). New York USA: Routledge.

Ben-Rafael, E., Shohamy, E., Amara, M.H., & Trumper-Hecht, N. (2006). Linguistic Landscape as Symbolic Construction of the Public Space: The Case of Israel. In Gorter, D. (Ed.), Linguistic Landscape: A New Approach to Multilingualism (pp. 7-30). Clevedon UK: Multilingual Matters.

Brown, K.D. (2012). The Linguistic Landscape of Educational Spaces: Language Revitalization and Schools in Southeastern Estonia. In Gorter, D., Marten, H.F., & Mensel, L.V. (Eds.), Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape (pp. 281-8). Basingstoke UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Burr, S. (2022). Linguistic Landscape Signs in First-Language Learning Materials: From Passively Illustrative Function to Meaningful Learning Experiences. In Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces (pp. 232-256). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Cadi, S., Mary, L., Siemushyna, M., & Young, A.S. (2023). Empowering Students and Raising Critical Language Awareness Through a Collaborative Multidisciplinary Project. In Melo-Pfeifer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes in Language and Teacher Education: Multilingual Teaching and Learning Inside and Beyond the Classroom (pp. 57-74). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2006). Linguistic Landscape and Minority Languages. In Gorter, D. (Ed.), Linguistic Landscape: A New Approach to Multilingualism (pp. 67-80). Clevedon UK: Routledge.

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2008). The linguistic landscape as an additional source of input in second language acquisition. IRAL, 46(3), 267–287.

Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2009). Language Economy and Linguistic Landscape. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 55-69). New York USA: Routledge.

Chik, A. (2023). The Visibility of Languages–Connecting Schools to Communities. In Melo-Pfeifer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes in Language and Teacher Education: Multilingual Teaching and Learning Inside and Beyond the Classroom (pp. 281-296). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Coulmas, F. (2009). Linguistic Landscaping and the Seed of the Public Sphere. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 13-24). New York USA: Routledge.

Dagenais, D., Moore, D., Sabatier, C., Lamarre, P., & Armand, F. (2009). Linguistic Landscape and Language Awareness. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 253-269). New York USA: Routledge.

Dal Negro, S. (2009). Local Policy Modeling the Linguistic Landscape. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 206-218). New York USA: Routledge.

De Wilde, J., Verhoene, J., Tondeur, J., & Van Praet, E. (2022). ‘Go in Practice’: Linguistic Landscape and Outdoor Learning. In Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces (pp. 214-230). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Elola, I., & Prada, J. (2020). Developing Critical Sociolinguistic Awareness Through Linguistic Landscapes in a Mixed Classroom: The Case of Spanish in Texas. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 223-252). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Gorter, D. (2006). Introduction: The Study of the Linguistic Landscape as a New Approach to Multilingualism. In Gorter, D. (Ed.), Linguistic Landscape: A New Approach to Multilingualism (pp. 1-6). Clevedon UK: Routledge.

Gorter, D. (2018). Linguistic landscapes and trends in the study of schoolscapes. Linguistics and Education, 44, 80-85.

Gorter, D., & Cenoz, C. (2017). Linguistic Landscape and Multilingualism. In Cenoz, J., Gorter, D., & May, S.  (Eds.), Language Awareness and Multilingualism (Third Edition) (pp. 233-246). Cham Switzerland: Springer International Publishing AG.  

Gorter, D., & Cenoz, C. (2022). Linguistic Landscapes in Educational Contexts: An Afterword. In Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces (pp. 277-290). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Hayik, R. (2020). Using Linguistic Landscapes as Stimuli for Relevant EFL Writing. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 205-221). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Hernández-Martín, L., & Skrandies, P. (2020). Taking the Foreign out of Language Teaching: Opening up the Classroom to the Multilingual City. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 293-326). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Hult, F.M. (2014). Drive-thru linguistic landscaping: Constructing a linguistically dominant place in a bilingual space. International Journal of Bilingualism, 18(5), 507-523.

Kim, S., & Chesnut, M. (2020). Teaching with Virtual Linguistic Landscapes: Developing Translingual and Transcultural Competence. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 69-92). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Krompák, E. (2022). Blackboard – A Space Within a Space: Visible Linguistic and Social Practices in Swiss Primary Classrooms. In Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces (pp. 147-170). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (2022). Linguistic Landscape and Language Awareness. In Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces (pp. 1-27). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Kruszynska, K.A., & Dooly, M. (2023). Thinking Allowed: Linguistic Landscapes-Based Projects for Higher-Order and Critical Thinking Skills. In Melo-Pfeifer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes in Language and Teacher Education: Multilingual Teaching and Learning Inside and Beyond the Classroom (pp. 75-90). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Landry, R., & Bourhis, R.Y. (1997). Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality: An empirical study. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 16(1), 23–49.

Lehner, S. (2022). Linguistic Landscapes and Constructions of Space in a Learning Club for Young Refugees in Vienna. In Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces (pp. 31-54). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Lourenço, M., & Melo-Pfeifer, S. (2023). Conclusion: Linguistic Landscapes in Education—Where Do We Go Now?. In Melo-Pfeifer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes in Language and Teacher Education: Multilingual Teaching and Learning Inside and Beyond the Classroom (pp. 321-333). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Lozano, M.E., Jiménez-Caicedo, J.P., Abraham, L.B. (2020). Linguistic Landscape Projects in Language Teaching: Opportunities for Critical Language Learning Beyond the Classroom. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 17-42). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (2020). Introduction. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 1-13). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Marten, H.F., Mensel, L.V., & Gorter, D. (2012). Studying Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape. In Gorter, D., Marten, H.F., & Mensel, L.V. (Eds.), Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape (pp. 1-15). Basingstoke UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Melo-Pfeifer, S. (2023). Introduction: Linguistic Landscapes in Language (Teacher) Education: Multilingual Teaching and Learning Inside and Beyond the Classroom. In Melo-Pfeifer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes in Language and Teacher Education: Multilingual Teaching and Learning Inside and Beyond the Classroom (pp. 1-17). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Mensel, L.V., Marten, H.F., & Gorter, D. (2012). Minority Languages through the Lens of the Linguistic Landscape. In Gorter, D., Marten, H.F., & Mensel, L.V. (Eds.), Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape (pp. 1-15). Basingstoke UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Pennycook, A. (2019). Linguistic Landscapes and Semiotic Assemblages. In Pütz, M., & Mundt, N. (Eds.), Expanding the Linguistic Landscape: Linguistic Diversity, Multimodality and the Use of Space as a Semiotic Resource (pp. 75-88). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Purschke, C. (2023). Exploring the Linguistic Landscape of Cities Through Crowdsourced Data. In Brunn, S.D., & Kehrein, R. (Eds.), Language, Society and the State in a Changing World (pp. 87-112). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Pütz, M., & Mundt, N. (2019). Multilingualism, Multimodality and Methodology: Linguistic Landscape Research in the Context of Assemblages, Ideologies and (In)visibility: An Introduction. In Pütz, M., & Mundt, N. (Eds.), Expanding the Linguistic Landscape: Linguistic Diversity, Multimodality and the Use of Space as a Semiotic Resource (pp. 1-22). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Puzey, G. (2012). Two- Way Traffic: How Linguistic Landscapes Reflect and Influence the Politics of Language. In Gorter, D., Marten, H.F., & Mensel, L.V. (Eds.), Minority Languages in the Linguistic Landscape (pp. 127-147). Basingstoke UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Sayer, P. (2010). Using the linguistic landscape as a pedagogical resource. ELT Journal, 64(2), 143-154.

Sayer, P. (2020). Ethnographic Language Learning Projects Through the Linguistic Landscape. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 327-348). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Seals, C.A. (2020). Classroom Translanguaging Through the Linguistic Landscape. In Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (Eds.), Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobilizing Pedagogy in Public Space (pp. 119-141). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Shohamy, E. (2019). Linguistic Landscape after a Decade: An Overview of Themes, Debates and Future Directions. In Pütz, M., & Mundt, N. (Eds.), Expanding the Linguistic Landscape: Linguistic Diversity, Multimodality and the Use of Space as a Semiotic Resource (pp. 25-37). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (2009). Introduction. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 1-10). New York USA: Routledge.

Spolsky, B. (2009). Prolegomena to a Sociolinguistic Theory of Public Signage. In Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 25-39). New York USA: Routledge.

Vandenbroucke, M. (2022). Institutional Educationscapes for New Speakers in Flanders: Language Learning Campaigns and Linguistic Integration. In Krompák, E., Fernández-Mallat, V., & Meyer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces (pp. 173-192). Bristol UK: Multilingual Matters.  

Vera, M.L., & Dooly, M. (2023). Languages Around Us: (In)visibility Matters. In Melo-Pfeifer, S. (Eds.), Linguistic Landscapes in Language and Teacher Education: Multilingual Teaching and Learning Inside and Beyond the Classroom (pp. 21-38). Cham Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland AG.  

Bilingualism and Multilingualism, Policies and Economics
FAMILY LANGUAGE POLICY: The key to success in bilingual and multilingual families
Bilingualism and Multilingualism, Language Acquisition
The Powerful Hidden Forces: 13 Factors affecting LANGUAGE ATTRITION disclosed by research