Linguistic Landscape in the City
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About This Book
Elana Shohamy is a professor and chair of the language education program at the School of Education, Tel Aviv University, where she teaches, researches and writes about multiple issues relating to multilingualism: language policy, language testing and language in the public space. --
Our Review
This academic work offers a compelling exploration of how written language in urban environments—from street signs and advertisements to graffiti—shapes social identity and power dynamics. Drawing from sociolinguistics and urban studies, the author investigates the "linguistic landscape" as a tangible reflection of political conflicts, globalization, and community hierarchies, arguing that public signage is never neutral. The book provides a robust theoretical framework for analyzing the semiotics of the city, making the invisible politics of language suddenly visible and deeply consequential for understanding modern life.
Given the author's extensive background in multilingualism and language policy, this text is distinguished by its authoritative, research-driven approach to a subject that surrounds us daily. It will resonate most strongly with university students and scholars in sociolinguistics, cultural geography, and urban anthropology, offering them a critical lens through which to decode the world. Ultimately, it challenges readers to see the city not just as a built environment, but as a contested text where languages compete, coexist, and communicate complex social realities.
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