This seminar examines the evolving and interdisciplinary research area of Linguistic Landscapes, that is, the study of how languages are displayed, used, and understood in public spaces. While early LL research examined ethnolinguistic vitality and language policy in relation to the use of languages in public signs (e.g., Backaus, 2007;\u00a0Cenoz & Gorter, 2006), more recent work has taken a deeply contextualized perspective, seeking to investigate not only the presence or absence of languages, but also to understand the production and interpretation of signs (Lou, 2016). LL research investigates the semiotics of place, including the ways that language in public space reflects but also constitutes identities related to ethnicity, cosmopolitanism, and local pride. Recent work examines the use of English as a global language and the new social meanings that English acquires as it is recontextualized for local purposes. In addition, a growing body of LL research now also explores the socio-political implications of making space for new languages, including indigenous languages and languages of immigrant groups. In this seminar, we will become familiar with the contributions and controversies within the field of LL studies while carrying out our own fieldwork in Honolulu’s linguistic landscapes involving Chinese, English, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, and Pidgin. In the first half of the semester, seminar participants will work in groups to examine spaces in the city with reference to existing studies as a way to engage with the methods and research findings in the field. We will also examine developments currently underway in LL research that attempt to apply LL work to real-world needs in the realms of education, tourism, politics, human rights, economics, human geography, and urban planning. Finally, students will have the opportunity to develop a proposal or to write up a term paper for an LL study on the context of their choice.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"