A Sociolinguistic Analysis of a Commercial District in Seoul : A Linguistic Landscape Approach

박은희; 양진석

doi:10.14353/sjk.2015.23.2.02

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of a Commercial District in Seoul : A Linguistic Landscape Approach

The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea
Abbr : 사회언어학
2015, 23(2), pp.37-63
DOI : 10.14353/sjk.2015.23.2.02
Publisher : The Sociolinguistic Society Of Korea
Research Area : Humanities > Linguistics

박은희 ¹, 양진석 ¹

¹University of Toronto

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates current sociolinguistic status of English and Korean by analyzing public signs at a shopping-centered district in Seoul, Korea. It is grounded on the idea that looking into a linguistic landscape (LL) of shopping districts in Seoul can address differential social values and meanings upon which the languages hinge in contemporary Korean society. For this study, a total of 140 public signs were analyzed according to language choice, linguistic features of English signs, and the relationship between language choice and commercial domain. The results indicate that 1) English signs outnumbered those of Korean, Chinese, and French, 2) English signs were mainly produced through juxtaposition, meaning that English (or Anglicized) words were displayed in parallel, and 3) while youth-populated domains such as coffee shops and cosmetic stores mobilized English to index a sense of modernity, language choice diverged in the food industry diverged depending on the types of food. This study shows how public signs on the street can be a useful analytical tool to investigate contemporary language ideologies in the society. (174)

KEYWORDS

linguistic landscape, visual grammar, Sinchon, youth market

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

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A Sociolinguistic Analysis of a Commercial District in Seoul : A Linguistic Landscape Approach

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.57

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of a Commercial District in Seoul : A Linguistic Landscape Approach

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KEYWORDS

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