GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

The course will explore how linguistic landscapes reflect complicated relationships between language and society. Linguistic landscapes are defined by Landry and Bourhis (1997) as “the visibility and salience of languages on public and commercial signs in a given territory or region.” Linguistic landscapes is a concept in sociolinguistics to study languages visually used in multilingual societies. We may not perceive Japanese society as multilingual. However, when you look at language use on public signs, you will realize that you are surrounded by more than just one language. Because the function of linguistic landscapes is not only as an informational indicator but also as a symbolic marker, you can observe our ever-changing society through an investigation of language use in signs. In the course, students will learn about the basic concepts of linguistic landscapes through lectures and literature reviews and will deepen their understanding by conducting their own research.

By the end of the course, students should be able to meet the following objectives:
(1) Becoming aware of the presence of different languages and its meanings in public space,
(2) Understanding how social, political, economic, and technological elements are embedded in linguistic landscapes,
(3) Becoming familiar with the basic theories and methodologies of linguistic landscapes, and
(4) Applying the knowledge to conduct individual research projects.

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, “DP 3”, and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

The main elements of the course are lectures, discussions, and student presentations. To begin with, the key concepts of linguistic landscapes will be explained. Next, the theories and methodologies of linguistic landscapes will be discussed through literature reviews. During the course, all the literature and extra materials are provided in class or on the course website. The students are encouraged to read the literature before attending a class. Interactive class participation is highly encouraged. Students will be required to carry out small-scale research projects in the field of linguistic landscapes and share their findings in class at the end of the course. Feedback is given both in class and through e-mail. Attendance at the first class is mandatory.

あり / Yes

なし / No

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Introduction

Course description and requirements

2[対面/face to face]：Signage in Tokyo (1)

Terminology (what is linguistic landscapes?)

3[対面/face to face]：Signage in Tokyo (2)

Methodology (how to classify and analyze signs)

4[対面/face to face]：Signage in Tokyo (3)

Tendency of LL in Tokyo (Multilingual or monolingual?)

5[対面/face to face]：Previous research (1)

Linguistic landscapes in Seoul, Korea

6[対面/face to face]：Previous research (2)

Linguistic landscapes in Bangkok, Thailand

7[対面/face to face]：Previous research (3)

Linguistic landscapes in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

8[対面/face to face]：Previous research (4)

Linguistic Landscapes in Brussels, Belgium

9[対面/face to face]：Previous research (5)

Linguistic Landscapes in Montreal, Canada

10[対面/face to face]：New perspectives on linguistic landscape (1)

The use of Japanese in LL in overseas

11[対面/face to face]：New perspectives on linguistic landscape (2)

Errors in the use of English in LL

12[対面/face to face]：Student presentations (1)

Student in-class presentations

13[対面/face to face]：Student presentations (2)

Student in-class presentations

14[対面/face to face]：Student presentations (3)
Summary

Student in-class presentations
Review the course

Students are expected to read the handouts beforehand for class participation and discussion. For giving presentations in class and writing end-term reports, students are required to conduct field research outside of class. Preparatory study and review time for this class are 2 hours each.

All handouts are posted on the course website.

Backhaus, P. (2007). Linguistic landscapes. A comparative study of urban multilingualism in Tokyo. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Gorter, D., Marten, H. F., & Van Mensel, L. (Eds.). (2011). Minority languages in the linguistic landscape. Springer.
Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (Eds.). (2008). Linguistic landscape: Expanding the scenery. Routledge.
Shohamy, E. G., Rafael, E. B., & Barni, M. (Eds.). (2010). Linguistic landscape in the city. Multilingual Matters.
庄司博史, ペート・バックハウス, & フロリアン・クルマス. (2009). 『日本の言語景観』. 三元社.
内山純蔵(監), 中井精一, ダニエル・ロング(編). (2011) 『世界の言語景観 日本の言語景観-景色のなかのことば-』. 桂書房刊.

Class participation and attitude: 20%
Reflection paper: 20%
Presentation: 30%
Research report: 30%

Student constructive feedback will be taken into consideration.

None.