Metrolingualism in the Linguistic Landscape of Northeast Thailand
Thidaporn Jumpakate and Adcharawan Buripakdi
Abstract
The ongoing expansion of cultural practices and models have seen significant influence form the forces of globalization. One such domain evidencing such expansion is Northeast Thailand. The effects of such globalization in the lifeworlds of Thai populations is no more evident than it is in the introduction of foreigners in the country. Consequently, public signage in Thailand’s cosmopolitan urban centres has shifted significantly, effecting a rise in multilingualism in public areas.
To explore language use in public areas, we draw on a linguistic landscape framework in this study, a framework and model which has long produced significant results in fields such as linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics. Such a landscape assists to create and convey a sense of place, community, power, contestation, and negotiation in language, culture, and political vision.
This study investigates how language appears in signage at shops in Northeast Thailand, and the functions of language as integrated into public signage.
Keywords: Metrolingualism, linguistic landscape, urban Northeast Thailand, linguistic anthropology, street signs, sociolinguistics