Linguistic Landscape

Running Head: LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE

Linguistic Landscape

Mariela Santiago O’Conner University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus EDUC 6140 Dr. Kevin S. Carroll March 5, 2022

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I Introduction Ponce, also known as “La Perla del Sur” and recently as “Ciudad Ideal”, is a masterpiece that resist the erosion of time. This city is located on the southern-west region of Puerto Rico and is border by the Caribbean Sea. Ponce captures the beauty and spirit of a city that preserves its past by keeping its perennial magic. This city leaves its label impregnated which always distinguished Ponce as a Majestic City.

Ponce is one of the most picturesque points of Puerto Rico. It is placed as the Second City, distinguished from the rest of the island, while given an alternate character in contrast to the capital, San Juan. Its urban environment reflects the increase of local business such as: restaurants, food trucks, grocery stores, hotels, coffee shops, among others. The Tourism Office of the city of Ponce has develop a sense of a vision for the future. Ponce has become a progressive city that bets on tourism. This linguistic landscape, show some areas located in Downtown, Ponce. These areas are trendy, they are visit by tourists and citizens from the mainland.

The sections of the linguistic landscape paper include: a review of literature, the research methodology, the findings, discussions, and conclusions. The data will provide an insight of how symbolic visualization of language is used in specific scenarios.

II Literature Review In Puerto Rico, the status of language plays an important role. It was a major concern between 1898 and 1948 when the U.S. government controlled the education and attempted to utilize English as the language of instruction to Americanize the island (Pousada, 2017).

Language has been a debate, weaving together a discourse of cultural authenticity (Prosper-

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Sanchez, 2008). Language impositions often causes ethnics groups to develop an unconscious and universalized imperative against learning the imposed language (Pousada, 1999).

Consequently, many Puerto Ricans resisted the acquisition of English.

The Spanish language became a marker of Puerto Rican identity after the U.S invasion in 1898. Spanish has historically taken the role of belonging and national identity meanwhile English is seen as an outsider’s code (Morales Lugo, 2019). Puerto Rico has been an incorporated territory of the U.S. for more than 100 years; thus, the political and economic ties have had a significant effect in the linguistic area.

Mazak (2008) addressed that novice English language expertise doesn’t prevent the participation or interaction in English literacy practices. Puerto Ricans had knowledge the importance of English. English is seen as the language of upward mobility on the island, as many professional jobs require functional command of English (Mazak and Carroll, 2017).

People among the island use English in their daily life activities for different reasons and purposes (Mazak, 2008). English can even be appreciated in the names of local businesses throughout the island (Pousada, 2018).

Many businesses in Puerto Rico incorporate or used the language, because English is equated with economic success. It is a normal practice to use English in naming business and in products, nevertheless the kind of business and language requirements. Furthermore, most of the product’s sale and consume by Puerto Ricans come from the U.S. The increase of media and the use of technology promotes the acquisition of the language specially for the younger generations. So, incorporating English forms in press is a global trend.

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Nickels (2005) considers that the variety of English spoken in Puerto Rico is the beginning of a variety, to be identified as a variety only claimed by Puerto Ricans. English has become a language use naturally in different scenarios. This encourages the change of attitudes towards the acquisition and learning of English.

III Methodology and Data Analysis To collect the data for the linguistic landscape, I visited Ponce Downtown area also known as “Casco Urbano” and took some photographs. This is a focal geographic area, is very attractive for tourists and visitors. It reflects the idiosyncrasies of the citizens, the remarkable architectural styles in many buildings, the modernism, and increase of businesses towards the Town Hall of the city. The aim of this visit was to analyze the use of language because it is a central touristic area and receives visitors daily.

Photographs of different hotels, historical places, restaurants’ advertisements, and stores were taken for the purposes of the linguistic and was focused on the use of both languages. Also, how languages are used and the interactions between the two languages. The questions guiding this research were: a) Are the local hotels named exclusively in Spanish?, b) What languages are used in the historical places and businesses that are located at “El Casco Urbano”?

IV. Findings

Languages

English

Spanish

Both

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The findings of this linguistic landscape include places that surrounds “El Casco Urbano”. It consists of two historical places, two hotels, two stores and four restaurants (advertisements). These places have commonalties. The use of English and Spanish is shown among the different locations. It is significant that the association of English with business promotes the success like the multitude of American franchise (Pousada, 2018).

The languages use on the restaurants’ advertisements are Spanish and English, or the combination of both. One of the names is written in Spanish with the insertion of a word in English. These establishments are located close to “El Casco Urbano”. An area that is highly visited by residents, tourists, and visitors. These signs show influences from a language to another language. The interaction, of how the visual material is displayed, shows the varieties of language.

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These two hotels are located near the city Town Hall. Both hotels show the use of both languages: English and Spanish. The use of both languages indicates that both languages are locally relevant, used in isolation from each other. This ensures the accessibility to visitors and tourists.

These two historical buildings are: The Firehouse Museum and Ponce Slaughter House. The Firehouse Museum is an emblematic symbol of the city. It was built in 1882, designed by Meana Guridi. A year later it became the headquarters of the Municipal Firefighters, and in 1991 a museum. Inside it displays information in both languages: English and Spanish.

The Slaughter House, in 1937, was the seat of a Nationalist Party. It was the scene of one of the bloodiest and unjust events of our political history on a Palm Sunday. This building is closed and under reconstruction because of the events related with the Earthquake in 2020.

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Outside the building is displayed an engraved metal plate that describe the events that happened that day. Inside the Slaughter House there are some displays that shows the information in both languages: English and Spanish.

These two specific stores are in the Isabel II Market Square. It was built in 1862 to provide a marketplace for the public. Today it is use for the same purpose, offering the visitors and public, fruits and vegetables, coffee shops and local restaurants among a variety of shops.

The two shops or stores signs shows the use of both languages, isolated in each one. This multilingual sign shows a multilingual community.

V. Discussion and Conclusions English is a language that is part of our daily life. The use of English as an international lingua franca in the fields of business, media, movies, and technology, among others has increased its use around the globe and has positioned English as a “killer language” (Carroll, K. S., Rivera, R., Santiago, K.,2015). Based on the data collected, the presence of English is everywhere! Nowadays English is not perceived as a language that threatens Puerto Ricans.

English is used intentionally or not. The exposure to English, and alternation of English and Spanish in daily conversations is the norm. English is used for many reasons: travel, leisure, communicate fully with family members and friends, or just personal interest. Therefore, the use of translanguaging and codeswitching shows the appropriation of the English language and the

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process of language shift. English influenced our linguistic repertoire, our linguistic practice, our businesspeople, and our business culture. This linguistic practice displays that English and Spanish coexists and enrich our vocabulary and our society. English has become the language “de facto” of diplomacy, communication, entertainment, and business. Language evolves constantly, it cannot be limited.

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References Carroll, K. S., Rivera, R., Santiago, K. (2015) Questioning linguistic imperialism: Language negotiation in an Agriculture classroom. In Transcultural interaction and linguistic diversity in higher education, Anne Fabricius and Bent Preisler (eds), NY: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 164-187.

Mazak, C. (2008). Negotiating el difícil: Uses of English text in a rural Puerto Rican community.

Centro Journal, 20, 001, 50-71. New York: The City University of New York

Morales Lugo, K. (2019) Reimagining bilingualism in late modern Puerto Rico. In J. Won Lee S. Dovchin (Eds.), Translinguistics: Negotiating innovation and ordinariness (pp. 130-145).

London: Routledge.

Pousada, A. (2017). Language Education Policy Issues in Puerto Rico. In M. Gonzalez Rivera Ed), Research in Puerto Rican Linguistics (pp. 224-243). https//www.researchgate.net/ publication/329636522_Language_education_policy_issues_in_Puerto_Rico Prosper-Sánchez, G. D. (2008) Transing the Standard: The Case of Puerto Rican Spanish. In F. Negrón Muntaner, None of the Above: Puerto Ricans in the Global Era (pp. 183-194) Palgrave MacMillan.

Pousada, A. (2008). The mandatory use of English in the federal court of Puerto Rico. Centro Journal. 10(1), 136–155.

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The Audiopedia. (n.d.). What is Linguistic Landscape? What does Linguistic Landscape mean?

[Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/NbjnhQ04HcY University of London. (2018, June 5). What is linguistic landscape? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/hPjzI_4pNug