Multilingualism in an Irish Linguistic Landscape

Name: Róisín Flynn 25/07/2011 I.D: 10128379

Name: Róisín Flynn

I.D: 10128379

Course: Applied Languages (LM044)

Module: Academic Literacies (AW4002)

Task:

Conduct a linguistic landscape study of an area of your choice (e.g. UL,

your home town, Limerick city). In your answer make reference to the

patterns of multilingualism present in the area and outline to what extent

each language carries a functional or emblematic use.

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Multilingualism In An Irish Linguistic Landscape

In today’s modern society, with greater amounts of migration of people from one

country to another, bringing along with them their own belief systems, culture,

traditions and identity, one of the main attributes that can be transferred from one

society to the next is language. The issue of multilingualism can be witnessed in all

major cities worldwide, and to a lesser extent in larger and smaller towns. During the

boom years of the “Celtic Tiger” Era (1990’s-2000’s), Ireland’s economy soared and

as a result our shores were flooded with large numbers of immigrants, meaning that

Irish society has since seen a major shift into a more ethnically diverse and complex

civilisation.

Although technically classified as a “monolingual” country, traditionally

Ireland has always been “bilingual”, with the use of both Hiberno-English and Irish

(Gaeilge), to a lesser extent. Ireland’s linguistic repertoire is historically rich and over

the centuries Irish people have had to deal with the issue of multilingualism and the

problems that arise as a result of the search for power and dominance in a society and

trying to find one’s place in a hierarchy, both politically and linguistically . The issue

of multilingualism is not a new one for this society; however it is interesting to

investigate which languages are thriving and which are facing obsolescence as a result

of language shift and pressure to conform to use of the majority language(s).

Over the course of this study, I will investigate and record the languages

present in the linguistic landscape of the large town of Clonmel, Co. Tipperary,

Ireland. I will compare and contrast the use of these languages based on functional

and emblematic properties, taking into account letter font and format, i.e. the relative

size of the font and whether the words are presented in bold, caps locks, italics etc. I

will then discuss the perceptions of the language as a result of the way it is presented

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to the public. I will also highlight the issue of “lexical borrowing” i.e. the direct

borrowing, without translation, of terms and words from one language for use within

another language, and how the use of certain languages can place added value on

what is being communicated, i.e. the idea of prestige and grandeur in association with

use of a particular language or dialect.

The idea of a “linguistic landscape” is only a fairly recent area of investigation

and study within sociolinguistics, i.e. the connection between language and society,

and as my own study is only on a small scale, my findings are very limited and the

results cannot be taken to be complete or final, meaning that this area is open to re-

investigation by other sources.

Studies of the linguistic landscape are concerned with language in its written

form, in the public sphere; language that is visible to all through texts such as

billboards, advertisements, street signs, and other public signs. Although these

“linguistic tokens” play a huge role in our everyday lives, they are often taken for

granted and their significance in the shaping of our own perceptions of the society we

live in tend to be overlooked. Every public sign has the potential to be ideological in

nature, to act as symbolic markers of status and power and reinforce societal attitudes

towards certain languages and the people who use these languages. With the presence

of more than one language in a society, the symbolic struggle for space for a language

always arises. This can be seen in campaigns of overpainting signs in both Wales,

replacing English with Welsh, and in Gaeltacht regions in Ireland, replacing English

with Irish (Gaeilge). Here it can be seen that the minority languages, i.e. feel

threatened by the majority language, i.e. and in an effort to keep their language alive

and to prevent language death, i.e the local people have placed their language in the

public sphere, often through graffiti or vandalism of public signs. In these instances

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the minority language can be seen to have an emblematic function, i.e. rather than

help to provide people with information they are simply used in an attempt to give the

language prestige and to place it in the public domain.

The examples given above are examples of bottom-up initiatives, whereby

however it is noted that the government can also play a role in this process with top-

down initiatives, aimed at promoting the use of minority languages by giving it status

within a society. This can be seen with the presence of Irish on every national road

sign throughout the country, as seen in images 8, 10 and 11 below. It can clearly be

seen that the English place names hold a greater amount of space on all three signs,

being written in a larger font size and all in caps locks. This is because its role is

functional in nature, i.e. as English is the majority language spoken its presence is to

provide information and directions, allowing people to reach their desired destination

or discover their present location with ease. Whereas the presence of Irish (Gaeilge) is

purely emblematic and symbolic in nature, as the government place great emphasis on

the importance of maintaining our “mother tongue”, i.e. they must follow through on

this by placing it in the public sphere, and as a result while the language is present it is

not afforded the same standing as the majority language and so is written in lower

case, italics, making it less noticeable to the public.

Similarly in Image 5, regarding opening times for the local Post Office,

there can be seen the use of both English and Irish (Gaeilge), with obvious differences

in the representation of both languages to the public. Although there are no variances

in the font size or format, it can be seen that while English is presented in a prominent

black colour, Irish (Gaeilge) is presented in a monotonous green colour, thus making

the English words and sentences more visible to the public. Another interesting factor

to note is that all the information is displayed English first, then followed by the Irish

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(Gaeilge) translation. This means that the reader must first read in the information in

English before choosing to read it in Irish (Gaeilge), should they be native speakers of

the country’s mother tongue and a translation is needed or for aesthetic personal

reasons. Thus it is noted that English is given higher priority over Irish (Gaeilge)

simply by its placement and allowing it to be the first language read by the public.

Two more examples of the use of both English and Irish (Gaeilge) also appear

throughout this study, those being Images 4 and 15 respectively. In Image 4 we can

see the use of Irish (Gaeilge) in a purely emblematic manner. The use of the word

“Cuileoga” meaning “flies”, i.e. the type of insect, is used in an attempt to add an air

of prestige to the retail store, making it appear more “upper class” as a result. It ties in

with the fact that the store provides and sells a range of outdoor products for camping

and hunting, including fishing tackle or what some may call “flies”. This is a clever

marketing scheme as naming a store after an insect that feeds off of the waste of other

animals and human beings would not be very appealing to the public. However, with

the use of the Irish term this becomes more acceptable and adds an air of

sophistication to the store. It is also noted that the use of English in Image 4 is

functional in nature, as it clearly states that the store provides “outdoor supplies” for

“shooting”, “camping” and “fishing”, thus informing the public of what is in store. As

mentioned in the introduction, it can clearly be seen that the use of Irish (Gaeilge) is

used in an attempt to place added value and grandeur on what is being communicated,

and this can be seen again in Image 15. The use of the Irish (Gaeilge) “Bácús Uí

Máighéid” is a translation of the English “Hewitt’s Home Bakery” and is an attempt

to place an air of respect into the business. The name Hewitt is not a traditional Irish

(Gaeilge) name, it is one that was introduced into the country after the British

Normans invaded Ireland. By translating the name into Irish (Gaeilge),.

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One of the most prominent languages present within the linguistic landscape

studied was French. The use of French words and terms can be seen in a total of 6 of

the Images below, most notably Images 1, 7, 9, 12 and 13. There is a distinct

connection between the use of French in all of these images, as mentioned in the

introduction the issue of “lexical borrowing” is one that the English language features

prominently and this can be seen especially so in Images 1, 7 and 12. In Image 1 the

use of the term “Bureau de Change” is purely functional in nature, as this term has

been adopted in English to indicate that the bank provides a service for purchasing

foreign currency. Similarly in Image 7, the use of the term “En Suite” has been

adopted in English to indicate that there are rooms available with their own private

bathrooms attached, and so the use of French in this context is also functional.

Although the use of the French word “Boutique” in Image 12 can be seen as an

example of “lexical borrowing”, it has both functional and emblematic properties. It is

functional in nature because the term has been adopted in English to indicate that this

is a store, usually one that sells clothing. However it is also emblematic in nature

because the use of the term “boutique” also has connotations of a more sophisticated

and “upper class” store, with more expensive products, and so the use of this term can

also be in an attempt to add prestige and superiority to the business, and as a result

attract a more refined and wealthy type of customer.

The uses of the French terms above are examples of “lexical borrowing” and

are as such almost entirely functional in nature. However the use of the French term

“Chemise” in Image 13 is more emblematic in nature. The translation of “chemise” is

the equivalent of “cardigan” or “shirt” in English and its use is similar to that of

Image 4 and the use of Irish (Gaeilge), in that it indicates what is in store, i.e. clothes,

but it also adds an chic, cultured and more fashioned air to the business. Similarily the

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use of the French term “Prémaman” carries the exact same emblematic properties as

the use of French in Image 13. The translation of this term is the equivalent of “before

motherhood” or “while pregnant” and as such its use in this linguistic landscape is

also to indicate that the store provides products for expecting mothers but mainly to

add an air of prestige and sophistication to business.

Image 2 presents us with both Polish and English; although it can be

seen that Polish plays a more prominent role in this “linguistic token”. This is a store

aimed specifically at the Polish population living in the area. As large numbers of

Polish workers immigrated to Ireland during the “Celtic Tiger”, stores like these have

become more common. They provide specific products that link in with the Polish

culture and diet, so that they immigrant community can still feel connected to their

home country. The use of Polish is therefore functional in nature, as it indicates to the

immigrant community that this shop is there to suit their needs. The translation of the

Polish term “Zapraszamy” into the English “Welcome” can be seen as either

functional or emblematic in nature. It can be seen as functional, in that it indicates to

the Irish population, speakers of the majority language (English) that they too are

welcome to shop at this store. However, it can also be seen as emblematic in nature

because it is clear that.

Image 3 presents us with the languages Chinese and English, with the most

prominent language being English. This is because it is functional in nature, it

indicates to the public that this is a food store that provides a “takeaway” service,

whereby the food is cooked for them in store and they can take it home with them to

eat. The use of Chinese is purely emblematic in nature; it is used to indicate that the

store provides and specialises in Chinese cuisine and to make the store appear more

respectable and trustworthy to the public.

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Image 7 presents us with three languages, i.e. Spanish, English and French (as

mentioned above). Paying particular attention to the use of the Spanish term “casa”

meaning “home”, its use in this particular setting is more symbolic in nature.

Although it indicates that the restaurant provides Mediterranean cuisine, it does so in

a subconscious fashion and as such it can be seen as more symbolic than functional

because its primary role is to create and image of a business that is luxury, trustworthy

and more “upper class” in nature.

Image 14 presents us with a menu for an Italian restaurant, using both

Italian and English, with English having a functional role and Italian having both

functional and emblematic roles. The English present is used to provide information

on what each dish available contains in terms of ingredients; therefore it is functional

in nature. However the Italian present may be considered emblematic in the same way

that the Spanish in Image 7 is emblematic, or it may be considered functional because

some of the terms present can be considered “lexical borrowing” and as such they are

commonly used within the English language and by the majority language speakers,

e.g. “minestrone” is a term meaning “soup” that has been adopted in English to

indicate a certain type of soup with specific ingredients.

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Analysis of Photos and Languages Present

Image 1 – AIB Bureau de Change (Lexical Borrowing from French)

Functional

Image 2 - Polish Shop, Polish (Functional) and English (Functional and

Emblematic)

Image 3 – Chinese Takeaway, English (Functional) and Chinese (Emblematic)

Image 4 – Cuileoga, Irish (Emblematic, Prestige) and English (Functional)

Image 5 – Post Office, Irish (Emblematic) and English (Functional)

Image 6 – Graffiti Art, Multiple Languages, Emblematic

Image 7 – Spanish Restaurant, Spanish (“Casa” Emblematic, Prestige) and

French (Functional,Lexical Borrowing)

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Image 8 & 10 – Road Sign, Irish (Emblematic) and English (Functional)

Image 9 - Prémaman Clothes Store, French (Emblematic, Prestige)

Image 11 – Street Sign, Irish (Emblematic) and English (Funtional)

Image 12 – Boutique Clothes Store, French (Emblematic, Prestige, lexical

borrowing, functional?!)

Image 13 – Chemise Clothes Store, French (Emblematic, Prestige)

Image 14 – Italian Restaurant, Italian (Emblematic and Functional) and

English (Functional)

Image 15 – Bakery, Irish (Emblematic) and English (Functional)

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Image 1 Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

Image 5 Image 6

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Image 7 Image 8

Image 9

Image 10

Image 11

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Image 12

Image 13

Image 14

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Image 15

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Mind Map

Migration of people and languages

Historically rich in languages

Celtic Tiger - Ethnically diverse

Traditionally bilingual

“Monolingualism” versus “bilingualism”

Prestige

Language Planning

Language Death and Revitalisation

Hierarchical language

Borrowing of words/terms from other languages, e.g. gastronomy

Signage, i.e different types (advertising versus road signage)

Letter font and format, i.e bold, italics, font size, caps lock

Media, i.e. subconscious, influence in everyday life

Definition functional

Definition emblematic

List of different languages found

New area of development and research

Definition linguistic landscape

Definition multilingualism

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Multilingualism in an Irish Linguistic Landscape

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