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Part of
Linguistic Landscape in the Spanish-speaking World
Edited by Patricia Gubitosi and Michelle F. Ramos Pellicia
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 35] 2021
► pp. 293–312

Chapter 11
An analysis of how business owners use Valencian and Spanish in the linguistic landscape

| Towson University

The study of the Linguistic Landscape provides opportunities to ethnolinguistically depict a community. It also allows for deciphering communication patterns among users and understand societal perceptions of language use. This paper examines the contact between Spanish and a western variety of Catalan (i.e. Valencian) on the linguistic landscape produced by private business owners in Elche, Spain. An analysis of data collected through observation, personal interviews and written questionnaires suggests the reader and potential customer appears to be the main driving force behind language choice in the linguistic landscape of Elche.

Keywords: linguistic landscape, Spanish, Valencian, Elche, bivalency
Article outline
  • Introduction
    • Analyzing linguistic landscapes
    • Analyzing Spanish in the linguistic landscape
    • Community profile
  • Method and data
  • Results and analysis
    • The authors’ language use and their signs
    • The symbolic value reinforced
    • Bivalency
  • Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 29 July 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.35.11mar
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