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Article published In:
Linguistic Landscape
Vol. 9:2 (2023) ► pp.181–210

Language, translocality and urban change

Online and offline signage in four Gothenburg neighbourhoods

ORCID logo | University of Gothenburg
| University of Southern Denmark
| University of Gothenburg
| University of Gothenburg
| Institute for Language and Folklore

This article addresses the role of translocal interconnectedness between offline and online spaces by examining the varied presence of language displays in such spaces. Quantitative findings on language presence in the offline public spaces of four Gothenburg neighbourhoods are contrasted with the online presence found in three Swedish search portals, and the differences are interpreted in light of the broader socioeconomic processes of gentrification and segregation. The comparison between online and offline presence allows us to give a more holistic picture of the neighbourhoods; it reveals, among other things, the presence of semi-public spaces, with a multilingual presence of commercial enterprises and civil society organizations, and points out that some super-diverse neighbourhoods have more online than offline presence on search portals. Thus, the often-stereotyped mental picture of these neighbourhoods as being passive, static, ‘segregated’ and ‘problematic’ is challenged.

Keywords: online, offline, space, translocal, search portals, gentrification, segregation, semi-public spaces, neighbourhoods, Gothenburg
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theorizing online-offline relationships in relation to gentrification in LL studies
  • 3.Four unequal Gothenburg neighbourhoods
  • 4.Method and data
  • 5.Findings and discussion
    • 5.1Online and offline languages in the LL
    • 5.2Spatial dynamics in Gamlestaden and Gårdsten
    • 5.3Ongoing processes of socioeconomic change in the neighbourhoods
    • 5.4New forms of translocal connections
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 22 November 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.22003.ros
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