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Article
Linguistic landscape in a city of migrants: a study of Souk Naif area in Dubai
International Journal of Multilingualism
  • Magdalena Karolak, Zayed University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2020
Abstract

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This paper presents the first in-depth analysis of linguistic landscape (LL) of a migrant area in Dubai. While Arabic is the official language of the country, few foreigners learn it and English has become the lingua franca that allows migrant communities to communicate. Nonetheless, English and Arabic are mother tongues to a minority of resident population. A multitude of other languages are spoken among expatriates. Despite that variety, the visibility and salience of particular languages in LL is a reflection of, most often, their differing social standing. As such, this research shows how multilingualism, language contact, social hierarchy as well as official policies with regards to language use in UAE, have led to the minimisation of third languages use in LL. Through a multilingual analysis of signs in Souk Naif area, this research provides important insights on the meaning of linguistic landscapes in cosmopolitan cities in the Arabian Gulf, specifically, how bottom-up sign makers negotiate the public space, why English is the primary language used, and finally, why high levels of multiculturalism lead to deterritorialisation and commodification of languages in LL.

Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
  • Dubai,
  • languages,
  • linguistic landscape,
  • public space,
  • Souk Naif,
  • UAE
Scopus ID
85087484568
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
No
https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1781132
Citation Information
Magdalena Karolak. "Linguistic landscape in a city of migrants: a study of Souk Naif area in Dubai" International Journal of Multilingualism (2020) - 25 ISSN: <a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/1479-0718" target="_blank">1479-0718</a>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/magdalena-karolak/16/