Discourse coalitions for and against minority languages on signs : Linguistic landscape as a social issue

Abstract

The chapter deals with the perceptions and public discourses about the presence of minority languages in signage in four middle-sized European cities, namely, Békéscsaba (Hungary), Český Těšín (Czechia), Llanelli (Wales) and Pula (Croatia). The analysis has revealed how the discourses treat bilingual signs as either instrumental objects or as symbolic spaces and how they unite or divide the local population in the issue of the identity of their town.

Keywords

• discourse coalitions
• minority languages
• signs
• linguistic landscape
• Békéscsaba
• Český Těšín
• Llanelli
• Pula