Geosemiotics and Polylingual paronomasia in the Korean Linguistic Landscape: A Tale of Two Cities

Rubdy (2014) argues that "landscapes are not simply physical spaces but are discursive and often ideologically charged constructions" (p. 47). Therefore, research on linguistic landscaping helps us gain knowledge of linguistic... [ view full abstract ]

Rubdy (2014) argues that "landscapes are not simply physical spaces but are discursive and often ideologically charged constructions" (p. 47). Therefore, research on linguistic landscaping helps us gain knowledge of linguistic patterns and trends in a particular region as well as insights into linguistic attitudes along with power dynamics between different linguistic and cultural sectors in society.

This study explores the multilingual landscape in South Korea. Based on surveys of newspapers and blogs, several popular city centers in two major cosmopolitan cities were identified.  Adopting Backhaus' (2007) data collection method, over 1500 bilingual and multilingual signs were collected in city centers near major subway stations in Seoul and Pusan. Similar to Spolsky and Cooper (1991), the analysis of the present study focuses on "what language or languages, and in what order, appear on the signs and how can this choice be explained?" (p.76). In addition, following Cenoz and Gurter (2006), the analysis also includes (1) which language is displayed in prominent position (first language) or in larger size (size of text); (2) how much information/what kind of information is given in each language; and (3) whether or not the languages used constitute translations of each other (translation in bi/multilingual signs) (pp. 68-70). As for theoretical frameworks, Scollon and Scollon's (2003:2) 'geosemiotics' and Robertson’s (1992) 'glocalization' will be adopted. Among three components of geosemiotics, place semiotics will be treated as a main focus of analysis covering code preference, inscription, and emplacement. The findings of the study suggest that 'sensational spelling' and 'polylingual paronomasia,' to borrow Lee's (2014) terms, are prevalent, indicating that linguistic boundaries are crossed and multilingual creativity is exercised in the Korean linguistic landscape.