Place-making in the linguistic landscape of Europe, Eyadini and Marikana
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Date
2023
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Informal settlements are undeniably a part of the South African semiotic landscape and can be established instantly. As most informal settlements are ‘initiated’ by citizens, residents of informal settlements assume the responsibility of naming their place of residence and crafting a system for navigation purposes. Studies in Linguistic Landscapes have greatly concentrated on established and well-developed urban spaces and little attention has been devoted to less developed areas such as informal settlements in South Africa. Therefore, using qualitative research methods to collect the data, this study explores the place-making strategies of three informal settlements in Cape Town, Eyadini, Marikana and Europe. The study makes use of pictorial data as well as interviews conducted with purposively selected participants in the area. The study investigates spatial navigation, linguistic choices and practices, written and non-scripted signage and place-making strategies including ideological meanings. It draws on the Multimodal Discourse Analysis as a theoretical framework to interpret the assemblage of semiotic resources residents of informal settlements draw upon and attach meaning to their physical environments during spatial navigation.
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Keywords
Toponymic inscriptions, Informal settlements, Place-naming, Oral linguascaping, Linguistic landscapes