Linguistic Landscapes and Educational Spaces

How do written and other signs shape our educational spaces and practices; and how, in turn, are these written and other signs shaped by the educational spaces and practices they inhabit? Building on enquiries into the linguistic landscapes of public spaces, this volume addresses these questions and thereby further advances the educational turn in linguistic and semiotic landscapes studies. Prompted by social changes associated with migration and superdiversity, as well as imperatives to promote pluri- and multilingualism, the studies collected here speak to the interest of researchers and practitioners in educational linguistics and educational sciences. They confirm the value of combining empirical analyses of linguistic and semiotic educationscapes with action research on mobilising linguistic landscapes as pedagogical resources to promote multilingual equality.

This volume helps expand our understanding of the way language learning is always geosemiotically structured – sometimes hindering or closing off access, other times opening up powerful new opportunities. I applaud the editors for bringing together such a distinctive, diverse array of case studies., This exciting collection on ‘educationscapes’ expands the frontiers of research into ‘schoolscapes’ by examining Linguistic Landscapes of both formal and informal institutions. Transcending conventional boundaries of age, from pre-school children through to adult migrant learners, the chapters draw on data as diverse as blackboards, picture books, outdoor learning, and leaflets to highlight the potential for educationscapes to inform our understanding of our world.

Edina Krompák is Head of Research and Development at Schaffhausen University of Teacher Education, Switzerland. Her research interests include linguistic landscapes in educational contexts, multilingual language use and identity, translanguaging and multilingual play in early childhood.Víctor Fernández-Mallat is Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics at Georgetown University, USA. His research interests include sociolinguistics, language attitudes, address forms, Spanish in the US and linguistic landscapes.Stephan Meyer is Deputy Director of the Language Centre at the University of Basel, Switzerland. His interests include scholarly discourse, multilingualism and social theory.