Spanish in The Linguistic Landscape of San Diego County: A Case of Linguicism?

Abstract

This study aims to document the prevailing languages and the place that Spanish, a heritage language of the region, occupies among them in the linguistic landscape of six neighbourhoods of San Diego County. Three areas with predominantly Latinx populations (Latin areas) and three areas with predominantly White populations (White areas) were analysed. Signage was reviewed using the following five analytical categories: (a) language(s) of the signs, (b) most prominent language(s), (c) informative vs symbolic function of the language(s), (d) types of translations, and (e) public vs private authorship.  Results showed a preference for English in White areas, with greater use of both English and Spanish and English/Spanish bilingual signs in the Latin areas. Additionally, more diversity in the types of translations in bilingual signs was found in the Latin areas, and a good amount of symbolic function for Spanish. These patterns highlighted the local power relations between the area's two most widely spoken languages. They could reflect linguicism, as Spanish and bilingualism are almost referred to in Latino areas, and even in Latino areas, the presence of Spanish is low. This is interpreted as an expansion of the White public space and the linguistic imperialism of English, which perpetuates the racialisation and oppression of Speakers of minoritised languages.