Acceso usuarios
María Guadalupe Dorado Escribano
The linguistic landscape of Vista Alegre, a multicultural migrant neighbourhood in Madrid, was analysed to explore the interplay between language use, public spaces, and societal dynamics. By examining 137 non-official signs geolocated in linguistic cartography, the study aimed to identify the languages employed and the strategies of certain communities to make themselves visible. Spanish emerged as the predominant language, followed by English, while Chinese, Romanian, Arabic, and Italian collectively accounted for less than 10% of the sample, indicating a broad linguistic diversity not directly correlated with the resident population's linguistic composition. Regarding strategies, nearly half of the signs displayed semiotic strategies such as personal and family names, geographic references, and flags. Notably, nationalities such as Chinese and Romanian do not leverage the linguistic landscape for identity expression, in contrast to Honduran, Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Venezuelan communities, which use it to render themselves visible. The term ‘Latino’ is prominently presented to foster a collective identity among various nationalities. This linguistic landscape analysis underscores that in the ethnolinguistic vitality of Vista Alegre, national visibility is made apparent through the choice of language along with cultural and geographical references that will help negotiate identities.
