Street Names and Nationalism

In Spain during the 20th century, the citizens experienced an incredible shift in political regimes. The country moved through a monarchy and dictatorship from 1900 to 1931, the Second Republic from 1931 to 1936, and Francisco Franco's era from 1936 to 1975 (Faraco and Murphy 2006:129). Due to this extreme regimental change, the citizens and their languages were swept up in the movements. Street names changed rapidly as political views shifted. Faraco and Murphy provide tables of examples of the changes in their article "Street Names and Political Regimes in an Andalusian Town." They trace the path of name changes from 1900-1981. One example of this change:

Alcantarilla - Jose Tejero - Nicolas Salmeron - Jose Tejero - Alcantarilla

One street name came full circle; the shifts in language use in public domain changed so rapidly and were dependent on the political party that was in power. Another street changed twenty-four times between 1900-1981 (Faraco and Murphy 2006:133). 

The language shifts depicted on public street signs were markers of the hierarchy of the language. Road and street signs are visible venues for languages.  

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Street_sign,_Alhaur%C3%ADn_de_la_Torre,_Spain_02.JPG

Faraco, J. Carlos González and Michael Dean Murphy

   1997 Street Names and Political Regimes in an Andalusian Town. Ethnology 36(2):123-48.

Collection of Stop Signs

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Au.stop.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IqaluitStop.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stad_Irish_stop_sign.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JeffHwyWhoaSign.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MiKmaqStopSign.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bedd.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stop_sign_China.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mistassini_roadsign.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stop_in_Iran.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_stop_sign.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mexico_traffic_signal_sr6.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nunavut_Stop_Sign_SVG.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arret_Quebec.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bonaparte_-_Secwepemctsin_stop_sign.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thai_Stop_Sign.svg

The Struggle for Language in the Arctic

Road signs have been a continual source of agony for the Inuit people in Canada. For so long, their language has been washed aside, pushed out of the way by English. In recent years, the Inuit people have risen up and fought back against English's oppression; they have begun to utilize their linguistic landscape to promote their own language. The Inuktitut language is discussed in Michelle Daveluy and Jenanne Ferguson's article "Scripted Urbanity in the Canadian North" in reference to the ongoing debate over the exact alphabet to use. The authors describe the road signs as the most concrete examples of this debate.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IqaluitStop.jpg

The Inuktitut language has been featured at the top of stop signs, street signs, and in other public domains. Placing Inuktitut above English shows the hierarchy of language as determined by the people who own the language. They have used the linguistic landscape to promote their language, which has never really suffered in numbers even though English is a dominant colonial language. Due to the maintenance practices like this, the Inuit people have kept their language strong.

Daveluy, Michelle and Jenanne Ferguson

   2009 Scripted Urbanity in the Canadian North. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology 19(1):78-100.

Nationalism and Road Signs

In many countries, the languages used on signs creates an association with nationalism and pride in one's heritage. For the case of the Welsh language, and for the people of Wales, language has held markers of cultural identity. Having English on their road signs has fostered a landscape of oppression. Rhys Jones and Peter Merriman discuss in their essay "Hot, banal and everyday nationalism: Bilingual road signs in Wales" the issue of nationalism as belonging to group identities rather than just extremists. The authors discuss the campaigns launched against the English-only signs in Wales and the "emancipatory quality of bilingual road signs" (Jones and Merriman 2009:168). "Road signs were viewed as everyday media of oppression" and "were also means of conveying governmental authority and state identities at a distance" (Jones and Merriman 2009:167-9).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A5-llwybrhanesyddol.JPG

The issue of bilingual road signs was fought for over many years in Wales. Eventually the government allowed for this change, and the display of Welsh language in the public sphere contributed immensely to the revitalization of the language. The campaigns for bilingual road signs have followed along the same time lines as the campaigns for the revitalization of the Welsh language. Road signs have proven to be a key factor in the maintenance of the once endangered, now thriving Welsh language.

Jones, Rhys and Peter Merriman

   2009 Hot, banal and everyday nationalism: Bilingual Road Signs in Wales. Political Geography 28(3): 164-173.

Place Names

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bilingual_road_sign_in_squamish_language_2.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bilingual_road_sign_in_squamish_language_1.jpg

What do these signs mean to you? What language is being privileged here?

Even though these signs are acknowledging the indigenous language of the landscape, they are privileging the English language by placing it on top. The linguistic landscape of this land is made up with the languages present on public and private spaces. A way for endangered languages to fuel interest is through signs like these. Having your endangered language posted on a national road sign can foster pride in that culture and the culture's heritage. It is important to acknowledge practices of language revitalization like these.