Experiencing the City

Activities

Lived Spaces

Exploring Linguistic Landscapes

A major feature of modern cities is that they are seldom monocultural or monolingual. This is often shown through various signs and images that have been used by people from different cultural background and communities. Nowadays, people can easily get to know new words and languages from social media, different online platforms, or through exchanges with visitors, travellers, and many others who for various reasons move to a new city. This activity invites you to explore the diverse linguistic landscapes in the city.

How it works

Pick an area in your city, and conduct a quick desktop research for information related to your chosen area. For example, you can try to find out more about the official language(s) of the city and the different dialects that maybe used in the area, the different communities or ethnic groups, and any other information that you think can help you understand more about the linguistic landscape of the city. Write some brief notes about the information that you have collected.

Suggested locations in Hong Kong:

Kowloon City
Yau Tsim Mong
Kwai Ching

Visit the area and make some observations. Take photos of shop signs, road signs, graffiti, notices, etc.

Now, revisit the photos and take a close look at the words and images:

Look up any words that you do not understand their meanings.
Consider the interaction between images and words. Do the images strengthen or change the meaning of the written words, or vice versa?
Now, revisit the notes that you have jotted down when you first researched the information about the area. Have your field trip and observations made on the ground changed your perception of the chosen area?

Example

Examples from Hong Kong:

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: ‘Nett hier. Aber waren Sie schon mal in Baden-Württemberg?’
[Translated as ‘Nice here. But have you been to Baden-Württemberg?’]
A sticker found in Central. It is part of Germany’s tourism campaign.

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: Japanese promotion signs with the words ‘Noto Peninsula's food products – Support for Noto’ (after the New Year earthquake in 2024) in Causeway Bay

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: Braille, Chinese, and English captions at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Tsim Sha Tsui

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: ‘Do not worry about tomorrow’ A graffiti in Sham Shui Po

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: ‘Halt’ in Tai Hang West Estate

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: A Thai restaurant in Kowloon City

Examples from other cities:

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: Portuguese and English housing advertisements in Macau

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: German and Italian direction signs in Bolzano/Bozen

Photo by Vanessa Yeung: English and Italian bus information in the city-state San Marino