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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 1150

Part of Session 169: Sociolinguistic perspectives on the internationalization of HE (Other abstracts in this session)

Multilingual landscaping and language attitudes of international students at the University of Luxembourg

Authors: Stoike, Rahel
Submitted by: Stoike, Rahel (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg)

The officially trilingual University of Luxembourg (French, English and German) has three campuses in and around the capital of Luxembourg. More than 50 % of all inscriptions for the winter term 2011/2012 are from international students. Most of them are bilingual or multilingual to different degrees, but do not necessarily master all of the university languages. As well, their competencies in the languages of the study program chosen can vary considerably. We assume that their language attitudes and linguistic repertoires change within the specific multilingual environment. Our theoretical framework combines ethnographic with linguistic landscape research and critical discourse analysis which allows us to look more closely at how international students adapt to the new multilingual environment. The fact that students do not necessarily know German or French, but in most cases do know English and various other languages might be reflected in the linguistic landscapes (advertisements, teaching and culture offers).

In our work we look at what kinds of language attitudes are expressed and how these are linked to the linguistic landscape of the university as well at the features of bottom-up multilingual landscaping on the campus. In addition we are interested how the university adapts to the growing number of international students and scholars. Thus we are going to compare the use of languages in the linguistic landscape with the language policies of the University. By linking empirical research on language attitudes with an investigation of multilingual landscaping on the three campuses as well as language policies of the University of Luxembourg we want to reflect on the space official and other languages take in individual lifes and in the linguistic landscapes of a higher education institute.

References:

Backhaus, Peter (2007) Linguistic Landscapes: A Comparative Study of Urban Multilingualism in Tokyo, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon(UK).

Gorter, Durk (ed.) (2006a) International Journal of Multilingualism 3 (1). A special issue on linguistic landscape.

Herdina, Philip & Jessner, Ulrike (2002) A Dynamic Model of Multilingualism. Perspectives of Change in Psycholinguistics. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Jaworski, Adam & Thurlow, Crispin (éds. 2009) Semiotic Landscapes: Language, Image, Space. London : Continuum.

Lüdi, Georges (2010) L’analyse du paysage linguistique comme instrument pour analyser la gestion des langues dans les entreprise, in: Lüdi, G. (éd.): Le plurilinguisme au travail entre la philosophie de l’entreprise, les représentations des acteurs et les pratiques quotidiennes. Basel, Institut für Französische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft (=Acta Romanica Basiliensia [ARBA] 22), 87-106.

Scollon, Ron & Scollon, Suzie Wong (2003) Discourses in Place: Language in the Material World. London and New York: Routledge.

Shohamy, E. & D. Gorter (eds.) Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery. Oxon & New York: Routledge.