Presenter(s): Maya Mackey—International Studies, Spanish
Faculty Mentor(s): Devin Grammon
Session 2: Oregon Trails
Linguistic landscapes are necessary for ethnolinguistic communities to be comfortable in their place of residence . Linguistic landscape is the study of representations of languages that are displayed
in public spaces such as signs, billboards, graffiti, and moving objects . This study examines the Spanish linguistic landscape of Downtown Eugene as it relates to the Spanish-speaking community’s ethnolinguistic vitality . The absence of multilingual signage around Downtown Eugene deprives the Spanish-speaking community of obtaining full access to communal activities and resources . There are many elements that serve a purpose in improving ethnolinguistic landscapes that directly relate to an individual’s comfortableness within a community . Qualitative and quantitative analysis of signs in Spanish, the coding of images, interviews with bilingual members of the Eugene community, and ethnographic data collection was used to determine the ethnolinguistic vitality and perceptions of Downtown Eugene . The analysis shows that there is a lack of signs of various languages in Downtown Eugene . The implementation of multilingual signs is necessary to create a more welcoming community for both residents and visitors of all backgrounds . Although this research is in a current state of development, this proposal shows how to increase the ethnolinguistic vitality for the Spanish-speaking community and will be published and presented to the City of Eugene . Linguistic landscape is necessary for not only the security and accessibility of all residents but for the economy of Eugene as well . When a city shows its willingness to create a safe space for all residents and visitors, people are more likely to be actively involved with the community thus stimulating economic growth .