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Article published In: Journal of Asian Pacific Communication: Online-First Articles

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One country, many languages

Exploring the linguistic landscape of shop signage in Singapore’s Chinatown

 | Universiti Malaya
ORCiD logo with link | Universiti Malaya
Published online: 13 March 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/japc.25058.fan
Abstract
In multilingual countries like Singapore, shop signage serves as a prominent site for observing how language is used to communicate cultural, social, and political messages. Building on the original linguistic landscape conceptualization of Landry, R., & Bourhis, R. Y. (1997). Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 16(1), 23–49. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, this study examines the linguistic environment in Singapore’s Chinatown. It adopts a mixed-method approach, combining photographic documentation of 292 shop signage and interviews from 25 shop owners. The aim is to identify dominant languages used on shop signage, analyzing their distribution patterns and investigating factors that influence shop owners’ language choices. The findings demonstrate that English and Chinese are the predominant languages on shop signage. The study manifests that bilingual English-Chinese signage is the most prevalent, balancing functional communication and cultural symbolism. Additionally, the study illuminates the factors that influence shop owners’ language choices on shop signage. The study further presents how commercial interests, cultural identities, and globalization influence the linguistic landscape in a multilingual setting.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Studies of linguistic landscape
    • 2.2Linguistic landscapes in Multilingual societies
    • 2.3Linguistic landscapes in Singapore
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Analytical framework
    • 3.2Research sites
    • 3.3Research data
      • 3.3.1Photographs
      • 3.3.2Semi-structured interviews
    • 3.4Research ethics
    • 3.5Data analysis
      • 3.5.1Quantitative analysis
      • 3.5.2Qualitative analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Language frequency: English and Chinese as the predominant languages
    • 4.2Language composition patterns: Monolingual, bilingual, and limited multilingual
    • 4.3Factors shaping shop owners’ language choice on their shop signage
      • 4.3.1Target customer base: A focus on code preference
      • 4.3.2Cultural identity and practical considerations
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Chinese as a symbol of cultural identity and global influence
    • 5.2English as a marker of prestige, modernity, and commercial pragmatism
    • 5.3Language hierarchies and symbolic multilingualism
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
References (40)
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