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Article published In: Linguistic Landscape
Vol. 6:1 (2020) ► pp.52–79

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Survey area selection in Variationist Linguistic Landscape Study (VaLLS)

A report from Vienna, Austria

 | University of Vienna
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Published online: 16 March 2020
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.00017.sou
Abstract
This article addresses the unresolved issue of systematic survey area selection for large-scale quantitative Linguistic Landscape (LL) studies. It presents a strategy of ‘hypothesis-driven stratified sampling’ whereby survey areas are picked out in a nested, multi-step process on the basis of the configuration of local LL audiences (regarding age, multilingualism, and tourism) and ambient activity types (commercial vs. residential). The rationale for this strategy is drawn from variationist sociolinguistics; and the undertaking is accordingly cast as ‘Variationist Linguistic Landscape Study (VaLLS)’. The details of the design are showcased and implications discussed in the context of the large-scale project ‘ELLViA – English in the Linguistic Landscape of Vienna, Austria’. More generally, it is shown how the application of state-of-the-art variationist principles and methodology to quantitative LL research significantly enhances the latter’s scientific rigor, which has been a major point of criticism.
Abstrakt
Dieser Beitrag befasst sich mit der bis dato ungelösten Problematik der systematischen Absteckung eines Untersuchungsgebiets für umfangreiche, quantitative Studien von Sprachlandschaften (linguistic landscapes/LLs). Eine Strategie des ‚hypothesengeleiteten, stratifizierten Samplings‘ wird vorgestellt, unter der ein Untersuchungsgebiet, in mehreren verschränkten Schritten, auf Basis der Konfiguration eines lokalen LL-Publikums ausgewählt wird, und zwar im Hinblick auf dessen Alter, Multilingualismus und touristische Aktivität, sowie auf Umgebungstyp (kommerziell oder residenziell). Die Logik dieser Strategie ist von der variationistischen Soziolinguistik abgeleitet, sodass das Unterfangen als ‚variationistische Sprachlandschaftsforschung‘ (‘Variationist Linguistic Landscape Study‘/ ‚VaLLS’) bezeichnet werden kann. Die Details eines entsprechenden Studiendesigns und seine konkrete Umsetzung, sowie die Implikationen für die LL-Forschung im Allgemeinen, werden anhand des Projekts ‚ELLViA – Englisch in der Wiener Sprachlandschaft‘ illustriert und diskutiert. Letztlich wird gezeigt, dass die Anwendung moderner variationistischer Prinzipien und Methodologien die wissenschaftliche Stringenz und Qualität der quantitativen LL-Forschung, die diesbezüglich laufend in der Kritik stand, erheblich verbessern kann.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Integrating variationist sociolinguistics and quantitative LL study
  • 3.Hypothesis-driven stratified sampling in ELLViA
    • 3.1Hypothesis-driven stratification and selection of sub-areas and streets for surveying
    • 3.2Picking out stretches on the streets to be surveyed
  • 4.The benefits of the sampling scheme: First results from the ELLViA VaLLS survey
  • 5.Conclusion and outlook
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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