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Article published In: Linguistic Landscape
Vol. 3:2 (2017) ► pp.122–148

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Printed t-shirts in the linguistic landscape

A reading from functional linguistics

 | University of South Australia
Published online: 19 October 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.3.2.02cal
Abstract
While the printed t-shirt remains a prominent form of communication in our contemporary linguistic landscape, little research to date has examined the semiotics of this unique mode of communication. In response to the interdisciplinary ‘invitation’ from Shohamy, E., & Ben-Rafael, E. (2015). Linguistic landscape: A new journal. Linguistic Landscape, 1(1), 1–5.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, this paper draws on principles and methods from social semiotics (Van Leeuwen, T. (2005). Introducing social semiotics. London: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) and Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday, M. A. K. (1989). Spoken and written language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) to explore the meaning-making potential of English words on printed t-shirts. The paper begins by applying Halliday’s concept of mode to the printed t-shirt and then presents a linguistically motivated taxonomy of words on printed t-shirts. In addition to foregrounding the printed t-shirt as a site for future exploration, this paper aims to present a close textual discourse analysis – an examination of the ‘perceived space’ (Malinowski, D. (2015). Opening spaces of learning in the linguistic landscape. Linguistic Landscape, 1(1/2), 95–113. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) – to complement, inform and engage with current trends and methods in linguistic landscape research and pedagogy.
Article outline
  • 1.Background
  • 2.Methods
  • 3.Analysis
    • 3.1The mode of the printed t-shirt
    • 3.2A taxonomy of printed t-shirts
      • 3.2.1Projections
      • 3.2.2Labels
      • 3.2.3Icons
    • 3.3Responding to the taxonomy
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (31)
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This list is based on CrossRef data as of 26 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

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