Unpacking fluid linguistic landscape in a community coffeehouse in Hangzhou, East China: an everyday life perspective

Hua Yu; Bin Ai

doi:10.1515/applirev-2023-0241

Article

Unpacking fluid linguistic landscape in a community coffeehouse in Hangzhou, East China: an everyday life perspective

Hua Yu
Dr. Hua Yu is associate professor at the Institute of Language Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, China. She was a visiting scholar in the Department of Anthropology, Harvard University (2015–2016), and she has published widely in ethnographic studies. Her research interests include linguistic landscape, linguistic ethnography, critical education studies, and ethnography of language policy.
and Bin Ai
Dr. Bin Ai is professor at the School of Foreign Studies, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China. He gained his PhD at Deakin University, Australia, and his research interests include linguistic landscape, sociolinguistics, and (inter)cultural studies.

Published/Copyright: November 29, 2024

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From the journal Applied Linguistics Review Volume 16 Issue 4

Abstract

This paper enquires into the emergence of linguistic landscapes as cycles from fluid to frozen and fluid again. It is based on the first author’s ethnographic narratives of the appearance and disappearance of linguistic landscapes in a community coffeehouse in Hangzhou, East China. By moment analysis of the entanglements in everyday life that owners and customers share, we find that the meanings of the coffeehouse space are dynamically shaped by the intersections of their life trajectories and constant communication with others in ongoing everyday life. It is argued that linguistic landscapes emerge as a continuous flux, with language users’ care for others, willingness to correspond, and improvisation of linguistic and semiotic practices affected by their life trajectories. This paper will contribute to current research on language use in everyday space and fluid linguistic landscapes.

Keywords: life trajectories; language as emergence; fluid linguistic landscapes; moment analysis

Corresponding author: Bin Ai, School of Foreign Studies, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China, E-mail: adamaib@outlook.com

Funding source: National Language Commission

Award Identifier / Grant number: ZDI145-54

Funding source: Shanghai University of Finance and Economics

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2020110925

Award Identifier / Grant number: 2024120073

About the authors

Hua Yu

Dr. Hua Yu is associate professor at the Institute of Language Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, China. She was a visiting scholar in the Department of Anthropology, Harvard University (2015–2016), and she has published widely in ethnographic studies. Her research interests include linguistic landscape, linguistic ethnography, critical education studies, and ethnography of language policy.

Bin Ai

Dr. Bin Ai is professor at the School of Foreign Studies, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, China. He gained his PhD at Deakin University, Australia, and his research interests include linguistic landscape, sociolinguistics, and (inter)cultural studies.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the invaluable support of the owners of Woodland Coffeehouse, without which this research would not have been possible. We extend our sincere appreciation to Yingying, Mr. Zheng, and Doudou for generously sharing their life stories and creative experiences in poster design. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their encouraging and insightful comments, which significantly improved this manuscript.

Research ethics: Not applicable.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. Hua Yu: Writing original draft, review & editing. Bin Ai: Writing original draft, review & editing.
Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.
Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.
Research funding: This work was supported by Shanghai University of Finance and Economics [grant number 2024120073] and [grant number 2020110925] and National Social Science Fund of China [grant number 24BSH054].
Data availability: The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Received: 2023-10-25

Accepted: 2024-10-14

Published Online: 2024-11-29

Published in Print: 2025-07-28

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2023-0241

Keywords for this article

life trajectories; language as emergence; fluid linguistic landscapes; moment analysis