Geographical Effect against Linguistic Landscape on Coffee Shop Signboards in West Padang Subdistrict

Abstract

Language mapping is a new perspective in a linguistic landscape as a novelty of this research. This research described the variation and domination of language use on coffee shop signboards through language mapping and analyzed how the geographical situation and conditions can affect the use of that language. There were 60 coffee shop signboards in the West Sumatra Subdistrict, which is divided into three regions: the city center, taplau, and pondok cino (China town), which became the data population of this research. Several data were selected using random sampling to analyze the reason for language use based on geographical conditions or situations. The research uses qualitative methods to collect data and analyze results using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Adobe Photoshop. Using the two software as instruments is an innovation in the method of the linguistic landscape (LL). The analysis began with quantifying language usage, including monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual forms on coffee shop signboards. Subsequently, language mapping was conducted to illustrate language variation and highlight linguistic dominance in specific areas. Finally, the study delved into the rationale behind language selection, considering geographical conditions and situational context evident in the language mapping. Findings revealed the presence of 12 languages on coffee shop signage, including Indonesian, Minangkabau, Javanese, English, Arabic, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish and Chinese. The use of foreign languages was attributed to global influences and societal preferences for modernization and prestige. Moreover, the research underscored the influence of geographical conditions and situational context on linguistic landscapes, impacting shop naming, cultural identity, and commercial objectives within a region.