In recent years, linguistic landscape has become a hot topic in the fields of sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, as well as semiotics in China. Most of the previous studies put much emphasis on the statistical analysis based on the corpus collected from commerce, tourism, and sports contexts, while less attention is paid to the study of schoolscapes both on informational and symbolic level. By investigating the situation of language use in six universities located in Hefei, a city famous for science and education in China, we initiated a multidimensional study of linguistic landscapes in the educational field in China from the following five dimensions: selection of language, type of public sign, translation of signage, cultivation of ideology and power of Western culture. Through combining quantitative and qualitative analysis, we revealed the symbolic meanings invisible behind linguistic landscapes in the educational field, such as the conscious cultivation of mainstream ideology, the global and ubiquitous presence of English as a lingua franca, as well as the strong influence of Western culture. Based on the aforesaid status, some strategies for improving the schoolscapes are also proposed from the following four aspects: making or revising language planning and policies, developing standards for the use of English in the field of education, establishing an academic research community, and providing technological support for the establishment of public sign corpus. Under the background of educational globalization, we should pay much attention to the studies of the communicative function of schoolscapes as an information carrier, as well as the instrumental function of schoolscapes as a teaching resource. Besides, much more emphasis should be put on the subtle interaction between schoolscapes and real society.

Xiaochun Zhou, Yanchen Li. Reflections on the Construction Status of Linguistic Landscapes in the Educational Field in China: A Multidimensional Perspective. International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2021), Vol. 3, Issue 21: 66-75. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFS.2021.032108.

[1] Aladjem, R. and Jou, B. (2016). The linguistic landscape as a learning space for contextual language learning. Journal of Learning Spaces, 2, 66-70.  

[2] Backhaus, P. (2006). Multilingualism in Tokyo: A look into the linguistic landscape. International Journal of Multilingualism, 3, 52-66. 

[3] Duan, Hongbing. (2016). Research on linguistic landscape under the globalization background: A multilingual new approach. Social Sciences in Hunan, 2, 214-217.

[4] Huang, Xiaoli. (2018). Reflections on the three-dimensional construction of Japanese language landscape in Shanghai. Technology Enhanced Foreign Language Education, 5, 57-63.

[5] Huebner, T. (2009). A framework for the linguistic analysis of linguistic landscapes. In Shohamy, E. and Gorter, D. (Eds.). Linguistic Landscape: Expanding the Scenery (pp. 270-283). London: Routledge. 

[6] Hymes, D. (1972). Models of the interaction of language and social life. In Gumperz, J. and Hymes, D. (Eds.). Directions in Sociolinguistics: The Ethnography of Communication (pp. 35-71). New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 

[7] Landry, R. and Bourhis, R. (1997). Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality: An empirical study. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 1, 23-49. 

[8] Liang, Sihua. (2016). A review of Blommaert’s Ethnography, Superdiversity and Linguistic Landscape. Linguistic Research, 2, 209-217. 

[9] Mu, Yage., Yang, Xing., Li, Haiying and Jiang, Lijun. (2018). Research on the function of language landscape in teaching Chinese as a foreign language from the perspective of the communication of Chinese culture. Modern Chinese, 8, 170-177.

[10] Nie, Peng and Reha, Munai. (2017). An investigation of the linguistic landscape of Yi characters in Xichang City. Applied Linguistics, 1, 70-79.

[11] Pan, Yicong. (2012). A memetic-adaption approach to the study of the corporate slogans of fortune global 500 corporations. Dalian Maritime University, Dalian.

[12] Rebio, C. (2016). Ambient text and the becoming space of writing. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 4, 637-654. 

[13] Sayer, P. (2010). Using the linguistic landscape as a pedagogical resource. English Language Teachers Journal, 2, 143-154. 

[14] Shang, Guowen. (2017). Linguistic landscape and language teaching: from resource to tool.  Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 2, 11-19.

[15] Shang, Guowen and Zhao, Shouhui. (2014a). Linguistic landscape studies: Analytical dimensions and theoretical construction. Journal of Foreign Languages, 6, 81-89.

[16] Shang, Guowen and Zhao, Shouhui. (2014b). Linguistic landscape studies: Perspectives, theories and approaches. Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 2, 214-223.

[17] Tian, Feiyang and Zhang, Weijia. (2014). The sociolinguistics of globalization as a new theory in linguistic landscape studies: The case of bilingual signs on Xueyuan Road in Beijing. Applied Linguistics, 2, 38-45.

[18] Touchstone, E., Koslow, S. and Shamdasani, P. (2017). The linguistic servicescape: Speaking their language may not be enough. Journal of Business Research, 72, 147-157. 

[19] Trumper-Hecht, N. (2010). Linguistic landscape in mixed cities in Israel from the perspective of “walkers”: The case of Arabic. In Shohamy, E., Ben-Rafael, E. and Barni, M. (Eds.). Linguistic Landscape in the City (pp. 235-251). Bristol: Multilingual Matters. 

[20] Wang, Dongfeng. (2009). Register evolution and intertextual interference as considerations in formulating translation strategies. Chinese Translators Journal, 1, 10-16.

[21] Wang, Qun. (2012). A multimodal discourse analysis of road traffic signboards. Ocean University of China, Qingdao.

[22] Wang, Yinquan and Zhang, Ripei. (2012). From local standards to national standards: A new milestone in the translation of public signs. Chinese Translators Journal, 3, 64-70.

[23] Wu, Yongzhi. (2010). Bilingual interpretation of cultural heritage attractions: Problems and analysis -- A case study of Xi’an. Human Geography, 6, 135-138.

[24] Yang, Jinlong, Shen, Ji and Li, Weifeng. (2018). Survey on Arabic language service under the "Belt and Road Initiative" -- A case study of the linguistic landscape in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Regions of Shanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. Foreign Studies, 2, 27-33.

[25] Yang, Yonglin and Liu, Yinqi. (2011). Research on bilingual sign translation: Sports and tourism signs. Foreign Language Education, 4, 89-95.

[26] Zhang, Baicheng. (2015). An overview of linguistic landscape study in China and the prospect. Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies, 12, 14-18.

[27] Zhou, Xiaochun, Ke, Xiuqing and Yang, Yanxia. (2018). Urban linguistic landscape construction and coping strategy: A case study of cross-border E-commerce industrial park in Hefei City. Journal of Shenyang University, 4, 483-487.