A Linguistic Study of Multilingual Private Signs in Puregold QI Central in Quezon City, Philippines

Introduction

Linguistic Landscape is the study of written languages in public spaces. Linguistic landscape study as characterized by Shohamy and Gorter (2019) refers to the “attention to language in the environment, words, and images displayed and exposed in public spaces”. The linguistic landscape is a developing language theory and a recent popular field within sociolinguistics. LL study is “a welcome development in sociolinguistics, for it expands the range of sociolinguistic description from speakers to the physical spaces in which speakers dwell and in which they pick up and leave linguistic deposits” (Blommaert, n.d.). The importance of the linguistic landscape as a research tool is highlighted by Gorter (2013). Since LL analysis provides a diagnostic of the language situation of a certain area it certainly includes questions of language diversity, multilingualism, the dominance of languages, and language policies. In conclusion, the Linguistic landscape is the analysis and interpretation of relationships between the sign, the sign-makers, and the sign-readers. Verbal images or linguistic text and items are the subjects of investigation. These linguistic forms are displayed and posted on numerous shop doors, restaurant windows, and street signs found in public spaces. “Signs can be nearly anything that is written down, from a post-it note on a desk to a billboard in Times Square to a street sign to a job advertisement. The possibilities of sign types are endless. Signs can be distinguished based on information and communication such as selling products and advertising, or the function that the sign is playing in the public space, such as showing the status the language plays in society” (Ailanjian, 2017). “When we walk through an institution, it is common to encounter linguistic tokens in different locations. Announcements and signages are two of the most important things concerning information dissemination in an institution” (Tabajunda, 2018). As a result, these linguistic items help us to be informed of everything important to know. This is one of the informative function of signs.

Researches and studies focusing on multilingualism have also recently gathered particular interest because of significant transformational changes and linguistic diversity brought by globalization. English as a global language is consistently also used as a focal point of LL analysis located in places where English is spoken as a first, second, or foreign language.

From this point, I will briefly mention two (2) LL studies that have been conducted in the Philippines. De Los Reyes (2014) study on Language of order: English in the linguistic landscape of two major train stations in the Philippines have found that English is preferred over the Filipino language in the signs found in the two major train stations in the Philippines. The result of the study shows that English is used in two forms of order: 1) signs that make readers follow order:  proper behaviors in train stations, and 2) signs that encourage readers to make an order: purchasing goods. It was also concluded that the effectiveness of English in purporting these orders among Filipinos may be explained by the positive attitude of Filipinos toward Americans. Another study on LL found in the Philippines was done by  Eclipse and Tenedero in 2018. Their study on the Linguistic landscape of Manila Central Post Office: A Macro-linguistic Analysis is similar to De Los Reyes's findings that show that English is the dominant language of the signs. Using Finocchiaro and Brumfit’s (1983) categories of communicative functions, the study also found that most English signs serve referential and directive functions.

Research Objectives

Primarily, the objective of this study is to examine and describe the linguistic landscape of Puregold grocery store in Quezon City, Philippines. Using Landry and Bourhis' (1997) notion of private and government signs and Backhaus (2006) concept of monolingual and multilingual signs, the study seeks to determine the languages used in signs, the communicative function frequently associated with the languages used, and the possible explanations to why these languages are used in the multilingual private signs in Puregold Qi Central in Quezon City. A total of 191 multilingual signs are collected in the study.  Special attention is given to multilingual signs.  Specifically, this paper aims to address the following questions:

1)     What language is dominant in the multilingual signs found in the grocery area of Puregold Qi Central?

2)     What communicative functions and intentions are frequently associated with the multilingual signs?

3)     How many signs are related to the Covid-19 pandemic?

4)  How are Covid-19 related signs different from the regular market signs found in the grocery area of Puregold Qi Central?

 

Theoretical Framework

Landry and Bourhis are among the early proponents of LL research. Using their concept of linguistic analysis and notion of private and government signs (1997), data were analyzed and identified according to their sign makers. Private and government signs are different in terms of their sign producers. Government sign refers to any signs issued by national, regional, or municipal governments found in public institutions, sites, and places. On the other hand, private signs are issued by the individual social sectors, private shop owners, and companies. It includes commercial and advertisement signs on storefronts and business institutions.  In this study, all signs photographed inside the grocery area were considered private signs because they are produced and written by the Puregold department team.

Another important categorization in the LL study is the distinction between monolingual and multilingual signs. Backhaus's (2006) definition and distinction of monolingual and multilingual signs are used in this study.  A monolingual sign is characterized as any sign written in the Filipino language only. While multilingual sign refers to any sign containing at least one language in addition to, or instead of, Filipino. Again the choice of data for this study is only limited to multilingual private signs found in the grocery area of Puregold QI Central in Quezon City. Even a distinction is made between monolingual and multilingual signs. It is worthy to point out that both signs contribute their part together in making the overall image of Puregold Linguistic Landscape.  After defining a clear taxonomy for the data, LL items are further analyzed according to their communicative functions and their significant features using Tedick's (2002) functional categories. These fall under five major categories: personal, interpersonal, directive, referential, and imaginative.

 Image 1               &                  Image  2

These are multilingual  signs found inside the Puregold grocery area. They are considered private signs because they are produced and written by the Puregold department team. As we can see in the picture, most of the signs have an informative function and warning notifications. They are also visibly different in terms of physical form because they are produced and displayed using different materials. 

 

Methodology

        The study was conducted between September and November 2020. For the survey area, I selected the grocery area of Puregold Qi Central in Quezon City. The supermarket was chosen for its commercial purpose in the city and its strategic location. Puregold QI Central is one of the biggest Puregold branches. It is located at Araneta Avenue corner E. Rodriguez Avenue, Doña Aurora, Quezon City, Philippines.  It is also a one-stop-shop with diners, kiosks, and groceries inside. It has more product availability and low price compared to other leading supermarkets.  Puregold is also close to other institutions like St. Luke’s Medical Center, St Joseph's College, and the Trinity University of Asia. The data collection process was made quickly and easily by using a digital camera and a smartphone technology to record all the signs. Signs in the grocery area that are accessible to the public were photographed. A total of 193 signs were collected then categorized using Backhaus's (2006) definition and distinction of monolingual and multilingual signs.

Results 

Within the survey area, a total of 193 signs were counted, of which 191 were classified as multilingual. This amounts to a ratio of 99% multilingual signs in total. On the other hand, 2 signs have been categorized as monolingual signs.  Only 1% of the overall image of Puregold Linguistic Landscape has been determined as monolingual signs. Table 1 shows that the number of multilingual signs is much higher than monolingual signs. The quantitative summary of outcomes is given in Table 1. 

 

Table 1 Monolingual versus multilingual signs

Type of Sign	Counted signs	(%)
Monolingual	2	1%
Multilingual	191	99%
Total	193	100%

  

To answer the second research question, the multilingual signs were further classified and determined according to their communicative function. Using Tedick’s (2002) categories of communicative functions of language, five categories were identified: personal, interpersonal, directive, referential, and imaginative. A majority of the multilingual signs are referential. 121 signs have a referential communicative function. This function is used in identifying and describing items, products, or people inside the grocery.  In this category, the most common signs are the product or item labels.

Image 3: Beverage Label

The second predominant function of signs is imaginative function. There are 42 signs under this category. This function mostly includes advertisements, promo, and discount posters. Surprisingly, all signs under this function are written in the English language. This could indicate that in marketing their products, the Puregold team uses English as its commercial language.

         Image 4:  Instawin Raffle promo

The third common type of sign, with 26 signs found, is directive. As the name suggests, the directive function helps the Puregold management to establish guidelines, rules, and notices that warn and forbids someone against something. Some directive signs also give instructions or directions and also discourage certain practices.

Image 5: Warning Notices

Represented only by 2 signs is the interpersonal function.  This sign mostly identifies oneself to others and also expresses concern for other people’s welfare. It also communicates thoughts or feelings of love, joy, pleasure, happiness, etc. This could be attributed to the fact that Puregold management is primarily sensitive in communicating messages towards its customers. Instead of giving a direct message of prohibiting the kids from playing or touching the items, they communicate the message in a less directive version and used a friendly register.

Image 6: Thank You for Not Playing Sign

Finally, the least communicative function is the personal category, with o token. There are no samples of personal signage in the area. This can be attributed to the fact that Puregold does not limit its services to specific individuals. The absence of personal signage is also aligned with its customer-first approach.  It only shows that they care for their customer by focusing on their needs and by doing what is important to them.  The qualitative breakdown of the results is presented in Table 2.

          Table 2 Communicative Functions of Multilingual Signs

Communicative Functions	Counted signs	(%)
Directive	26	14%
Referential	121	63%
Personal	-	-
Interpersonal	2	1%
Imaginative	42	22%
Total	191	100%

 

 

 

 

  

Another qualitative distinction is made between COVID-19 related signs and non-COVID-19 related signs. We cannot deny the fact that the world is drastically changing because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our daily activities, starting from travel warnings to disease prevention measures to social media infodemic trends. We can already feel the severity of this disease as early as February and even language itself cannot escape this difficult time caused by COVID-19.  So it is only equally important to investigate and analyze the qualitative distinction of COVID-19 related signs from non-COVID-19 related signs in linguistic landscaping. To answer the third research question, a total of 193 signs were collected, of which 11 were determined as COVID-19 related signs. Below is a summary of the data. 

Table 3 Number of COVID-19 Related Signs

Type of Sign	Counted signs	(%)
Regular  Market Sign	182	94%
Covid -19 Related Sign	11	6%
Total	193	100%

 

  

Analysis and Discussion

After surveying the landscape in the company, I have collected a total of 191 multilingual signs. This data shows that English dominates the scene as there are overwhelmingly more signs in English than in Filipino. Almost 99% of multilingual signs have a code preference for the English language. The preferential use of English is indicated by putting the English versions either on top or in the center, having more English words than Filipino ones, and by emphasizing English words through capitalization or font-sizing. The use of English in linguistic landscapes is also either referential, imaginative, directive, interpersonal, or both functions. Finally, a total of 11 COVID-19 related signs were collected in the survey area. Now, this leads us to our last and biggest research question, how are Covid-19 related signs different from the regular market signs found in the grocery area of Puregold Qi Central?

Upon coding of the data, certain features were immediately clear, particularly about the way COVID-19 related signs were represented in the landscape. In this study, I have discovered five (5) distinctive features of COVID-19 related signs that separate them from the other non-COVID-19 related signs. Below is a summary of my findings.

 

 

5        Distinctive Features of COVID-19 Related SignS

1.       English as a default choice.

 

All COVID-19 related signs are multilingual. Although English and Filipino languages are mainly used in the signs, the pragmatic choices made at the height of the COVID-19 crisis show English as the default option for crisis communication, as there are only 2 signs that contain the Filipino language. This can be attributed to the circumstances that the Filipino language can be a challenge for non-speakers to gain accurate information during a crisis. And since Puregold is located in a community of multilingual residents it is convenient and effective to use a language that is highly accessible for all speakers on cross-cultural communication.

2.       2. Interpersonal communicative function as an overlapping category.

Table 4 Communicative Functions of COVID-19 Related Signs

Type of Sign	Directive	Interpersonal	Referential	Counted Signs
No Face Mask No Entry	üüü	üüü		3
Please Wash Your Hands Here	ü			1
Advice to the Public	ü	ü		1
Hand Washing Station			ü	1
Please Observe 1 Meter Social Distancing	üü	üü		2
Face Masks Available		ü	ü	1
Priority Lane Medical Front liners			üü	2
				TOTAL : 11

There are 11 COVID-19 related signs. The communicative functions of these signs are either referential, directive, interpersonal. or both functions. Table 4 shows that there are six (6) COVID-19 signs that contain both directive and interpersonal function and only one (1) COVID-19 sign that registers both referential and interpersonal function.   The common denominator for all these 7 signs is the use of Interpersonal function as an overlapping category.  One distinctive feature of the COVID-19 related signs is that it can be assigned membership in more than one communicative function or category. As shown in Table 4, seven (7) signs are reported to have overlapping categories.

 

Image 7: This sign uses both referential and interpersonal function

3) Use of politeness markers: “Please” and “Thank You”

Another important aspect of COVID-19 related sign is the use of politeness markers. As discussed by Richard Nordquist (2020) “politeness allows people to perform many inter-personally sensitive actions in a nonthreatening or less threatening manner. In sociolinguistics and conversation analysis, politeness strategies are speech acts that express concern for others and minimize threats to self-esteem in particular social contexts. Positive politeness strategies are intended to avoid giving offense by highlighting friendliness. Politeness markers are essential factors for successful communication whose success is guaranteed by appropriate persuasive tools.”

Image 8: Please Wash Your Hands Here

A.            “Please”

According to Cambridge University Press (2020), people use “please with the imperative form of a verb to express a polite request or order. We usually put please in the front position of written requests, or particularly at the beginning of polite notices.”  In the sign, “please wash your hands here,” Puregold uses the politeness marker “please” to strongly encourage its customers to wash their hands without being too directive.  In conclusion, I believe that the addition of “please” in COVID-19 related signs will result in greater compliance with health protocols and increase the possibility of obedience of the clients and customers.

Image 9: Thank You For Not Crossing the Que Line Provided. 

B. “Thank You”

 The use of expressions with thank you is a way of providing a client with a positive customer experience. It is also mainly designed to encourage positive behavior and to practice social distancing while inside the market.  It also works as a strategy to enhance customers’ awareness and attention during a crisis. And finally, It is a good start in building relationships between the sign producers and the sign readers.

4.       Use of images to promote and communicate scientific content.

           Image 10: Priority Lane Medical Frontliners

The fourth distinctive characteristic of COVID-19 related signs is the use of images to promote and communicate scientific content. As Balm (2014) claims, the human brain can recognize a familiar object within 100 milliseconds, so when we see a picture, we are quick to analyze it. During difficult times like the COVID-19 pandemic, visual formation is the easiest and most effective way of acquiring and learning information. With images, we instantly get the message and quickly absorbed the information of the signs without actually reading the text. Signs with images are really powerful because images help us become involved and motivate us to take action immediately.

5.    COVID-19 related signs are more colorful in comparison to other non-COVID-19 related sign.

 

Image 11: No Face Mask No Entry

According to the article, The Psychology Of Colour In Safety Signs And Signals, “color has a huge role to play in making sure that signs are instantly recognizable at a mere glance.  When images and color combine, signs become independent of language and immediately identifiable (n.d.)”. Based on the data presented above, COVID-19 related signs are visibly different in terms of physical form because they are more colorful and bigger compared to other non-COVID-19 related signs. The color green is used to direct people on what to do and to highlight instructions on how to wear a mask properly.  Another recognizable color is Yellow.  The color yellow is often associated with safety warnings. Yellow also helps draw attention and make a signal on face mask mistakes.

Conclusion

A language is a tool for communication, but there is a dominant language in any social space. Despite the multilingual composition of residents, there is a dominant use of the English language for communication in Puregold QI Central. It also shows that there is no active competition between English and Filipino. And although the Philippines is known as a multilingual country since it uses a bilingual policy, languages of commerce and business institutions show that they have a code preference for the English language.

Thus the need to include the reality of linguistic diversity into our linguistic landscape analysis is very significant. A critical look at the signage and warning messages in our landscapes at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic can be eye-opening since it highlights linguistic inequality concerning crisis communication. This linguistic situation only sharpens the idea that the world does not only speaks English but also thinks in English. This is largely supported by Wierzbicka’s study on Natural Semantic Metalanguage (1996) that claims that English is not just spoken in every airport and hotel in the world, but in every head as well. This concludes that the English language beholds the dominant status in any particular setting or context. To simply put this, Coronavirus is also an amplifier of existing linguistic boundaries and inequalities. 

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 Sharmaine G. Cañares, MA English Studies: Language