Scripted Urbanity in the Canadian North

Abstract

In Canadian northern settlements terms pertaining to traffic are created in local languages. We assess the positioning of languages in public space in northern landscapes through evidence from Nunavik in Northeastern Canada. We argue that the co‐existence of scripts is as relevant as language choice when creating road signs in the Canadian North and show how multigraphic signs, in particular the use of multiple scripts for a single language, make an international (circumpolar) debate about language tangible at the community level. Stop signs and streetname signs complement each other, illustrating language use, language politics and cultural identity among Canadian Inuit. [multilingualism, writing systems, language politics, circumpolar world, Canadian Inuit]

Dif’ G’one’and Semiotic Calquing A Signography of the Linguistic Landscape of the Navajo Nation

“…It need not be this way. Daveluy and Ferguson (2009) have noted the use of Inuit syllabics on stop signs in Canada. Given that stop signs are meant to be universal and iconic (octagon, red with white lettering) without concern for the actual language of the sign, stop signs are actually an ideal site for minority language signage.…”

“…Landry and Bourhis (1997:23) define linguistic landscapes as "the visibility and salience of languages on public and commercial signs in a given territory or region." Though, as Daveluy and Ferguson (2009) note, such a perspective may be unnecessarily restrictive in that it assumes a territory or region and does not consider how such linguistic landscapes help constitute territories or regions. Further, as Blommaert (2013:14) argues concerning linguistic landscaping research, it "needs to become the detailed study of situated signs-inpublic-space, aimed at identifying the fine fabric o f their structure and function in constant interaction with several layers of context."…”

“…The issue hinged on how or whether to include the glottal stop in the name. Daveluy and Ferguson (2009) argue that the use of digraphic public signs (syllabic for Inuit and alphabetic for English and Inuit) among Inuit in Kuujjuag, Nunavik (Canada), reveal broader issues about the role of writing system standardization and modernizing languages among Inuit in Greenland and Canada. Bender (2008:97) argues that signage in the Cherokee syllabary among the Eastern Cherokee indexes "the community's recent cultural revitalization and .…”

Who reads Navajo poetry and what are they reading? Exploring the semiotic functions of contemporary written Navajo

“…Here I will briefly discuss, following the work of Bender (2002Bender ( , 2008 and Daveluy and Ferguson (2009), the role of written Navajo in public spaces on the Navajo Nation. I discuss the Navajo Times and billboards and signs because they are ubiquitous to the Navajo Nation.…”

Conflict, Exclusion and Dissent in the Linguistic Landscape

“…Texts on signs are, thus, considered as language tangible at the community level (Daveluy and Ferguson, 2009), the material realizations of language ), or texts visible in public spaces (Rodríguez, 2009). These perspectives on language of public signs are not competing theoretical proposals from which a choice must be made.…”