Spatial representation and sociolinguistic synergies

Abstract

A closer interdisciplinary engagement by geographers, ethnographers and sociolinguists has resulted in new thematic issues being investigated and more sophisticated methodological approaches being adopted. The development of advanced IT and AI capabilities, particularly the wider adoption of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), has opened up new means of exploring and representing aspects of human behaviour. Of particular note is the appreciation by sociolinguistics of the various spatial perspectives currently being utilised in sub-disciplines such as studies of the interactions within metropolitan multilingual contexts, linguistic landscapes, new speaker research and applied language policy. This paper calls for a greater mutual reciprocity and syncretic interpretation of several key issues and promising methodologies. It also indicates how sociolinguists can contribute to significant societal debates on language policy and planning as part of social planning.

Integrated Geospatial Methods for Multilingual Cities: Combining GPS, Electronically Activated Recorder, and Map-based Ethnographic Interviews

“…However, despite these methodological advances, language-based research methods on their own are still unable to fully address questions around the geospatial distribution of multilingualism. Williams (2022), for example, advocates strongly for more accurate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on the dynamics of urban multilingual, encouraging great interdisciplinary dialogue between language-based researcher and geographers. GIS technologies have been used in many different disciplines, but the technique still falls short as a mapping tool, and many users are still not fully aware of the powerful analytical components within it.…”