The Italian Language in the Contemporary Linguistic Landscape of Zadar

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15291/sponde.3891

Keywords:

Italian, linguistic landscape, Zadar, language in the public space, tourism

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Linguistic Landscape of Zadar, focusing on the role and distribution of the Italian language. Throughout history, the Italian language used to have diverse roles as a written language in the public space; in recent decades, however, it is used as one of the foreign languages associated primarily with Croatian tourism. As the form of tourism changed, the role of Italian in the linguistic landscape changed as well. This paper presents the analysis of a corpus of 13,608 photographs of signs taken in the linguistic landscape of Zadar on three occasions, in 2011, 2013, and 2018. The analysis presents how frequently Italian is used in Zadar’s public spaces and for what purposes. Apart from the quantitative analysis of the LL signs, the paper also presents qualitative data obtained through interviews with all parties involved in designing, producing, setting up, and perceiving the LL signs.

Published

2022-07-27

Issue

Section

Articles