Language Diversity in Urban Landscapes: An Econometric Study
Data
01.01.2008
01.01.2008
Autori
Paulo A.L.D. Nunes, Laura Onofri, Jasone Cenoz, Durk Gorter
Codice JEL
C010,R200,Z130
C010,R200,Z130
Parole chiave:
Linguistic Diversity,Street Sign,Probit Model,Linguistic Landscape
Linguistic Diversity,Street Sign,Probit Model,Linguistic Landscape
Publisher
Economy and Society
Economy and Society
Editor
Gianmarco I.P. Ottaviano
Gianmarco I.P. Ottaviano
This multidisciplinary study adopts econometric analysis for investigating how different characteristics determine the choice of the language used in the signs of a shopping street. We work with a dataset containing about 200 observations collected in the main shopping streets of the cities of Donostia (Spain) and Ljouwert (The Netherlands). The results corroborate the important assumption that multilingualism and the choice of the language (even in a street sign) is an individual and a social preference. Therefore, understanding individuals’ linguistic preference structures is preliminary to the target and design of proper linguistic and social policies.