Language Choice and Multilingualism on Restaurant Signs: A Linguistic Landscape Analysis

Abstract

This research investigates the combination of the languages utilized on restaurant signs in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Among 279 collected data, it is found that three languages are mostly utilized for communication. Those languages are Balinese, Indonesian, and English. As the second result of the analysis, it is found that most of the collected signs combine Balinese and English as well as Indonesian and English. These combinations show that English dominates the communication system in public settings. Meanwhile, Balinese and Indonesian normally serve as part of the naming system on those signs. These two results conclude that Balinese and Indonesian still need to be introduced to obtain an equal position as the English language. Utilizing Balinese and Indonesian on public signs is one of the most practical solutions for providing them with public exposure. The presence of local languages on public signs combined with English is a mutually beneficial strategy for both business aspects and preserving local language and culture.

Keywords

• linguistic landscape
• commercial public sign
• multilingualism
• restaurants
• ubud