Valorizing Cantonese in the Linguistic Landscape: Mobility, Complexity and Unpredictability

Cantonese use on public signage in mainland China is largely discouraged by the national language policy, yet it is visible in the linguistic landscape in some cities. This study adopts Blommeart’s (2013) ethnographic approach to linguistic landscape and looks into the valorizing of the Cantonese language in a Chinese city where Cantonese is widely spoken. It shows not only the benefits of an ethnographic approach in unveiling the various indexical meanings of the Cantonese signage, but also the mobility, complexity and unpredictability embedded in the spatial and semiotic scopes. This study aims to demonstrate that semiotic resources are subject to constant change, conflicts and competition, and that a synchronic study may fail to capture these subtle changes. It also illustrates the role of ethnography and historicity to the study of semiotic resources to achieve deeper insight into the material world with mobile resources.