Tick tacky: THE EMERGE OF ENGLISH ONLY FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES IN LLEIDA
1. INTRODUCTION
The chosen token we aimed to study is a banner from a fast-food takeaway delivery shop in Sant Martí Street, 68 (25004), Lleida. It is a place in the liveliest neighbourhood in the city of Lleida because it is the area where most pubs are gathered. The restaurant is named Tick Tacky: TAKE AWAY AND DELIVERY. Its name gives a hint of the multilingualism of the shop, but also the banner next to the front door. There can be read different products written in English, which can be interesting since Lleida is not a city that stands out for this language usage; Lleida is located in an area of Catalonia with a representation of Catalan and Spanish, where English has only been incorporated very recently in schools as a Foreign Language. Even if the banner is written in English, there are words –such as "salchipapas"– that are also used in the Catalan and Spanish languages, the predominant languages in Lleida; in which Catalan can be interpreted in the borrowed words from other languages –such as “nuggets''–. However, the language that stands out most prominently is English throughout. Moreover, the linguistic policy of our token is top-down, and the activity domain is commercial, which is linked to the type of sign, services and hospitality. The information that can be seen in the banner is based on the Roman alphabet, utilizing the English language for giving information to the clients about the products they serve. With the usage of this language, it can be observed how, even in a city such as Lleida where the predominant languages are Catalan and Spanish, the English language is slowly but progressively accommodating into our societies and our daily lives, particularly in “Advertising English” in the commercial real, here with “Take Home and Delivery”, integrally in this language.
2. CONTEXTUALISATION
Our Linguistic Landscape is located in the Catalan/Spanish city of Lleida, more specifically in the neighbourhood of Lleida Old Town. As of 2008, it had a population of 10,659 people (La Paeria, 2008). This business was found next to Rita Cokó (bar/restaurant), el Portón (restaurant), Maracas (pub) as we can observe in figure 3. More specifically in the street Sant Martí 68, where we find the nightlife of Lleida. Amongst the young, it is popularly known after the name "Vins" where there is a huge variety of bars and pubs with Pop/Latin/Reggaeton/Indie/Catalan music until 3 am. Apart from entertainment venues, there are also fast food places, including our selected language token.
Figure 2: Map of Lleida's neighbourhoods. Source: google maps
Figure 3: Map of the location of our Linguistic Token. Source: Screenshot taken from Google maps
The banner primarily suggests many relationships within the city's multilingual and multicultural community. If we consider the neighbourhood where it was found, we must provide a linguistic description of the language forms that it displays. First and foremost, we must define the basic concept regarding the meaning of multilingualism, since it will be the primary object of examination within the research field. According to Cenoz (2013), the concept itself relates to several types and typologies of different languages that allow the fact to be held in today's society. Even though the presence of English in our token is higher than the other languages, the appearance of them are reliable. Nonetheless, the approaches may differ and have a varied impact on the current community because the passers-by that probably are not able to understand English, it may get the idea of “fast food”. This may happen because nowadays, such words as “hot dog” and “burger” are internationally acknowledged. As a result, the primary focus of the analysis will be on the various circumstances, features, and even repercussions that have led to social multilingualism. Moreover, it shows the contact between local and global languages and the relevant role that English is taking in the city.
As we mentioned before, In 1996, only 4,000 individuals lived in the historical centre, where our token is located. The surge of a vulnerable immigrant population living in deteriorating old buildings has already increased that number. In 1996, there were fewer than 4,000. What the residents think about this information is comparable to what follows. "The irreversible loss of population is crucial. This has a direct impact on local commerce: without consumers, there is no commerce." (Llimós 2021, 13 March). Due to depopulation combined with the degradation of the area caused by the construction building type used, quickly exacerbated the neighbourhood's condition. Despite the fact that successive city councils have undertaken various actions to reverse the situation, such as the construction of amenities, the neighbourhood continues to be stigmatised as being populated by working-class migrants. If we outline the neighbourhood’s profile, throughout the different studies, we would acknowledge that thanks to the municipal data, 44.81% of the inhabitants in the neighbourhood chosen (historic centre) are foreigners (Sabaté Dalmau, 2023 as stated in Paeria, 2013). This will refer directly and indirectly to the different languages and cultures involved in the same area of a community for instance, "papas" from Latinos. For a few years, the presence of non-native speakers in the area has been increasing; as a result, the existence of many languages in the same community is a fact of great value in today's society, and linguistic landscapes display so. The languages heard during the first visits have been analyzed and descriptively studied, in order to have extra information about the main elements that compose the linguistic map of the neighbourhood.
The fast food business is hectic at night as there is takeaway food and every time the pubs/bars open young people and students stop by to grab something to eat. We could say that they have a fairly wide audience in terms of linguistic diversity. The owners are Indian. They choose to use international words like "burger", "salchipapas" and "hotdog" and above all in different languages (Spanish and English). Additionally, through the surroundings of the selected token, we can observe that the primary element of the banner displayed is a call for foreigners to visit the place, but also a call for diverse language users. The basic objective was to appeal to nearby residents but with a broader perspective, one that allows for the billboard's multilingual meaning including Erasmus students. This is so because the type of English used is accessible to English users and also non-users, such as "fast food". For instance, has been accommodated into the Catalan sociolinguistics reality, and by denotation, it signals typical quick international fast items.
3. METHODOLOGY
Our token was positioned in a crowded area of the city with many passers-by and a high level of multilingualism; thus our group members went on three fieldwork visits, dividing ourselves depending on our availability. The first visit was led by Montse, who took the first photograph of our linguistic token (February 16th, 7:30 pm). After this, the proper analysis of the written and spoken languages was carried out. The data extracted from the observational part of its main street and its surroundings was conducted for approximately half an hour. As aforementioned, the token's crowded street had a big impact on the analysis of the languages spoken, stating English, and some Spanish and Catalan as the main linguistic means present in the linguistic landscapes surrounding ours, supporting our claim that it was a multicultural area.
The second visit was assisted by Estefania (February 27th, 5:00 pm). In order to continue with the different data that will detail our token, the group proceeded to establish the main characteristics within the linguistic landscape. During it, the shop owners explained the different languages that are spoken among themselves. The first element that has a relevant influence on the analysis was the usage of English. The different informants emigrated from Latin America, where non-peninsular Spanish was established as their L1s in order to communicate daily. Nonetheless, many inhabitants in Lleida came from a huge variety of places and speak many different languages, even though they are able to socialize effectively, which is why the sign is in English can reach different ranges of age and backgrounds. Thus, India has English as the official language and the English selected is international/cosmopolitan which some clients had this same background.
Our linguistic token it will be achieved not only through a geographical perspective but also, through qualitative fieldwork observation plus visual images. Moreover, we also used some censuses regarding the population in Lleida headed by the neighbourhood under investigation.
Apart from the sorts of data, we must consider the language policies of the city. According to Ajuntament of Lleida (2018) and BOP (2014), top-down policies regarding advertising declare that any banner or sign in the public space must be written in Catalan, which is considered the vernacular language of the territory as well as being a co-official language in the country (Castellano, 2016). Nevertheless, our Linguistic Landscape consists of a bottom-up policy, since it is a business franchise and can advertise its business as desired. In this case, there are some words that can be read in the window display that enhance the multilingualism of the banner, since they can be understood by speakers of different linguistic backgrounds. Some of these words are: "gofre", which can be understood by Catalan and Spanish speakers. On the other hand, "nugget" is a borrowing from English while "salchipapa" comes from a Latino-American background, where “papas” means “fries”.
Being complementary to the usage of Spanish/Catalan, as for communication among the inhabitants of Lleida where Catalan/Spanish are not lingua franca but local languages. The third visit was conducted by Jesús (March 6th, 6:00pm), with the main aim of acquiring more information about the place, both socially and culturally. During the visit, Jesus was able to speak with the owners of the shop, two men from Honduras and Colombia, who informed him about the linguistic landscape. As it is mentioned above, the most important information Jesus got was that the most spoken languages by the clients of the shop were Spanish and English, in order to communicate with everyone because the residents of the neighbourhood come from different countries in Africa and Latin America. It is also interesting to note that among the inhabitants of the crowded street, they all speak in their native language because there are various groups that have been formed by people from the same countries. This allows them to communicate in their native language without code-switching. In other words, we could acknowledge how the same neighbourhood was split among the different countries that shared or did not share the same language. Social, cultural, and political facts imply a relevant difference in order to consciously or unconsciously create the "groups". So, in fact, we observed the multilingual reality in Lleida where there are commercial spaces which are entirely regulated by lingua francas like global Spanish and English as a lingua franca. In addition, it is a franchise such as Uber-eats because there are Tick Tackys in Tàrrega and in many other places; which employs labour migrants, who speak the clients’ languages, to work for long hours and low salaries.
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Taking into account the different values that can be attributed to our token according to the typology followed by the European linguistic landscape convention (Landscape Observatory of Catalonia, 2023), we found aesthetic and productive values, which are closely related to each other. In the first place, we considered its productive value as the most important, seeing how its main objective is a commercial one, aiming to produce as much as possible to receive benefits. The aesthetic value of the banner is clearly seen in its multimodal nature. Thanks to multimodality, the use of text along with visual imagery plays with different typefaces striking colours (red and yellow) and the different typefaces, such as ‘fast food’ in italics, aid to attract clients to the delivery shop, captivating the attention of the passers-by. Moreover, it also has a social value since it is a point of meeting for migrant populations since it welcomes different communities since all the information on the banner is in English and everyone, even people who have a lower level in the English language, can convey the message given. In this way, it offers a strategy designed to appeal to different cultures and depict an international environment. In addition, according to Cenoz (2009), advertising in English is a useful tool for marketing, since it offers the establishment a more modern, global and cosmopolitan presentation. Additionally, it is also remarkable the fact that the register in which the banner is written is quite informal which adds to the allure of the reader and manages to connect with the audience with much more ease, indexing proximity.
As for the social meanings that we can depict from our token, it is essential to mention globalization and English as a Lingua Franca and how it relates to the use made of the landscape by an individual or group with an interest in the community, given that since English has been for many years a Lingua Franca, the words depicted in the banner are easily understood by any passer-by, even if they do not particularly have the knowledge to speak or understand the English language. As we previously mentioned, in modern advertising, media has incorporated a polyglot element (Mattelart, 2005), in which English is the most frequently used language, even if it is in the form of inserted loanwords that have been accommodated into the Catalan linguistic landscape.
Its status as the dominant language of advertising is not surprising, given its global importance, and associations with modernity as well as positive stereotypes such as innovation, internationality, open-mindedness, urbanism, and what is considered new or the latest (Cenoz, 2013, and Sabaté-Dalmau, 2022). Furthermore, individuals tend to attribute English as a characteristic of modernity, elegance and reliability, and favouring the perception toward the use of English in international product ads.
Our linguistic token may seem as a simple banner to show the different products to appeal to the clients but, in fact, it represents the multilingualism and the contact of the languages of our society nowadays, which is slowly but steadily accommodating the English language into their homes. In other words, in our token, English is used as a marketing resource in order to be more trendy and eye-catching to the youth range. Therefore, we could consider the token a great marketing strategy since it uses a language associated with modernity to connect with the newer generations, including migrants. Furthermore, its name can be translated to low quality/cheap food which relates directly to a different connotation regarding the clients (working-class people).
Having said this, it must be mentioned that this multilingual experience can be found everywhere nowadays, as the level of immigration and integration of other languages in Lleida is rising exponentially, creating the need for a great linguistic coexistence. In this case, English is the main language inside our token, which represents the massive effect that it is having on our society as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Moreover, we have a picture of local and global languages, such as English, in contact and in competition, where the Catalan and Spanish languages get relegated to a background position; particularly Catalan, the minority language.
5. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
An analysis of the chosen topic with the aim of studying a particular linguistic landscape was conducted. Due to this, we reached the conclusion that the city of Lleida is a multilingual society that is constantly changing, which reflects the people living in this particular environment.
We all agreed that before this initiative, we had never given much thought to our surroundings or the cultural diversity that there exists among us on a daily basis. By working on this project, we were able to remain motionless and watch the various languages that pedestrians in our city are using simultaneously, as well as how simple it is to switch codes based on who we are addressing. The realization that there are numerous linguistic landscapes all around us has also been very significant. Without realizing this project, we would not have paid as much attention to them because we lacked knowledge about them.
Our token also illustrates how the English language, together with the cultures of English-speaking countries have a significant influence on the city of Lleida, as well as the fact that the latter is clearly undergoing a process of Englishization. In addition, we came to understand that this process has an impact on both residents who are fluent in English and those who are not.
Furthermore, we had no idea that using Linguistic Landscapes would have been so beneficial for comprehending the theoretical concepts of the course, English Language in Context. In order to understand the influence that the English language has on our social environment and the presence that it has in our everyday lives, it is thus a great educational tool and resource. In other words, the student's involvement in socially engaged citizenship ethnography through TEP (Technology of Empowerment and Participation) and TKA (Technology of Knowledge Acquisition) makes sociolinguistics more accessible to them and helps them realize that they are capable of doing sociolinguistics. In addition, using technology makes the project more dynamic and interesting, which motivates the students to take part.
6. REFERENCES & WEB SOURCES
Ajuntament de Lleida. (2014). Butlletí Oficial de la Província de Lleida. Número 212. Retrieved from http://bop.diputaciolleida.cat/faces/consultaF/servlets/donarEdicte/?id=2014_212_9251
Castellano, P. (2016, August 26). L’Ajuntament de Lleida compleix amb la normativa lingüística del català. Catalunyapress, 2. https://www.catalunyapress.cat/texto-diario/mostrar/487358/
Cenoz, J. (2013). Defining Multilingualism. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 33, 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1017/s026719051300007x
Gorter, D. & Cenoz, J. (2009). Language economy and linguistic landscape economy and linguistic landscape. In: E. Shohamy & D. Gorter (eds.), Linguistic landscape: Expanding the scenery (55-69). New York / London: Routledge.
Idescat. (2023). Encuesta de Población Activa. Idescat. EPA. Cataluña. 2008. Tabla: Población total. (n.d.). Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.idescat.cat/treball/epa?tc=4&id=xc01&dt=2008&lang=es
Mattelart, A. (2005). Advertising international: The privatisation of public space. Routledge.
Sabaté-Dalmau, M. (2022, May). Unit 4: The Market [PowerPoint Slides]. English Department, University of Lleida.https://cv.udl.cat/access/content/group/1012662122/Part%20A%20Sociolinguistics/Unit%204/Unit%204_ELiC.pdf
The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia. (2023). Glossary. The Landscape Observatory of Catalonia. http://catpaisatge.net/eng/glossari.php?idglossari=#g
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