Duck Out: Street Art Used For Commercial Purposes (Enric,Dimitri & Josep Salud)

 

    "Duck 🦆 Out Street Art Used For Commercial Purposes"

Enric Fernàndez - efp7@alumnes.udl.cat

Josep Salud - jsd8@alumnes.udl.cat


                                    Dimitrios Marentakis - dmarendakis@gmail.com



   









· Introduction ·

The research project investigates the influence of the English language on societal functionality and individual communication efficacy, particularly within the commercial sector of Lleida. Emphasizing language selection and localization, this study aims to scrutinize the linguistic landscape of the aforementioned region with a scholarly lens, thereby contributing to a broader understanding of linguistic phenomena and their implications for local communities and businesses. Sociolinguistics is utilized to explore in depth the connections between language and various sociocultural aspects such as culture, identity, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic factors within the local society of Lleida.

 The core objective of our inquiry is to deconstruct and comprehend the linguistic hierarchies observed in the commerce sector, paying meticulous attention to the ‘Duck Out’ escape room located in the neighbourhood of Bordeta, Antoni Sole  Street, 22.  The choice of ‘Duck Out’ as the main research subject is motivated by the stance expressed by  Cenoz and Gortez (2017) that linguistic landscapes provide valuable insights into the socioeconomic dynamics of English in multilingual settings. Furthermore, the project seeks to understand the manner in which different languages, such as Catalan, Spanish, and English, coexist effectively within interactive environments. 


Moving on, the use of English as a Lingua Franca, as discussed by Seidhofer (2005), serves as a way of communication within such environments. This can be noticed in places like  our linguistic landscape ‘Duck Out’, where participants engage with escape room challenges that are predominantly in Catalan and Spanish but also in English in particular cases (Duck Out, n.d.). To achieve these research goals, a comprehensive methodology involving qualitative analysis of linguistic landscapes and ethnographic observation will be employed. The research aims to contribute to the academic understanding of language dynamics within Lleida’s commercial landscape and its consequences for societal and economical development.

· Contextualization ·


The object of discussion for this project is  the business called “Duck Out Escape Room”, which is located on Carrer Antoni Solé, 22, in the neighbourhood named La Bordeta, which is the highest populated in the city (La Paeria, 2024). While more recent data on the neighbourhood’s inhabitants is unavailable as of the date of writing this project, it has been possible to locate information from Idescat (Institut d’Estadística de Catalunya) up to the year 2020 (updated on July 2023).

Figure 1: Google Maps location. Source: Josep Salud, 29/03/24

The data obtained showed that the neighbourhood of La Bordeta featured an occupational index of between 64.1 and 65.9%, as well as an income average ranging between 10,856 and 12,211€ per year; while these numbers may seem to conform with the average for the region, the Small Area Socioeconomic Index (IST per its Catalan name), which summarises among other variables the employment rate, educational level, and immigration in a specific area into a single number, reveals that the neighbourhood stood at a 95.3, which is slightly lower than the regional average in Catalonia, yet is also over the average of the city (92.6). 

Figures  2: Street View location Source: Josep Salud, 29/03/2024


In summary, these numbers indicate that the area on which our chosen LLT is found is a richer area when compared to most of the rest of the city but poorer in relation to Catalonia; therefore, it can be stated that this is an area populated by mainly middle class households. Additionally, as can be seen on figure 4 (above), the neighbourhood of la Bordeta features a rather low percentage of foreign citizenry (14,14%), slightly below the average for the entirety of the city yet still only the 8th neighbourhood least populated by foreigners. This percentage, when contrasted with the knowledge that La Bordeta constitutes the highest neighbourhood in the city, allows us to deduce that linguistic variation would probably also be one of the lowest in abundance to be found in Lleida.

Figure 3: Regional distribution of native and immigrant populations in Lleida (Sabaté, 2016). Zone of interest is highlighted

· Methodology ·

The photo of the Linguistic Landscapes was taken on the 17th of February of 2024, when taking photos of possible Linguistic Landscapes we could analyze  for the project  we considered the sociolinguistic implications each Linguistic Landscapes and what each Linguistic Landscape could offer. We highlight the use of a typical ‘’transgressive’’ Linguistic Landscape such as graffiti used for commercial purposes . This could be seen as intentional as Carrer Antoni Solé and Carrer Antoni Puigvert (as seen in Figure 4) are filled with graffiti both with commercial and transgressive language. 

The language policy we see in this Linguistic is Bottom-up, this bottom-up policy can be explained since this Linguistic landscape is made by commerce. Duck Out could be considered a catchy title grabbing the attention of potential customers interested in escape rooms.  In this specific LL we see one of the escape rooms, the 7th Gate but there is also another one in Carrer Vellavista with Time Escape creating a brand all over the neighborhood. As a brand it uses its duck logo so it can grab potential people who might not be familiar with English but could make the association with the visual cues.  As stated by Kweldju (2019) Google Maps with its panoramic view and see of the inner city can be used to analyze inner cities with great detail. 


Figure 4: Screenshot of Google Maps where we can see a graffiti used in the Bar Duendes (right next to the Duck Out Escape Room) screenshot taken by Enric Fernàndez in 4/03/2024


· Results & Discussion ·

Our research allowed us to discover certain characteristics of our chosen LLT (fig. 4 below). Firstly, it features English and Spanish, which makes it a multilingual sign. Since both languages are written using the Roman alphabet (given that they belong to the same linguistic family, the Indoeuropean family, albeit to different subfamilies as Spanish is part of the Romance languages and English, of the Germanic ones), it makes this text monoglossic, as well. 

Figure 5: Source: Enric Fernàndez, 17/02/2024.

Furthermore, this LLT is bottom-up, as the addition of the English part was not mandated nor regulated by any government body (be that local, regional or otherwise), but rather established by the owners of the business. It is also worthy of mention that there does not seem to be a specific linguistic hierarchy, as both languages are featured in similar quantity and size; however, it could be argued that English carries a heavier significance for the message intended to be transmitted. The decision behind choosing and English name may be explained by the multiple linguistic values that can be found on this LLT:

The first and perhaps most relevant one is the productive value: due to its nature as the main recognisable part of this business (its brand), it can be stated that it is a clear element of attraction for potential customers; this also functions as justification for the striking combination of colours used (white lettering with some instances of blue shading over a dark background) as it attempts to attract attention, thus making it an instance of intentional style usage (English & Marr, 2015, p. 22-23). 

Interestingly, given the status of this value as the most relevant for this LLT over the other found, it could be argued that the owners of this business chose English as part of their brand with the sole purpose (or at the very least the main purpose) of earning money through the use of English, advertising the language rather than the product, as its usage in education, business, and for accessing information has become extended to the entire globe (Cook, 2003, p. 25). Therefore, English in this case is used for commercial purposes, not cultural, thus making it an instance of fetishisation.

The next values that are featured on this LLT are the aesthetic and identity values. The former is clear, as the intention of this brand is to be aesthetically pleasant to the eye of the general public, which functions in tandem with the productive value and the commercial intention for the LL. The use of different shapes, letterings and lack of uniformity creates an appealing sensation which in turn is intended to facilitate the association of the business with positive feelings and differentiate it from others similar to it (Aaker, 1991, p. 18). Lastly, an argument could be made that the identity value is also present, as the LLT belongs solely to this particular business and, again through its status as its brand, it could generate a sense of identification or belonging on the owners and/or employees; however, given the nature of this business as a sporadic place of commerce for most people, it is safe to assume that this feeling would not transfer to its customers.




· Concluding Thoughts ·


The project, without question, was really challenging and interesting since we managed to learn the different  linguistics tools and aspects and how language can affect the socioeconomic impact on society. It has offered new insights into linguistic landscapes in Lleida, shedding light on the impact of globalization on the daily lives of its inhabitants. Through the use of Technology of Education Empowerment and Technology of Knowledge Acquisition (TEP and TKA). We used tools such as Google Maps, mobile phones, and Blogger and we have observed the dominance of English in both society and the commercial world. 


Additionally, the project serves to further investigate  the numerous facets of the consequences of linguistics on society and the economy. By continuing this line of inquiry, we focus on discovering new aspects and dimensions of the linguistic landscape and its broader socioeconomic implications in the future. 


Taking into consideration our findings and the exposure of ‘Duck Out’, it could be asserted that Englishization has established a foothold in the city, with English having the role of ‘lingua franca’ to meet the needs of the community. As a consequence, we seek to contribute to the ongoing exploration of sociolinguistics by laying the foundations for future studies in this field.









· References ·



  • Aaker, D. (1991) Managing Brand Equity. New York; The Free Press.

  •  Baumgardner, R. J. (2006) The appeal of English in Mexican commerce. World Englishes, 25(2), 251-266.

  • Cook, G. (2003) Applied Linguistics. Hong Kong; Oxford University Press

  • Duck Out, n.d https://duckoutescape.es/time-escape-juego

  •  Gorter, D., & Cenoz, J. (2022) Linguistic landscapes in educational contexts: An afterword. Linguistic landscapes and educational spaces, 277-290.

  • Kweldju, S. (2018) Autonomously riding Google Maps to travel to English speaking countries: Linguistic landscape. Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching (J-ELLiT), 2(1), 5-13. 

  • Idescat (2023) Small Area Socioeconomic Index - Maps (July 27, 2023). Generalitat de Catalunya - Statistical Institute of Catalonia. https://www.idescat.cat/dades/ist/mapes/?lang=en

  • Observatori del Paisatge. (n.d.) The landscape observatory: Glossary. Documentation Centre: Glossary. Retrieved March 5th, 2024, from: http://www.catpaisatge.net/eng/glossari.php

  • Paeria (2024). Barris (n.d.). La Paeria - Ajuntament de Lleida. https://www.paeria.cat/ca/ciutat/coneixer-lleida/barris

https://www.paeria.cat/butlletieconomic/2012/03-juliol/06-poblacio.pdf

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