Carglass: the incorporation of advertising English in Lleida (Ana Salas and Alba Gilart)

 

Linguistic Landscape token: Carglass

Source: Picture taken by the authors. 14/03/2025

INTRODUCTION

To comprehend the social meanings and applications of English as well as the functions of local and global languages in interaction in Lleida and public communication, we conducted critical sociolinguistics for this study. We will employ communicative inscriptions, also known as linguistic landscapes (LLs), which are place markers or markers that show our languages in society, to continue the study.

The linguistic landscape (LL) chosen in this study is a shop sign. A shop sign’s crucial role is to attract the population, as prospective clients or users, in this case, using different communicative strategies (using multimodality, signage, etc.), such as a creative title, colours, typography, images, or logos. Moreover, they are regularly used to demonstrate their products and business and inform people about their establishment. 

The linguistic token analysed in the following study is a multilingual and commercial (according to Mooney & Evans’ classification, 2015) shop sign from an international automotive glass store called Carglass. In this LL token, the English language dominates, as it is an international commerce selling service. In contrast, Catalan (the local language) acts as a secondary language (‘Reparació i substitució de vidres per: automòbils/furgonetes/camions/vehicles industrials’) to give a special effect to this establishment in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. This shop sign can be considered monoglossic since the languages involved in the banner employ only the Roman alphabet. 

CONTEXTUALISATION

The linguistic token selected is located in Avinguda de les Garrigues, 29, in Lleida, specifically encountered in the Cappont neighborhood (see area 13 in Figure 1, Gifex, 2011).

Cappont is a mixed-use neighbourhood characterized by residential housing, commercial establishments, and the campus of the University of Lleida. It has a diverse demographic profile, including residents, university students (both local and international), and migrant communities. According to recent data (Ajuntament de Lleida, 2024), Cappont has seen a slight increase in transient populations due to student housing and migration, having 64.4% of the population living there being of Spanish origins and 35.6% living there are foreigners.

This neighbourhood is a middle-income area with moderate socioeconomic diversity. It is not impoverished, but also not exclusively upper-class. The presence of educational institutions and commercial businesses contributes to its sociocultural as well as economic activity.

Cappont is located along the eastern bank of the Segre River and features city landmarks such as Camps Elisis Park and the University of Lleida campus (see again area 13 in Figure 1, Gifex, 2011). 

Figure 1. Map. Neighbourhoods in Lleida. 
Source: Gifex, 2011. 

Furthermore, outside the international store Carglass, we found other linguistic tokens. These tokens are posters and banners that are located outside shops, restaurants, and other businesses. At the left of Figure 2, we have something represented that caught our attention. It is a shop sign from a flower store, ‘Flaires i Flor’. The use of ‘flaire’, i.e. the smell a flower makes, together with the rest of the sentence, makes a catchy name that is easy to remember, just like our linguistic token. Moreover, the street view in Figure 2 shows Carglass situated among residential buildings and other businesses, reflecting the urban-commercial character of the area. 

Figure 2. Other LL tokens.
Source: Picture taken by the authors. 08/02/2025

METHODOLOGY

For the analysis of the linguistic token selected for this project, the authors of this blog entry employed a critical sociolinguistic approach based on a deeper analysis of the same LL token in the public field, including its social perspective. To achieve this goal, we completed an observation, which was ethnographic, through fieldwork visits to the place. Through this kind of observation, we were able to focus on the context and the interaction between the local language—in this example, Catalan—and the global language, like English.

We visited the place three times to observe and obtain pictures of the token to include in our analysis. 

The first visit (Figure 3) was on 8 February 2025, after having thought about which LL tokens were about to be selected for the project. We took our first picture of the shop sign, which was striking due to its large fonts, vibrant colours, and straightforward design, alluding to the international store’s name, Carglass. The place was familiar to us, as a group member went to change the glass in her car at the same commerce. We also wanted to mention that while we were visiting the token, a car (with French plates) entered the establishment, implying that it is an international shop.

Figure 3. First visit to the LL token.
Source: Picture taken by the authors. 08/02/2025

We also took the opportunity to look at the type of cars that were parked for the type of service currently offered by Carglass, where we witnessed multiculturalism among customers. We could see cars with Spanish (local), but also French, Italian, and Dutch number plates. The second visit (Figure 4) was on 2 March 2025, and we saw that the linguistic token was closed, as it was Sunday (in Spain, Sundays are public holidays). Moreover, we could see that the other linguistic tokens around us were also closed.

 

Figure 4. Second visit to the LL token. 
Source: Picture taken by the authors. 02/03/2025

The third and last (Figure 5) was taken on 14 March 2025, to complete our analysis of the LL token. 

Figure 5. Third and last visit to the LL token.
Source: Picture taken by the authors. 14/03/2025

As we have already shown, our LL token is situated in the multilingual Spanish community of Lleida, Catalonia.  Spanish, which is the nation's official language, and Lingua Franca Worldwide coexist here with Catalan, which is a minority language. However, in 2014, Lleida's municipal government issued a bulletin of top-down regulations that limited the usage of Catalan.  There are a lot of things that this bulletin established, but two points that are relevant to this project are that public concerns should be written in either Catalan or Spanish or both languages (Ajuntament de Lleida, 2014). English, on the other hand, acts as a standard language where it has no role in Catalan and Spanish language policy, but it is thanks to the globalization and internationalization of the company that we have it in our linguistic token.

Moreover, Catalonia upholds top-down language policies aimed at promoting Catalan as the primary public language. The Llei de Política Lingüística (Boletín Oficial del Estado, 1998) and the Estatut d’Autonomia de Catalunya (Boletín Oficial del Estado, 2006) mandate that Catalan must be the primary language in education, that has to be used in public administration and has to be widely used in commercial and public displays.

The selected LL token of this project is considered to be bottom-up (defined by Moustaoiu, 2019) since the establishment’s owner is the person who decided to use the English language in his/her/their commerce sign. They also have a high regard for the use of Catalan, since it is the official language in this location, even though it tends to be considered a minoritized language. The Catalan is mainly used in the sentence ‘Reparació i substitució de vidres per: automòbils/furgonetes/camions/vehicles industrials’ to represent what they sell (see Figures 3, 4 & 5). The use of English in this language token is because Carglass is a multinational company with a presence in 34 countries. This can be for both business and commercial reasons or to attract clients, using in each country or region the language that predominates there, as well as for its substantial recognition internationally or globally (Cenoz & Gorter, 2009). 

For the context of the brand Carglass, we could add that it is a global brand specializing in car glass repair, replacement, and recalibration. It was founded in 1986 in France, with its headquarters located at 107 Boulevard de la Mission Marchand, Courbevoie, near the La Défense business district. The company is part of the Belron group, which is owned by the Belgian D'Ieteren group alongside shareholders such as Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Hellman & Friedman, GIC, BlackRock, and members of the management, employees, and the founding family. Belron operates in 35 countries worldwide under various brand names like Carglass (Europe), Safelite (USA), and O'Brien (Australia). Carglass serves over 8 million customers annually through more than 700 service centers and 350 mobile workshop vehicles. While specific online language offerings are not listed, it likely provides services in multiple languages tailored to its diverse operating regions across Europe, North America, South America, Oceania, and parts of Africa. (Carglass, 2025)

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The name of the establishment has been deliberately chosen to acquire a compelling brand identity. The shop sign employs bold typography and the selected colours, red and yellow, carry significant symbolic meanings. Red embodies vitality, youth, and action, whereas yellow signifies optimism and energy (Kress, 2010). These colour choices not only enhance the overall aesthetic appeal but also strengthen the communicative effectiveness of the LL token. 

The LL token functions as an advertisement designed to generate profit. The use of English in signage is an example of ‘advertising English’, where even those who do not speak English can imply meaning through connotation (e.g., associating the establishment with international business or professionalism). Cenoz & Gorter (2009: 57) highlight that English in the linguistic landscape serves as an index of cosmopolitanism, leadership, and open-mindedness, which further enhances the establishment’s marketability.

The LL token embodies a dual identity. On the one hand, the use of English signifies a global identity, associating the establishment with technological advancement, international appeal, and a broader customer base. On the other hand, the presence of Catalan in the signage indicates a strong local identity, targeting and addressing the local population. This bilingual strategy aligns with Catalonia’s linguistic policies prioritizing Catalan in public communication (Llei de Política Lingüística, 1998; Estatut d’Autonomia de Catalunya, 2006).

As observed in other studies (Ben-Rafael et al., 2010), multilingual LL tokens in commercial settings reflect economic globalization. The presence of English in Lleida’s linguistic landscape is a direct result of international business strategies. In Carglass’s case, English acts as a lingua franca, making its services more accessible to tourists, international students, and migrant workers.

Gorter (2010, p.97) notes that English is perceived as modern and prestigious, enhancing commercial appeal. In Lleida, linguistic diversity extends beyond English, with Catalan and Spanish in this specific case visible in shop signs. Businesses balance local and global languages to cater to diverse consumer bases while adhering to local language policies.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

After examining this particular LL token and documenting our findings in this blog entry, we can say that the project's goals were to ascertain whether social meanings exist in various linguistic landscapes and to demonstrate that English is a universal language.  Additionally, it offers each community's linguistic diversity.  As previously stated, the process of Englishisation entails the use of the English language as a Lingua Franca (ELF).  Furthermore, it is undeniable that Lleida's linguistic landscapes largely incorporate English.  In this sense, it enables us to see that everyone in society ought to be able to understand at least a few fundamental phrases or English words for use “internationally”. 

This project of linguistic landscaping is a new way of working with sociolinguistics. Through this study of LL tokens, students can learn how to research sociolinguistics and effectively apply pedagogical tools within skills such as Technology of knowledge acquisition (TKA) or Technology of empowerment and participation (TEP), which can be extracted from Prego-Vázquez and Zas-Varela (2018). In this case, they have to associate the concepts learned with real contexts and through the analysis of these tokens. 

Moreover, our knowledge is improved, and the theory worked in class is applied, too. So, we consider that using these new technologies provided above allows us to discover things and learn effectively. Through this project, we became competent observers that provided knowledge and, in fact, empowered students.

Our LL token was commercial, which indicates that they try to sell their services and products to make money. They have to catch the population’s attention by using English as an attractive language for all citizens and migrants involving multilingual and sociocultural views. In conclusion, the LL token selected included languages such as Catalan and English, the former the local language and the latter the international one. The authors have to admit that this project improved their knowledge and let them apply the theory learned in class with this practice, having another vision of the surroundings in this city.

REFERENCES and WEB SOURCES

Ajuntament de Lleida. (2024). Demographic statistics for Cappont – Estrangers per barris i països. https://aplicacionsweb.paeria.es/eOpenDataPublicWeb/faces/ca/cataleg/territori/demografia/estrangers-per-barris-i-paisos-2023/detalls 

Ajuntament de Lleida. (2018). Ordenança municipal de civisme i convivència de la ciutat de Lleida. https://www.lleidaparticipa.cat/public/197/docs/6c2e2ab8cee8ef11cc82f1e8621d78b5.pdf

Ben-Rafael. E., Shohamy. E., & Barni. M. (2010). Unit_3_Shohamy_Ben_Rafael_Barni_2010_INTRO. Retrieved from https://cv.udl.cat/access/content/group/101266-2122/Part%20A%20Sociolinguistics/Unit%203/Unit_3_Shohamy_Ben_Rafael_Barni_2010_INTRO.pdf

Boletín Oficial del Estado. (1998). Real Decreto 125/1998, de 23 de enero, por el que se regula la información a suministrar por las empresas sobre las emisiones al aire de sustancias contaminantes. BOE-A-1998-2989. https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/1998/BOE-A-1998-2989-consolidado.pdf

Boletín Oficial del Estado. (2006). Real Decreto 508/2007, de 20 de abril, sobre el suministro de información sobre emisiones del Reglamento E-PRTR y de las Autorizaciones Ambientales Integradas. BOE-A-2006-13087. https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/2006/BOE-A-2006-13087-consolidado.pdf

Carglass. (2025). https://www.carglass.es/ 

 

Cenoz, J & Gorter, D. (2009). Language Economy and Linguistic Landscape. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203930960-10 

Cenoz, J. & Gorter, D. (2010).The Diversity of Multilingualism in Education. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, nr 205, pp 37-53. DOI: 10.1515/IJSL.2010.038

Gorter, D. & Cenoz, J. (2017). Linguistic landscape and multilingualism. In Springer eBooks (pp. 233–245). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02240-6_27 

 

Gifex. (2011, April 14). Barrios de la ciudad de Lérida.  https://gifex.com/fullsize2/2011-04-14-13453/Barrios_de_la_ciudad_de%20_Lerida.html

Kress, G. R. (2010). Multimodality: A Social Semiotic Approach to Contemporary Communication. London & New York: Routledge: p 213. 

Mooney, A., & Evans, B. (2015). Language, society, and power. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315733524 

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Observatory of the Landscape of Catalonia. (2005-2025). Landscape glossary. Observatory of the Landscape of Catalonia. Retrieved, from https://www.catpaisatge.net/en/landscape-resources/landscape-glossary

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