Linguistic schoolscapes of an ethnic minority region in the PRC: a university case study

Linguistic schoolscapes (LS), according to Brown ([2012]. The linguistic landscape of educational spaces: Language revitalization and schools in southeastern EEstonia. In D. Gorter, H. F. Marten, & L. Van Mensel (Eds.), Minority languages in the linguistic landscape (pp. 281–298). Palgrave-Macmillan., can represent the identity and image of educational institutions in linguistic landscapes as semi-public contexts which emphasise education and learning. In this article, we explore institutional identity as cultural and educational, looking specifically at LS to represent an image of internationalisation while maintaining a Chinese culture and as space for minority language education. We take a geosemiotic perspective (Scollon & Scollon, 2003 Scollon, R., & Scollon, S. W. (2003). Discourse in place: Language in the material world. Routledge.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) which emphasises the social meaning of the schoolscapes examined. The case study explores the LS of three universities in one ethnic minority region of the PRC – Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The analyses suggest that the universities use LS to present an image of quality education and internationalisation while allowing a smaller, symbolic function to the minority language. Pedagogical opportunities for multilingual education via LS are limited, especially for minority ethnic language education, resulting in a weak environment for Zhuang vitality. As we seek to understand how language is located in the LS of these universities, we also seek to understand the social meanings in the LS and to recommend ways forward in support of the minority language and multilingualism.