Language Features of Signage in Mueang Ake Area, Pathum Thani Province, in Perspective of Linguistic Landscape
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Abstract
The research objectives were to study the linguistic landscape of business and service signage in Mueang Ake area, a large residential community in Pathum Thani Province, and to analyze the language use and meanings conveyed through these signs, which reflect the social and cultural identity of the target area. The study relied on 237 purposively selected business signs located along the four main roads in Mueang Ake. The data were classified according to the types of businesses and services and analyzed statistically using frequencies and percentages.
The results revealed that the signs collectively contained a total of seven languages: Thai, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, and Spanish. This demonstrates that Mueang Ake is a multilingual area that reflects natural linguistic diversity and multilingualism influenced by globalization. Among all signs, consumer goods businesses were the most prevalent, followed by healthcare and beauty businesses. As for font size and visibility of bilingual signs, Thai script was found to be the most visible and most prominent. Regarding linguistic function, the wording on the sign primarily served an informational function about product and service details, followed by contact information. As for the symbolic function, it was found that signs with store names that are partially consistent or related to the business were more common than signs with store names not consistent or related to the business. This demonstrated that signage played a crucial role in creating a modern and international image for communication, as well as establishing a distinctive and attractive presence that encouraged visitors to purchase products or use services at the location through advertising and public relations based on the place’s name.
The study also revealed the influence of commercial, cultural, modernity, and local beliefs that affected this area. Moreover, the study demonstrated the role of the linguistic landscape as a communication tool that connects social identity and marketing in the Mueang Ake area.
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References
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