Negotiating space through names: A linguistic landscape perspective on toponymic practices in Shah Alam, Selangor
Konsep penamaan ruang publik di Malaysia: Studi Lanskap Linguistik
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30603/al.v10i2.6527Keywords:
Cultural relationship;, dynamics of power;, linguistic landscape;, language policy;, public space;, toponymicAbstract
Background: Language plays a vital role in human interaction and has evolved beyond direct communication to convey messages through public spaces, known as the Linguistic Landscape (LL). The presence of LL varies across regions, from being highly visible to nearly absent.
Aims: This study aims to analyse the conceptual and functional aspects of public space naming in Shah Alam, Selangor, using a linguistic landscape approach to understand how language shapes identity and social function in urban settings, employing a landscape linguistics perspective.
Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive method, where researchers directly describe the concept of naming in public space in Shah Alam city, Selangor, Malaysia, using the theoretical framework of Linguistic Landscape. The data were collected through direct field observation without involving interviews or informants. The analysis process involved data reduction, categorisation, contextual interpretation, and inductive drawing of conclusions. Visual triangulation and comparative site observation were employed to enhance the validity of the data.
Results: The findings in this research reveal that the naming of public spaces can be classified based on informational functions. Symbolically, street naming reflects dynamics of power, cultural relationships, and language policy; office signage indicates aspects of language policy and status, while public signs expose elements of linguistic imperialism. The collected data include diverse types of linguistic signage: three instances of street naming, one city motto, two public information boards, two examples of office naming, two prohibition signs in public transport, and two signs designated for specific user groups.
Implications: The implications of this research are twofold. Theoretically, these findings enrich the study of Linguistic Landscape. Practically, they offer insights into language planning and naming policies in multilingual public spaces.
Downloads
References
Amer, F., & Obeidat, R. (2014). Linguistic landscape: A case study on shop signs in
Aqaba City, Jordan. Social Sciences in Asia, 10(18), 246-252.
https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v10n18p246
Andaya, B.W., Andaya, L.Y., 2017. A history of Malaysia. Bloomsbury Publishing. Https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-16927-6.
Albury, N.J. (2017). Mother tongues and languaging in Malaysia: critical linguistics under critical examination. Lang. Soc. 46 (4), 567–589. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404517000239
Ardhian, D., S, S., Purnanto, D., & Yustanto, H. (2021). Religious performance in Malang, Indonesia: Linguistic landscape on worship sign. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(2), 983–1000. https://doi.org/10.52462/jlls.68
Ardhian, D., & Soemarlam. (2024). Mengenal kajian lanskap linguistik dan upaya penataannya dalam ruang-ruang publik di Indonesia. Jurnal Akrab Juara, 9(4). 989-1000. https://doi.org/10.58487/akrabjuara.v9i4
Backhaus, P. (2007). Linguistic landscapes: A comparative study of urban multilingualism in Tokyo. Multilingual Matters & Channel View Publications. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.27195495
Backhaus, P. (2007). Alphabet ante portas: How English text invades Japanese public space. Visible Lang. 41 (1). 70-87. https://journals.uc.edu/index.php/vl/article/view/5791
Barni, M., & Bagna, C. (2008). A mapping technique and the linguistic landscape. In E. Shohamy & D. Gorter (Eds.), Linguistic landscape: Expanding the scenery (pp. 15–30). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203930960
Barni, M., & Bagna, C. (2010). 1. Linguistic Landscape and Language Vitality. In E. Shohamy, E. Ben-Rafael, & M. Barni (Eds.), Linguistic Landscape in the City (pp. 3–18). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781847692993-003
Ben-Rafael, E., Shohamy, E., Hasan Amara, M., & Trumper-Hecht, N. (2006). Linguistic Landscape as Symbolic Construction of the Public Space: The Case of Israel. International Journal of Multilingualism, 3(1), 7–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790710608668383
Blommaert, J. (2012). Ethnography, Superdiversity and Linguistic Landscapes: Chronicles of Complexity. Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783090419
Blommaert, J. (2013). Complexity, Accent, and Conviviality: Concluding Comments. Applied Linguistics, 34(5), 613–622. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amt028
Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. (2006). Linguistic Landscape and Minority Languages. International Journal of Multilingualism, 3(1), 67–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790710608668386
Coluzzi, P. (2017). Italian in the linguistic landscape of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Int. J. Multiling, 14 (2), 109–123. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2016.1151883.
Coluzzi, P. (2020). Jawi, an endangered orthography in the Malaysian linguistic landscape. International Journal of Multilingualism, 19(4), 630–646. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2020.1784178
Coluzzi, P., Kitade, R. (2015). The languages of places of worship in the Kuala Lumpur area: a study on the “religious” linguistic landscape in Malaysia. Linguistic landscape, 1 (3), 243–267. https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.1.3.03col
Dong, J., Peng, m., & uddin, m. g. (2020). mapping the linguistic landscape of the cultural heritage sites and tourist spots in Bangladesh. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 08(10), 228–244. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2020.810015
Erikha, F. (2018). Konsep lanskap linguistik pada papan nama jalan kerajaan (Râjamârga): Studi kasus di kota Yogyakarta. Paradigma, Jurnal Kajian Budaya, 8(1), 38-52. https://doi.org/10.17510/paradigma.v8i1.231
Gorter, D. (2006). Further Possibilities for Linguistic Landscape Research. In D. Gorter (Ed.), Linguistic Landscape (pp. 81–88). Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781853599170-006
Gu, C. (2023). A tale of three global cities: a comparative account of Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong’s multilingual repertoires evidenced in their Covidscapes as part of Covid-19 crisis and public health communication. Language and Health, 1 (2), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.laheal.2023.06.001
Gu, C., Coluzzi, P. (2024). Presence of ‘Arabic’in Kuala Lumpur’s multilingual linguistic landscape: Heritage, religion, identity, business and mobility. Int. J. Multiling. 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2024.2356215.
Grey, A. (2021). Tourist tongues: High-speed rail carries linguistic and cultural urbanisation beyond the city limits in Guangxi, China . Applied Linguistics Review, 12(1), 11-37. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2019-0099
Han, Y., & Wu, X. (2020). Language policy, linguistic landscape and residents’ perception in Guangzhou, China: Dissents and conflicts. Current Issues in Language Planning, 21(3), 229–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/14664208.2019.1582943
Hasan, N. H. (2021). Keterkendalian pemilihan bahasa ruang publik pelabuhan dan bandara di kota Ambon (Controlability Of Language Application On Public Space Port And Airport In Ambon City). Totobuang, 9(2), 225–237. https://Doi.Org/10.26499/Ttbng.V9i2.328
Hendrastuti, R. (2015). Variasi Penggunaan bahasa pada ruang publik di kota Surakarta . Jurnal Kandai, 11(1).
Izar, J., Kusmana, A., & Triandana, A. (2021). Toponimi dan aspek penamaan desa-desa di kabupaten Muaro Jambi. Jurnal Diglosia, 5(1). https://www.jurnal.unma.ac.id/index.php/dl/article/view/2522/0
Jahdiah, J. (2019). Penggunaan bahasa Indonesia pada media luar ruang di Kalimantan Selatan. Genta Bahtera: Jurnal Ilmiah Kebahasaan dan Kesastraan, 4(2), 115–128. https://doi.org/10.47269/gb.v4i2.58
Jenjekwa, V. (2022). Language visibility in the public space: the linguistic landscape of Masvingo, Zimbabwe. South African Journal of African Languages, 42(2), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094085
Jocuns, A. (2021). The geosemiotics of a Thai university: The narratives embedded in schoolscapes. Ling. Educ. 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2021.100902
Karam, F. J., Warren, A. K., & AK ve Shweiry, Z. (2020). Languages of Beirut: Analysis of Independent Products. International Journal of Multilingualism, 17(2), 196-214. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2018.1529178
Karim, K., Mando, L., & Iye, R. (2022). Tingkat terkendali bahasa Indonesia pada media luar ruang di kota Kendari. Sang Pencerah: Jurnal Ilmiah Universitas Muhammadiyah Buton, 8(3), 824–840. https://doi.org/10.35326/pencerah.v8i3.2419
Landry, R., & Bourhis, R. Y. (1997). Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality: An Empirical study. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 16(1). 23-49 https://doi.org/DOI:10.1177/0261927X970161002
Lu, S., Li, G., Xu, M. (2020). The linguistic landscape in rural destinations: a case study of Hongcun Village in China. Tourism Manag. 7(7). 1-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104005
Li, S. (2024). Walking on Huaihai Street: Liminality, linguistic landscape, and language policy. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2309916
Manan, S. A., David, M. K., Dumanig, F. P., & Naqeebullah, K. (2015). Politics, economics and identity: Mapping the linguistic landscape of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. International Journal of Multilingualism, 12(1), 31–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2014.905581
Manan, S., & David, M. (2016). Language ideology and the linguistic landscape. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 11(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1558/lhs.v11i1.20228
Mansoor, S. S., Hamzah, N. H., & Shangeetha, R. K. (2023). Linguistic landscape in Malaysia: The case of language choice used in signboards. Studies in English Language and Education, 10(2), 1062–1083. https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v10i2.28338
Mauliddian, K., Nurhayani, I., & Hamamah, H. (2022). Penanda Publik Bahasa Kawi di Kota Probolinggo: Kajian Lanskap Linguistik. Ranah: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, 11(1), 130-140. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v11i1.2716
Mohamadsaid, A., & Rasheed, S. (2019). Can English considered to be a global language? https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED608887.pdf
Mulyawan, I. W., Paramarta, I. M. S., & Suparwa, I.N. (2022). Language contestation at Batukau Temple, Bali (a linguistic landscape study). Cogent Arts & Humanities, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2022.2090651
Munawarah, S., & Datang, F. A. (2019). Language variations in Depok: A study of linguistic landscape and dialectology. Internasional Review of Humanities Studies, 4(2), 987–1001. www.irhs.ui.ac.id
Munishi, S. (2018). Multilingualism in linguistic landscape of Prishtina (Kosovo). Journal of Educational and Social Research, 8(3), 101–106. https://doi.org/10.2478/jesr-2018-0036
Ndlovu, S., 2023. Decolonisation of the Zimbabwean linguistic landscape through
renaming: a quantitative and linguistic landscaping analysis. Afr. Ident. 21 (2), 324–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2021.1910013
Ong, T.W.S., Ben-Said, S. (2022). Accommodating Chinese community languages in Penang: Evidence from the linguistic landscape and local voices. Linguistic Landscapes in South-East Asia, Routledge, pp. 87–113. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003166993.
Octaviani, E. (2019). Linguistics: Greek kota Baru (GKB), a study on nouns in Greek. thesis, UIN Presented by Ampel Surabaya.
Peng, J., Mansor, N. S., Ang, L. H., & Kasim, Z. M. (2022). Visualising the knowledge domain of linguistic landscape research: A scientometric review (1994-2021). World Journal of English Language, 12(5), 340. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v12n5p340
Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford University Press.
Profile, S. E. E. (2022). The linguistic landscape of Peshawar: Social hierarchies of English and its transliterations. University of Chitral Journal of
Rohmah & Widya Nur Wijayanti, Cogent Arts & Humanities (2023), 10: 2275359
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2023.2275359
Purnanto, D., Yustanto, H., Ginanjar, B., & Ardhian, D. (2022). English operation in public space: Linguistic landscape in culinary business of Surakarta, Indonesia. Journal Of Language And Linguistic Studies, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.52462/jlls.186
Rastitiati, N. K. J., & Suprastayasa, I. G. N. A. (2022). Multilingual signs: The linguistic landscape in Nusa Dua tourist area, Bali, 1(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.52352/lacultour.v1i1.783
Shang, G., & Guo, L. (2017). Linguistic landscape in Singapore: What shop
names reveal about Singapore's multilingualism International. Journal of
Multilingualism, 14(2), 183-201.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2016.1218497
Sahril, S., Harahap, S. Z., & Hermanto, A. B. (2019). Lanskap linguistik kota Medan: Kajian onomastika, semiotika, dan spasial. Medan Makna: Jurnal Ilmu Kebahasaan dan Kesastraan, 17(2), 195. https://doi.org/10.26499/mm.v17i2.2141
Sari, R. N. (2021). Penamaan toko di Sidoarjo Kota: Kajian lanskap linguistik (Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Negeri Surabaya). Universitas Negeri Surabaya. https://digilib.unesa.ac.id/detail/Yzg0YmVkODAtZDljNi0xMWViLWI1NjAtNGQ1ZmIyMjdhNmRm
Shohamy, E. (2006). Language policy: Hidden agendas and new approaches (0 ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203387962
Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. (2009). Linguistic landscape: Expanding the scenery. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203930960
Sirait, Z. (2021). Penggunaan bahasa Indonesia di ruang publik yang tidak memenuhi bahasa baku. Linguistik: Jurnal Bahasa & Sastra, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.31604/linguistik.v6i1.1-9
Solikhan, U. (2013). Bahasa Indonesia dalam informasi dan iklan di ruang publik kota Pangkalpinang. Sirok Bastra: Jurnal Ilmiah Kebahasaan Dan Kesastraan, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.37671/sb.v1i2.15
Spolsky, Bernard, and Robert L Cooper, The languages of Jerusalem (Oxford, 1991; online edn, Oxford Academic, 31 Oct. 2023), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198239086.001.0001, accessed 15 July. 2025.
Shang, G., & Guo, L. (2017). Linguistic landscape in Singapore: What shop
names reveal about Singapore's multilingualism International. Journal of
Multilingualism, 14(2), 183-201.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2016.1218497
Tang, H. K. (2018). Linguistic landscaping in Singapore: Multilingualism or the dominance of English and its dual identity in the local linguistic ecology.
International Journal of Multilingualism, 17(2), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2018.1467422
Wang, X., Xu, D. (2018). The mismatches between minority language practices and National Language policy in Malaysia: a linguistic landscape approach, kajian Malaysia. Journal of Malaysian Studies, 36 (1). https://doi.org/10.21315/km2018.36.1.5
Wafa, A., & Wijayanti, S. (2018). Signs of multilingualism at religious places in Surabaya: A Linguistic Landscape Study. Proceedings of the International Conference on Language Phenomena in Multimodal Communication (KLUA 2018). Surabaya, Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.2991/klua-18.2018.5
Widiyanto, G. (2019). Lanskap linguistik di museum radya pustaka Surakarta. Prosiding Seminar Nasional Linguistik dan Sastra (SEMANTIKS) “Kajian Linguistik pada Karya Sastra.” “Merangkai wawasan dalam terjemahan, pragmatik, dan korpus di era kecerdasan buatan,” Surakarta.https://jurnal.uns.ac.id/prosidingsemantiks/article/view/39023
Wulansari, D. W. (2020). Linguistik lanskap di Bali: Tanda multilingual dalam papan nama ruang publik. Kredo: Jurnal Ilmiah Bahasa dan Sastra, 3(2), 420–429. https://doi.org/10.24176/kredo.v3i2.4600
Wong, W.C. (2018). Chinese identities in Southeast Asia, silk road to belt road:
reinventing the past and shaping the future. Springer, 19, 329–340. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2998-2_19
Woo, W.S., Nora Riget, P. (2022). Linguistic landscape in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia. J. Multiling. Multicult. Dev. 43 (5), 404–423. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2020.1742724
Wu, Y., Silver, R.E., Zhang, H. (2023). Linguistic schoolscapes of an ethnic minority region in the PRC: a university case study. Int. J. Multiling. 20(3), 825–849. https://doi.org/10.1080/14790718.2021.1962326
Yao, J., Pan, S., Zhang, X., & Nie, P. (2022). Linguistic landscape as a way to reflect the tension between mandated language policies and residents’ language preferences: The case of Kashgar in China. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(6), 2252–2268. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2046008
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Muhammad Farihul Qulub, Saddam Reza Hamidi, Fika Burhan Tajalla
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Authors who publish in Al-Lisan: Jurnal Bahasa (e-Journal) agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
