The Valencian retail linguistic landscape in danger: advanced process of language shift and invisibility of the language conflict

Abstract

The sociolinguistic situation in Valencia is characterised by language conflict and diglossia, with the hegemonic position of Castilian Spanish (henceforth, Spanish) and the subordination of Valencian leading to a diversification of their functions and spheres of use and the ascription of a specific sociocultural status to each language. The purpose of this article is to ascertain the situation of Valencian in retail settings and to describe the retail linguistic landscapes. The approach uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, specifically a survey on the social perception of the presence and use of Valencian coupled with participant observation in retail spaces (small businesses, markets and shopping centres) in six Valencian cities. The most salient results include the profound Castilianisation of the retail linguistic landscape and the existence of multiple linguistic landscapes around the Region of Valencia. Furthermore, this article analyses the convergences and divergences of the results between the social perception of the presence and use of Valencian on the one hand and the participant observation in retail spaces on the other.