Author(s)

Xianwu Zhou, Jingyi Lin

Corresponding Author

Xianwu Zhou

ABSTRACT

The previous studies of linguistic landscapes seldom distinguish the atypical or peripheral linguistic landscapes from the typical ones; however, the atypical or peripheral linguistic landscapes (PLL) remain an inadequate investigation. The article examines the classification of PLLs and their characteristics by sorting out various signages in the developed coastal areas of China by a case study of Ningbo, aiming at interpreting the significance of PLLs in a developed economy form in China. The fieldwork shows a widespread distribution of various representations of the PLL, i.e., slogans on the external wall, mobile car body advertising, graffiti, electronic projection, clothing and accessory logos, audio broadcasting, menu, labels and stickers, posters, etc.. It argues that the characteristics of the PLLs exhibit a trend toward diversified representations of language typologies, multilingual signs and artificially constructed symbols, and intricated integration modes of them. It can be assumed that the occurrence of the PLL as a supplement to the typical linguistic landscape in the coastal developed areas is also to meet the needs of international exchanges and the personalized aesthetic judgement of the young, with a prevalence of Chinese characters in the PLL.

KEYWORDS

Peripheral Linguistic Landscape; Classification; Characteristics; Ningbo