Language Ideologies in the Linguistic Landscape of One University in South Africa

Abstract

This paper explores the language ideologies reflected on the linguistic landscape of one South African university. The main aim of this paper is to show how the language ideology of an institution or a community is reflected on its landscape (signs, billboards, notice boards, buildings). It also argues that there is a mismatch between the language policy put in place and the actual practice. The findings from this study are examined using studies on language ideologies and linguistic landscapes. The paper suggests that the linguistic landscape of an institution or a community should be an actual representation of its people’s language practices and should tie or match with the language policy put in place.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n7p623