Signs of De-territorialization? Linguistic Landscape at the German-Polish Border

Kimura Goro Christoph

doi:10.14943/ebr.8.1.45

The aim of this paper is to examine whether we can find signs of sociolinguistic transition in the case of the German-Polish border, and if yes, what kind of transition. It discusses aspects of transition at the border region from the viewpoint of the linguistic landscape. First, the significance of language for border studies is discussed. Second, the linguistic landscape approach is introduced as the means to focus on the visibility of a certain language, more precisely its graphic representation, in a given place. Third, an attempt is made to characterize the German-Polish border from a sociolinguistic point of view. Then we have a closer look at the current state of the linguistic landscape at the German-Polish border. The paper concludes that the question “Transition or not?” could be answered as “transition and not.” On the one hand, linguistic de-territorialization has led to increased permeability and liminality, although in an asymmetrical manner. On the other hand, this tendency has not yet surpassed the durability of territoriality, and a border demarking distinct language territories still endores. Time will tell whether the process of transition will continue.

Signs of De-territorialization? Linguistic Landscape at the German-Polish Border

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