Browsing by Author "Risku, Jaakko Tuomas"

The linguistic landscape of an area is indicative of its contemporary culture and linguistic identity. The purpose of this study is to provide an illustration of the linguistic landscape of central Helsinki and to demonstrate the ways in which the linguistic landscape of a city can be researched by examining the advertisements from different points of contact in the city to enable a generalization of its linguistic routines. Additionally, the thesis aims to demonstrate the complex relationship between English and Finnish in the capital city of Finland, as well as provide insight into the role of English as a global marketing language. Previous research on multilingual marketing and the role of English in the Nordic countries, central Europe, and Southeast Asia has resulted in findings that display the vast influence of English in the linguistic space of non-native English-speaking countries. Research also shows that the linguistic practices of governmental institutions can be affected by language policies and as such can be different from the community-driven linguistic routines of advertisers, which is why this study focuses on only the commercial linguistic landscape. Furthermore, advertisements can be considered as the most accurate representation of an area’s linguistic identity, as competitors in the free market must use effective marketing strategies to connect with their demographic. The data of the study consisted of 366 phrases collected from 80 advertisers. The data was analyzed with a mixed methods approach, of which the quantitative part found English to cover 40% of all phrases in advertisements in Helsinki. The qualitative content analysis found English to be prioritized by advertisers more often than Finnish, which was the most significant finding of the study as it indicated that when advertisers do use English, they want it to be seen. Advertisers used English as the language of brand management and to cater to tourists, whereas the role of Finnish was to provide detailed information and in-depth descriptions. The study also found variation by area in Helsinki and recognized a correlation with the amount of English used in an area and the area’s geographical proximity to the center of the city, where most tourist attractions and entertainment districts are located. Future studies could replicate the methodology of this study in a different non-native English-speaking city to continue the research on the role of English as a global marketing language.