English as a lingua franca in the linguistic landscape of the multilingual resort of s'Arenal in Mallorca

Abstract

[eng] English has become the lingua franca of international exchanges. This is reflected in sociolinguistic studies of linguistic landscape (LL) which tackle the coexistence of English with local languages (e.g. Backhaus, 2007; Cenoz & Gorter, 2006; Edelman, 2006), on occasion oppressed (e.g. Nin˜o-Murcia, 2003). However, there is little research on how English interacts with other languages in multilingual tourist destinations in the expanding circle. It is often assumed that English is expected by international holidaymakers, but the truth behind such an assumption has not yet been established. The world’s second tourism earner, Spain, allows us to study how different languages interact, exerting sociolinguistic forces in a limited space. This will be illustrated with data from the LL of S’Arenal in Mallorca (Balearic Islands), paying particular attention to English as a lingua franca. The expectations and perceptions manifested by 224 informants from various countries holidaying in S’Arenal will be contrasted with a database of 372 seafront pictures, examined for the different languages and errors in English that they include. The analysis of this evidence will reveal complex language interaction patterns as well as the special treatment received by English in the LL.