Transnational practices and local integration in the linguistic landscape of Milan

Abstract

The study of the Linguistic Landscape (LL) is based upon a
notion of physical space as also being a social, cultural and political
space. It offers a new perspective on multilingualism and provides an
important tool for analysing the attitudes of different groups within
the context of immigration. Previous studies, however, have not sufficiently
emphasized the relationship between the linguistic objects that
can be seen in the public space and the different processes of integration.
This article focuses on some of the linguistic, social and transnational
practices of Latin American immigrants in Milan, through the
analysis of some of the LL units found in one of the city’s most multiethnic
neighbourhoods. The objective is to outline a model, which can
connect features of the LL with attitudes towards integration and with
the social and transnational practices of immigrant groups.