Language as Social Identity: A Study of Linguistic Landscape in Meulaboh, West Aceh
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17977/um021v9i22024p35-53Keywords:
Aceh language, Social identity, Linguistic landscape, Public spaceAbstract
The language used in public spaces is closely related to the social identity of the community. This
study examines the linguistic landscape of Meulaboh City by analyzing public signs and their
connection to the local community’s identity. The method used is a descriptive qualitative
approach, with data consisting of 121 photos collected from several streets in Meulaboh, West
Aceh Regency, including government buildings, schools, billboards, and other notable features.
The findings reveal three types of signage: monolingual, bilingual, and multilingual, with a
dominance of Indonesian-English usage. These findings demonstrate that language in public
spaces serves not only as a tool for communication but also reflects the local community’s social
and cultural identity. English is more commonly used in business contexts, while Indonesian
dominates formal domains such as government offices and schools. Regional identity is not
strongly reflected in the linguistic landscape of West Aceh, except in traditional eateries and coffee
shops that still use the Acehnese language.
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