Linguistic Schoolscape Studying the Place of English and Philippine Languages of Irosin Secondary School

This paper investigates the linguistic landscape of one public secondary school in Irosin, Sorsogon, Philippines. In particular, it identifies what language/s are displayed in the signs, who produced the signs, what materials are used, and who the intended audience is. It also determines how the languages are used, displayed and regulated in the school premise. Based on the 90 signs collected, the paper shows that English dominates in the linguistic schoolscape followed by Filipino while Bikol is scantly visible. English used in bottom-up signages is used for formal communication while it is used as the language of youth, language of fashion and language of fetishization in the bottom-up signages. On the other hand, Filipino, Bikol languages and mixed languages are mostly observed in bottom-up signs which are mostly used informally such as to impose particular order, to express transgressive personal feelings and emotions, political choices, or individual and group identity. The high preference of English in the school top-down signs is shown by capitalizing, highlighting and using vivid inks or paints as well as using durable materials for long lasting presence of English in the LL. Though there are spaces for bilingual and mixed languages in the schoolscape, the findings show that the general institutional infrastructure and the stakeholders through their language practices do not fully support and strengthen the multilingual speakers of the area as well as the general goal of language policy on multilingualism promoted by the Department of Education.

Keywords: Bikol language, linguistic schoolscape, multilingualism, Philippine languages