A Sociolinguistic analysis of landscape in the University of Ibadan

Abstract

This study of human communication has witnessed several approaches and it is recently witnessing the emergence of sociolinguistic landscape. Sign posts constitute the data for this study. Fifteen (15) signage were selected for analysis. The signposts were randomly selected across different places in the University of Ibadan community. These sign posts, which were of written and pictorial media, included both mobile and stationary signs. The study adopted Dell Hymes’ Ethnography of Communication for the data analysis. Specifically, the data were analysed within the context of the SPEAKING grid. It is revealed in the study that social variables
such as occupation, age group and gender are predominantly factors that influence sociolinguistic landscape.
Beyond this, purpose of the sign also influences the emplacement of sign posts, especially in terms of key and instrumentalities. Given the fact that all the signs reflect the English language, this study claims that the
sociolinguistic landscape does not only reflect the reality of the language use but also manifests the probable sociolinguistic variables that influence the intention of the sign-producers and the consumption of the signs by
the sign-consumers. In the emplacement of signs, social (sub) groups are created. This reveals that social stratification is not only reflected in verbal means of communication; it is transferred into written medium and visual media.