English and Shop Signs in Kecamatan Medan Petisah: A Study of Linguistic Landscape

Abstract

This study aims to (1) find out the dominant language represented in LL of Medan’s multilingual society in Kecamatan Medan Petisah, (2) analyze the use of English in shop signs of Kecamatan Medan Petisah, (3) elaborate why English is chosen to be used specifically in shop signs along with Indonesian in Kecamatan Medan Petisah. This research applied Linguistic Landscape approach and used descriptive qualitative method. The data sources are the photographs of bottom-up signs along the area of Kecamatan Medan Petisah. Based on the analysis, it is found that: (1) English becomes the dominant foreign language used in the shop signs in Kecamatan Medan Petisah; (2) the use of English in Kecamatan Medan Petisah is found mostly in bilingual; (3) the reasons for using English specifically in the shop signs in Kecamatan Medan Petisah are the familiarity of the words, common usage, prestige, and sponsor. Based on the analysis, the categories of signs discovered in Kecamatan Medan Petisah LL are the building names, the slogans, and the information.