Insight into teachers’ perception of English in the Linguistic Landscape and its pedagogical usefulness in Norwegian ELT

Abstract

The use of English is an important language for global communication when there is no other common language between interlocutors, but the use of English is also important for local communication for example in Norway. This research uses the local linguistic landscape as a framework to investigate the presence of English locally and if it can be utilized as a pedagogical tool in English language learning and teaching in Norway. I explore teachers’ perceptions of the communicative purpose for using English in multimodal signs in the public space and investigate teachers’ professional perspectives if English signs in the local area have pedagogical benefits or challenges.

Interviewing 6 teachers in Norway indicate that teachers perceive English to be functional for symbolic or informational purposes. Findings uncovered English LL signs as a symbolic appeal, and seen as more relevant towards the younger generations, an emotional appeal directed at passers-by emotional attachment to English and English to communicate a connection to a larger community or interest. Teachers viewed the use of English to also have a practical purpose of informing international visitors in local areas, giving English an inclusive appeal for diverse speakers. Addressing the pedagogical aspect of these communicative purposes in English LL signs suggest that students can learn about global citizenship by using the public space as an arena to express and participate in global discussions in local spaces. Teachers also viewed the availability of English LL signs to increase students’ vocabulary acquisition and motivation in English language learning as it is accessible and recognizable.

However, teacher thinking address a concern towards students increased exposure and use of English in casual speech. Findings in this study show that teachers lack the knowledge to talk about English as a global phenomenon that changes in accordance with its speakers and how it is appropriated in local linguistic landscapes. An initiative to support the development of English didactics in Norway is to facilitate teachers’ knowledge of the presence of English in their local area. Incorporating students’ local linguistic landscape in ELT would contribute to their critical thinking on the role English serve the Norwegian society and for themselves as a multilingual ELF speaker.