6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACESi

DYNAMICS OF THE (ONG +ONG LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE

#HRISTOPHER - (UTTON

 )NTRODUCTION

4HIS PAPER LOOKS AT IDEAS OF TEXT LANGUAGE AND THE CITY USING THE NOTION OF THE uVER
NACULARi TO THINK ABOUT PERCEPTIONS OF TEMPORALITY AND MEMORY IN THE CITYSCAPE 4HE
URBAN IS WHERE “HUMAN EXPERIENCE IS TRANSFORMED INTO VIABLE SIGNS SYMBOLS PATTERNS
OF CONDUCT SYSTEMS OF ORDERƒ ! KEY ELEMENT OF THAT SYMBOLIC ORDER IS THE ARRANGE
MENT OF LANGUAGE TEXT AND SIGNAGE IN THE LANDSCAPE OF THE CITY THE SO CALLED uLINGUISTIC
LANDSCAPEi 4HIS TEXTUAL LANDSCAPE OR uTEXTSCAPEi IS THE PRODUCT OF UNDERLYING ECONOMIC
FORCES AND PATTERNS OF COMMERCIAL OWNERSHIP BUT IT ALSO STRUCTURES EXPERIENCE OF THE
CITY IN TERMS OF AESTHETICS LANGUAGE TIME AND MEMORY )N (ONG +ONG THE CITYSCAPE
CAN BE READ AS STRUCTURED IN PART BY A DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A SMOOTH COOL
METALLIC FUTURE AND A CLUTTERED QUASI ORGANIC DISORDERED uVERNACULARi PAST

 ,ANGUAGE TEXT AND THE CITY

4HE LANGUAGE CITY ANALOGY PROVED IRRESISTIBLE FOR TWENTIETH CENTURY THEORISTS “7ITH
LANGUAGE ITSELF ;THE CITY= REMAINS MANlS GREATEST WORK OF ARTƒ 3AUSSURE EMPLOYED AN
URBAN ANALOGY TO ELUCIDATE HIS IDEA OF THE UNDERLYING IDENTITY OF ELEMENTS OF A LINGUISTIC
SYSTEM 4HE UNDERLYING PATTERN OR ABSTRACT ARRANGEMENT OF STREETS IS INDEPENDENT OF THEIR
CONCRETE REALIZATION JUST AS STRUCTURAL RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE LINGUISTIC SYSTEM LANGUE
EXIST INDEPENDENTLY OF THEIR REALIZATION IN SOUND OR IN WRITING “IF A STREET IS DEMOLISHED
AND THEN REBUILT WE SAY IT IS THE SAME STREET ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE PHYSICALLY NOTH
ING LEFT OF THE OLD ONE (OW IS IT THAT A STREET CAN BE RECONSTRUCTED ENTIRELY AND STILL
BE THE SAME "ECAUSE IT IS NOT A PURELY MATERIAL STRUCTURE )T HAS OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
WHICH ARE INDEPENDENT OF ITS BRICKS AND MORTAR FOR EXAMPLE ITS SITUATION IN RELATION

) WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO THE SPONSORS AND ORGANIZERS OF THE 3TADT UND 5RBANIT¼T IM  *AHRHUNDERT
SUMMER SCHOOL IN (AMBURG  AND TO +ELVIN !U %LAINE (O !DAM *AWORSKI *ANNY ,EUNG !DRIAN 0ABLÁ AND
7ENDY 'AN FOR ADVICE ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUGGESTIONS

-UMFORD   

-UMFORD   

6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACES 

TO OTHER STREETSƒ ! FURTHER ANALOGY MIGHT BE WITH SCHEMATIC TRANSPORT MAPS SUCH AS
THAT OF THE ,ONDON 5NDERGROUND THE uTUBE MAPi WHERE THE ABSTRACT PRESENTATION
OF STRUCTURAL INTERCONNECTIONS WITHIN THE SYSTEM IS ACHIEVED BY ITS RENUNCIATION OF THE
DIRECT REPRESENTATION OF GEOGRAPHICAL REALITY 3AUSSURE EXCLUDES TIME AND SUBJECTIVITY
FROM THE SYSTEM OF LANGUE AND THIS SUGGESTS BY ANALOGY THAT THE INHABITANT OF THE CITY
IS CONFRONTED BY A SYNCHRONIC STATE AN ABSTRACT SET OF ATEMPORAL RELATIONSHIPS
! CONTRASTING URBAN ANALOGY TO THAT OF 3AUSSURE IS FOUND IN 7ITTGENSTEINlS 0HILO
SOPHICAL )NVESTIGATIONS “/UR LANGUAGE CAN BE SEEN AS AN ANCIENT CITY A MAZE OF LITTLE
STREETS AND SQUARES OF OLD AND NEW HOUSES OF HOUSES WITH ADDITIONS FROM VARIOUS
PERIODS AND THIS SURROUNDED BY A MULTITUDE OF NEW BOROUGHS WITH STRAIGHT REGULAR
STREETS AND UNIFORM HOUSESƒ (ERE 7ITTGENSTEIN EVOKES AN EVOLUTION FROM ORGANIC
DEVELOPMENT OF THE HISTORICAL CENTRE OF THE TOWN TO THE MORE ORDERLY AND REGIMENTED
SUBURBS IN THE SAME WAY THAT A LANGUAGE AS IT EXTENDS ITS RANGE OF USES TO MEET THE
TERMINOLOGICAL AND RATIONAL DEMANDS OF MODERNITY ACQUIRES MORE ORDERLY SUB SECTIONS
IN REGULAR GEOMETRICAL PATTERNS 7HILE THIS LINGUISTIC CITY IN CONTRAST TO 3AUSSURElS CITY
AS LANGUE DOES HAVE A TEMPORALITY WHICH IS REÚECTED IN ITS STRUCTURE IT IS A CITY VIEWED
FROM A SINGLE OBJECTIVE POINT OF VIEW INDEPENDENT OF ITS USERS  INHABITANTS (ISTORY IS
MAPPED ONTO A HORIZONTAL STATIC SPACE SEEN FROM ABOVE FROM A SINGLE POINT
4HE uCITY AS TEXTi IS A FAMILIAR TROPE  ONE WHICH CAN BE SET AGAINST THE IDEA OF CITY
AS SYSTEM OR LANGUE 4HE PEDESTRIAN WALKER STROLLER URBAN DANDY OR ÚºNEUR OCCUPIES
A PRIVILEGED POSITION IN THIS LITERATURE SO THAT READING THE CITY IS OFTEN A MATTER OF
uWALKING ITi 4HE WALKER  OBSERVER CAN BE BOTH THE READER OF THE URBAN TEXT AND THE
WRITER WHO CONSTRUCTS A NARRATIVE OUT OF THE DISCONTINUOUS MATERIALS ENCOUNTERED IN
THE CITY 4HE URBAN SPACES OF THE IMAGINATION ARE IN PART OF LITERARY ORIGIN DRAWING ON
THE ,ONDON OF $ICKENS OR THE 0ARIS OF #HARLES "AUDELAIRE AND 7ALTER "ENJAMIN "UT
THERE IS NO OVERALL NARRATIVE OF THE CITY “THE CITY AND THE BOOK ARE OPPOSED FORMS TO
FORCE THE CITYlS SPREAD CONTINGENCY AND AIMLESS MOTION INTO THE TIGHT PROGRESSION OF
A NARRATIVE IS TO RISK A TOTAL FALSEHOODƒ -ETROPOLITAN LIFE HAS AN “INTRINSIC ILLEGIBILITYƒ
/NE CAN START AND ÙNISH ANYWHERE AND CONSTRUCT A NARRATIVE OUT OF THE JOURNEY )AIN
3INCLAIRlS ,ONDON /RBITAL TAKES THE FORM OF A SERIES OF WALKS AROUND ,ONDON SHADOW
ING THE -  RING MOTORWAY A uNON PLACEi OF BLEAK IN BETWEENNESS WHICH IS ÙLLED
WITH CHANCE ENCOUNTERS CONVERSATION THREADS OF MEMORY TEXTUAL ASSOCIATIONS AND


“/U BIEN SI UNE RUE EST DÁMOLIE PUIS REBºTIE NOUS DISONS QUE CEST LA MÂME RUE ALORS QUE MATÁRIELLEMENT IL NE
SUBSISTE PEUT ÂTRE RIEN DE LANCIENNE 0OURQUOI PEUT ON RECONSTRUIRE UNE RUE DE FOND EN COMBLE SANS QUELLE CESSE
DÂTRE LA MÂME  0ARCE QUE LENTITÁ QUELLE CONSTITUE NEST PAS PUREMENT MATÁRIELLE ELLE EST FONDÁE SUR CERTAINES
CONDITIONS AUXQUELLES SA MATIÀRE OCCASIONNELLE EST ÁTRANGÀRE PAR EXEMPLE SA SITUATION RELATIVEMENT AUX AUTRESƒ
3AUSSURE    3EE 4AFURI  AND 4RABANT  

“5NSERE 3PRACHE KANN MAN ANSEHEN ALS EINE ALTE 3TADT %IN 'EWINKEL VON '¼SSCHEN UND 0L¼TZEN ALTEN UND NEUEN
(¼USERN UND (¼USERN MIT :UBAUTEN AUS VERSCHIEDENEN :EITEN UND DIES UMGEBEN VON EINER -ENGE NEUER 6ORORTE
MIT GERADEN UND REGELM¼·IGEN 3TRA·EN UND MIT EINFÎRMIGEN (¼USERNƒ 7ITTGENSTEIN  PARA  

3EE 3CHNEIDER %D  

3EE FOR EXAMPLE -ACAULEY  4AMBLING AND ,O  

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2ABAN   

 #HRISTOPHER - (UTTON

EVOCATIONS OF LITERARY JOURNEYS 4HE EXPERIENCE OF MOVING THROUGH ITS SPACES CONSTRUCTS
THE CITY NOT AS A SINGLE LINEAR TEXT BUT AS AN UNBOUNDED SET OF POSSIBLE NARRATIVES OR
JOURNEYS WHERE “REAL AND IMAGINARY SPACES COMMINGLE IN THE MINDƒ 2ABAN DRAWS
A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE uHARD CITYi AND THE uSOFTi “4HE CITY AS WE IMAGINE IT THE
SOFT CITY OF ILLUSION MYTH ASPIRATION NIGHTMARE IS AS REAL MAYBE MORE REAL THAN THE
HARD CITY ONE CAN LOCATE ON MAPS IN STATISTICS IN MONOGRAPHS ON URBAN SOCIOLOGY
AND DEMOGRAPHY AND ARCHITECTUREƒ 4HE TENSION BETWEEN THESE TWO ASPECTS MAKES
UP THE EXPERIENCE OF LIVING IN THE CITY “#ITIES ARE “PLASTIC BY NATUREƒ AND AS HUMANS
“MOULD THEM IN OUR IMAGESƒ THEY “SHAPE US BY THE RESISTANCE THEY OFFERƒ
'IVEN THAT PUBLIC SPACE “AT ITS WORST CAN BE SITE OF ONE GROUPlS DOMINANCE OVER
OTHERSƒ  THE RELATIONSHIP TO SPACE IMPLIED IN WALKING TAKES ON A SPECIAL QUALITY
7ALKING BECAUSE IT CAN BE SEEN AS CHALLENGING “THE OPAQUE AND AUTHORITARIAN FEATURES
OF URBAN ARCHITECTURE PRIVATE PROPERTY AND PUBLIC SPACEƒ CAN BE ASCRIBED “AESTHETIC
DYNAMIC AND DEMOCRATICƒ FEATURES )T CAN BE BOTH A PRACTICAL AND A THEORETICAL WAY
TO OVERCOME uTHE GEOGRAPHY OF NOWHEREi THAT “THE AUTO AND ITS ADVOCATES HAVE HELPED
TO INAUGURATE AND IMPLEMENTƒ &OR -ICHAEL DE #ERTEAU IN CONTRAST TO A BIRDlS EYE
OR 'ODlS EYE VIEW THE “ORDINARY INHABITANTS OF A CITYƒ ARE “WALKERS 7ANDERSM¼NNER
WHOSE BODIES FOLLOW THE THICK AND THIN LINES OF AN URBAN uTEXTi WHICH THEY WRITE WITH
OUT BEING ABLE TO READƒ &OR DE #ERTEAU “THE ACT OF WALKING IS TO THE URBAN SYSTEM
WHAT THE VERBAL UTTERANCE THE SPEECH ACT IS TO THE LINGUISTIC SYSTEMƒ

 6ERNACULAR SPACES

/NE CONCEPT THAT BRIDGES THE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE STUDY OF PHYSICAL SPACE AND THE STUDY
OF LANGUAGE IS THAT OF uVERNACULARi 4HE CITY IS SEEN BY LINGUISTS BOTH AS THE “BIRTHPLACE
OF OUTSTANDING LINGUISTIC INNOVATIONƒ BUT ALSO THE SITE OF LINGUISTIC LOSS “A CEMETERY FOR
LANGUAGESƒ  WHERE MIGRANT SPEECH FORMS DISAPPEAR AND MODES OF PRACTICE WITH THEIR
ASSOCIATED MODES OF SPEECH ARE CONSTANTLY ERASED ,ATE NINETEENTH CENTURY 3TOCKHOLM
WAS CHARACTERIZED BY “A DIVERSITY OF TONGUES AN ABUNDANT VARIETY OF VOICES EXTREME
HETEROGLOSSIAƒ BEFORE ITS DOMESTICATION BY THE LEVELING EFFECTS OF BOURGEOIS MODERNITY
)N MODERN SOCIOLINGUISTICS THE ASSUMPTION HAS BEEN THAT “WORKING CLASS VERNACULARƒ


3INCLAIR  

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-ACAULEY   

-ACAULEY    4HE PHRASE uTHE GEOGRAPHY OF NOWHEREi COMES FROM +UNSTLER  

4HE ORIGINAL READS “LES PRATIQUANTS ORDINAIRES DE LA VILLE ;c= SONT DES MARCHEURS 7ANDERSM¼NNER DONT LE CORPS
OBÁIT AUX PLEINS ET AUX DÁLIÁS DlUN uTEXTEi URBAIN QUlILS ÁCRIVENT SANS POUVOIR LE LIREƒ   

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6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACES 

RATHER THAN “UPPER CLASS DIALECTƒ FORMED “THE MAIN STREAM OF THE LANGUAGEƒ 4HE VER
NACULAR IS DEÙNED AS THE MORE VIBRANT PRIVATE AUTHENTIC AND RESPONSIVE FORM WHEN
SET AGAINST STANDARD SPEECH OR FORMAL CLASSICAL OR MONUMENTAL PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
6ERNACULARS ARE STEREOTYPICALLY CHARACTERIZED IN TERMS OF FACE TO FACE INTERACTION
EXPRESSIVITY EMOTIONALITY AND THE LACK OF A STRICT DIVISION BETWEEN THE PRIVATE AND
PUBLIC )MAGE   6ERNACULAR SPACES ARE THOSE IN WHICH THE NON STANDARD IS SPOKEN
OR WHICH ARE FRAMED BY THE VERNACULAR OR WHICH IMPART THE AFFECT OF THE VERNACULAR
-ORE METAPHORICALLY THE VERNACULAR HAS THE FEATURES OF VITAL ENERGY INFORMALITY LACK
OF CONTAINMENT AND AN UNPLANNED SPONTANEITY 4HE MORE WORKING CLASS OR uVERNACULARi
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD THE MORE THERE IS COMMERCIAL AND FACE TO FACE SOCIAL ACTIVITY ON
THE STREET LEVEL WITH STALLS SPILLING OUT ONTO THE PAVEMENT 4HE VERNACULAR uINSIDEi SPILLS
OUT INTO THE uOUTSIDEi AND THE NOISE OF THE STREET ENTERS THE INTERIORS
3UBURBAN SHOPPING MALLS “TURN THE WALKERlS WORLD INSIDE OUT OR MORE ACCURATELY
OUTSIDE IN 4HE SIDEWALK IS ROLLED UP AND REAPPEARS IN A PURELY COMMERCIAL ZONE OF
EXCHANGE LARGELY ABSENT OF RESIDENCES THE ORGANIC ENVIRONMENT AND PLACES OF PUBLIC
APPEARANCE AND DISPLAYƒ !N APPRECIATION OF VERNACULAR CULTURE OF WHAT MIGHT BE
TERMED THE POETICS OF EVERYDAY OBJECTS AND THE PATTERNS THAT ARISE FROM THE ORDINARY
MIX OF DAILY LIFE AND MUNDANE OBJECTS IS OFTEN SET AGAINST THE STEREOTYPED AND INAU
THENTIC IMAGES CONSUMED BY TOURISTS 4OURIST CULTURE IS UNDERSTOOD AS PREPACKAGED
AND LABELLED WITH ITS DETERMINATE MEANINGS AND POINTS OF VIEW LAID OUT IN ADVANCE
FOR EFÙCIENT CONSUMPTION
6ERNACULAR SPACES CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AS THREATENED BY PROLIFERATING uNON PLACESi
INCLUDING THOSE DESIGNED FOR TOURISTS .ON PLACES ARE UNINVOLVING ROOTLESS SPACES
WITHOUT HISTORY SUCH AS “AIRPORTS TRAIN STATIONS BUS TERMINALS FAST FOOD OUTLETS SUPER
MARKETS AND HOTELSƒ WHICH FAIL TO “CONFER A SENSE OF PLACEƒ 4O THIS LIST WE COULD ADD
SHOPPING MALLS LOBBY SPACES CONNECTING WALK WAYS SMALL CONCRETE URBAN PARKS AND
ESCALATORS !T THE CITY LIMITS OF 0ARIS WE ÙND “THE COLD GLOOMY SPACE OF BIG HOUSING
SCHEMES INDUSTRIAL ZONES AND SUPERMARKETSƒ )F WE SEE THE VERNACULAR AS GROUNDED
IN PLACE AND COMMUNITY THEN THE RISE OF NON PLACES IS A REGRETTABLE DISLOCATION )F
WE TAKE THE VIEW THAT THE CITY IS A BLANK SURFACE ON WHICH A NEVER ENDING SEQUENCE
OF FUTURES CAN BE WRITTEN THEN THE “NON PLACEƒ IS A LIBERATED SPACE CUT LOOSE FROM
THE HEAVINESS OF THE PAST AND THE BOUNDS OF ORGANIC COMMUNITY )F THE CITY IS BY ITS
VERY NATURE NOT DESTINED TO BE A GROUNDED FACE TO FACE COMMUNITY BUT RATHER “THE
MAJOR FOCUS OF INFORMATION ÚOWƒ  THE LOCALE OF “PARTICULARLY INTENSE NETWORKS OF SOCIAL


,ABOV  

-ACAULEY    u)NSIDE OUTi AND uOUTSIDE INi ARE PROMINENT THEMES IN (ONG +ONG ART AND ART CRITICISM &OR
EXAMPLE THE (ONG +ONG 5NIVERSITY -USEUM HOSTED AN EXHIBITION ENTITLED u/UTSIDE )N !LTERNATIVE .ARRATIVES IN
#ONTEMPORARY !RTi FROM  *UNE p  *ULY  /N THIS THEME SEE ALSO 3INCLAIR   4AMBLING AND ,O 
 

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INTERACTIONƒ AND “GEOGRAPHICAL INTENSITY OF SOCIAL RELATIONS AND ACTIVITIESƒ  THEN IN
A DYNAMIC CITY THE GROUNDED VERNACULAR SPACE WILL ALWAYS APPEAR TO RECEDE BEFORE
THE ENCROACHING NON PLACE BUT TODAYlS NON PLACE IS TOMORROWlS VERNACULAR SPACE !S
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION DEVICES AND MASS COMMUNICATION DEVELOP SO THE ÚOW OF INFOR
MATION TAKES PRECEDENCE OVER THE NECESSITIES OF PLACE “IT IS INTERACTION NOT PLACE THAT
IS THE ESSENCE OF THE CITY AND CITY LIFEƒ "UT EVEN IN THE uVIRTUAL LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPEi
6,, OF CYBERSPACE THERE IS A CONTRAST BETWEEN DISORDERLY VERNACULAR SPACES E G
CHAT ROOMS TEXT MESSAGES BLOGS AND SMOOTH PUBLIC SPACES E G OFÙCIAL WEBSITES 

 3IGNS IN THE 5RBAN ,ANDSCAPE

! RECENT TREND WITHIN LINGUISTICS FOCUSES PRIMARILY ON THE ROLE OF WRITTEN TEXT IN THE
LANDSCAPE IN PARTICULAR THE URBAN LANDSCAPE 4HIS INVOLVES ANALYSIS OF THE uLINGUISTIC
LANDSCAPEi SPRACHLICHE ,ANDSCHAFT OR 3PRACHLANDSCHAFT PAYSAGE LINGUISTIQUE  !NOTHER
TERM IS uVERBAL ENVIRONMENTi WHICH INCLUDES BOTH SPOKEN AND WRITTEN LANGUAGE 2E
ÚECTING A CONCERN WITH CONTENTIOUS POLITICS OF LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC SPACES THE STUDY
OF LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES HAS ITS IMMEDIATE ORIGINS IN CONTEXTS SUCH AS THE OLD CITY
OF *ERUSALEM OR CONTEMPORARY "ELGIUM  BUT POTENTIALLY CONNECTS LINGUISTICS WITH
DEBATES ABOUT PLACE  SPACE MODERNITY AND THE URBAN 2ELEVANT TEXTS INCLUDE “THE
NAMES OF STREETS AND PLACES AND ANY OTHER LANGUAGE WHICH IS VISUALLY INSCRIBED INTO
THE CITYSCAPE p ADVERTISEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS GRAFÙTIƒ 4HE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE IS
COMPRISED OF “THE LANGUAGE OF PUBLIC ROAD SIGNS ADVERTISING BILLBOARDS STREET NAMES
PLACE NAMES COMMERCIAL SHOP SIGNS AND PUBLIC SIGNS ON GOVERNMENT BUILDINGSƒ
7HILE THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE IS NOT EXCLUSIVELY AN URBAN PHENOMENON IT IS EVIDENT
THAT THE CITY IS THE PRIMARY LOCUS FOR STUDYING THE MODERN uTEXTSCAPEi 4HE URBAN
ENVIRONMENT “IS A MYRIAD OF WRITTEN MESSAGES ON PUBLIC DISPLAY OFÙCE AND SHOP SIGNS
BILLBOARDS AND NEON ADVERTISEMENTS TRAFÙC SIGNS TOPOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND AREA
MAPS EMERGENCY GUIDANCE AND POLITICAL POSTER CAMPAIGNS STONE INSCRIPTIONS AND
ENIGMATIC GRAFÙTI DISCOURSEƒ 4O THIS ONE MIGHT ADD CIRCULATING WRITTEN TEXTS SUCH AS
WRAPPINGS AND PACKAGING RECEIPTS TICKETS CURRENCY COINS NAME CARDS MENUS LABELS
ON CLOTHING ÚIERS AND VARIOUS FORMS OF LITTER 4EXTS ON 4 SHIRTS TATTOOS THE BANNERS OF
POLITICAL DEMONSTRATORS FORM A PART OF THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE 0OLITICAL BANNERS CAN


!MIN  -ASSEY  4HRIFT   

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6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACES 

BE TEMPORARILY PRESENT AS IN A POLITICAL DEMONSTRATION OR SEMI PERMANENT IF AFÙXED
INTO THE LANDSCAPE AS PART OF A LONG RUNNING PLANNING DISPUTE OR OTHER CIVIC ACTION
)MAGE   4HE NOTION OF LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE CAN BE FURTHER EXTENDED IN ANY NUMBER
OF DIRECTIONS TO INCLUDE FOR EXAMPLE THE uLINGUISTIC SOUNDSCAPEi MADE UP OF STREET
CRIES PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS EITHER SPOKEN LIVE OR PRODUCED AUTOMATICALLY GREETINGS
THE CHANTS OF POLITICAL DEMONSTRATORS AND THE LINGUISTIC TEXTURE OF THE CITY AS IT VARIES
BY NEIGHBOURHOOD AND PASSER BY ,ANGUAGE IS WOVEN INTO THE uHUBBUBi OF THE CITY
SOUNDSCAPE THE SOUNDS AND SILENCES THAT MAKE UP THE CITY AS PART OF ITS MATERIAL
ITY BOTH CHARACTERISTIC AND IDIOSYNCRATIC 4HE SOUNDSCAPE OF THE CITY IS THE SUBJECT
OF CONSIDERABLE INTEREST AT THE INTERSECTION OF URBAN STUDIES AND ART OFFERING MINDFUL
ATTENTION TO FEATURES OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT WHICH THE HABITS OF URBAN LIVING TEND
TO ERASE FROM CONSCIOUSNESS 
/NE COULD INCLUDE WITHIN LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE CITYSCAPE
FOUND IN ÙLM ART GRAPHIC NOVELS AND COMICS TOURIST BROCHURES ADVERTISEMENTS ETC
0UBLIC INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS MUSEUMS SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES HAVE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPES
AS DO SHOPPING MALLS THEATRES APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND EVEN PRIVATE HOMES 3COL
LON AND 3COLLON DEÙNE AN AREA OF INQUIRY THEY CALL uGEOSEMIOTICSi AS “THE STUDY OF THE
SOCIAL MEANING OF THE MATERIAL PLACEMENT OF SIGNS IN THE WORLDƒ 4HEY DEÙNE SIGNS AS
INCLUDING uANY SEMIOTIC SYSTEM INCLUDING LANGUAGE AND DISCOURSEi 4HEY DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN uDECONTEXTUALIZED SEMIOTICSi IN WHICH SIGNS OCCUR ALWAYS IN THE SAME FORM
BRAND NAMES LOGOS RELIGIOUS OR NATIONAL SYMBOLS AS WELL AS SEMIOTIC CONVENTIONS 
uTRANSGRESSIVE SEMIOTICSi SIGNS THAT ARE OUT OF PLACE SUCH AS GRAFÙTI OR LITTER OR WHICH
VIOLATE A SEMIOTIC CONVENTION  AND uSITUATED SEMIOTICSi REGULATORY SIGNS AND NOTICES
EXITS SIGNS ETC  "EN 2APHAEL SPEAKS OF THE “SYMBOLIC CONSTRUCTION OF THE PUBLIC
SPACEƒ ARGUING THAT THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE IS THE ONLY ASPECT OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE
“UNDER THE DIRECT AND INSTANT INÚUENCE OF SOCIAL ACTORSƒ -ICHALSKI FOCUSES ON THE
“VISUAL CULTURE OF CONSUMPTIONlS SOCIAL AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT NETWORKSƒ 4HIS INCLUDES
THE VISUAL SIGNS SUCH AS EXIT SIGNS AND SIGNS WHICH MARK uEMPLOYEE ONLYi AND OTHER
FUNCTIONAL SPACES OF THE uMALLSCAPEi THAT LIE BEYOND OR OUTSIDE THE SPACES OF CON
SUMPTION 3IGNS AND PUBLIC TEXTS TRACK AND REPRESENT OUR NOTIONS OF AND CHANGES
IN BOUNDARIES BETWEEN PRIVATE COMMERCIAL AND OTHER SPACES AND THE PRACTICES THAT
ARE NORMATIVELY ACCEPTABLE IN A GIVEN SPACE )T HAS BEEN ARGUED FOR EXAMPLE THAT THE
CATEGORY OF GRAFÙTI HAS UNDERGONE A RADICAL SHIFT BETWEEN EARLY MODERN %NGLAND AND
THE MODERN ERA WITH RECOGNIZED PRACTICES INVOLVING WRITING ON WALLS AND OTHER SURFACES
OF BUILDINGS )N ADDITION TO SUCH HISTORICAL SHIFTS URBAN RESIDENTS TODAY MAY HAVE
WIDELY DIVERGENT EXPERIENCES OF THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE 7HILE THE TEXTSCAPE MAY BE


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ON ONE LEVEL LARGELY SELF EVIDENT AND TRANSPARENT DAILY EXPERIENCE OF IT IS PROFOUNDLY
AFFECTED BY ASPECTS OF INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY APPEARANCE LINGUISTIC BACKGROUND TIME OF
DAY AND A HOST OF CONTINGENT FACTORS

 (ONG +ONG AND ITS LINGUISTIC TEXTUAL LANDSCAPE

(ONG +ONG A PORT CITY ON THE 3OUTH #HINA COAST WAS FORMALLY FOUNDED AS A "RITISH
COLONY IN  AND "RITISH CONTROL WAS FURTHER EXTENDED TERRITORIALLY IN  AND
 )N  (ONG +ONG BECAME A 3PECIAL !DMINISTRATIVE 2EGION OF THE 0EOPLElS
2EPUBLIC OF #HINA UNDER A GOVERNANCE SYSTEM CAPTURED IN THE SLOGAN uONE COUNTRY TWO
SYSTEMSi (ONG +ONG HAS APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILLION INHABITANTS ABOUT  OF WHOM
IDENTIFY AS #HINESE )TS OFÙCIAL LANGUAGE IS #HINESE AND THE MOST WIDELY SPOKEN VARIETY
OF #HINESE IS #ANTONESE %NGLISH THE FORMER COLONIAL LANGUAGE IS NOW THE CO OFÙCIAL
LANGUAGE BUT RETAINS A PROMINENT ROLE IN GOVERNMENT EDUCATION BUSINESS AND LAW
(ONG +ONG IS  KMŠ IN SIZE WITH COUNTRY PARKS AND SPECIAL AREAS COVERING A TOTAL
AREA OF  KMŠ !BOUT ONE THIRD OF THE POPULATION LIVES IN PUBLIC HOUSING 4HERE
ARE AN ESTIMATED   DOMESTIC SERVANTS OR uDOMESTIC HELPERSi IN (ONG +ONG OF
WHOM THE VAST MAJORITY COME EITHER FROM THE 0HILIPPINES OR )NDONESIA (ONG +ONG
NOW BRANDS ITSELF AS u!SIAlS 7ORLD #ITYi
(ONG +ONG IS A SO CALLED uCOMPACT CITYi 4HE DENSITY OF COMMERCIAL SIGNAGE AND
INFORMATION FOUND IN MANY NEIGHBOURHOODS IS A FEATURE OF (ONG +ONGlS PARTICULAR
ECONOMIC SPATIAL MODEL 4HE NATURE OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE INCLUDING ITS LINGUISTIC
LANDSCAPE HAS BEEN SHAPED ULTIMATELY BY A VARIETY OF FACTORS THE LAND POLICIES OF THE
COLONIAL GOVERNMENT BASED ON RESTRICTING THE AMOUNT OF LAND AVAILABLE FOR DEVELOP
MENT  AN ECONOMY DRIVEN BY SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES WHICH MAKE UP APPROXI
MATELY  OF BUSINESSES IN (ONG +ONG EMPLOYING  OF PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS
(ONG +ONGlS HIGH POPULATION THE PRODUCT OF SOCIO HISTORICAL FACTORS SUCH AS MIGRATION
FROM MAINLAND #HINA IN RELATION TO THE LAND AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL
PURPOSES (ONG +ONGlS COMPACTNESS HAS ALLOWED FOR THE RETENTION OF EXTENSIVE GREEN
AREAS BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION LIVES IN CRAMPED APARTMENTS IN HIGH RISE
BUILDINGS /NE BENEÙCIAL SIDE EFFECT OF THIS uRIGGEDi HOUSING MARKET IS THAT GIVEN THAT
DOMESTIC SPACE IS HIGHLY RESTRICTED STREETS AND SHOPPING MALLS ARE HIGHLY ANIMATED
FROM MORNING TO NIGHT
)N RECENT YEARS (ONG +ONG HAS DEVELOPED VARIOUS FORMS OF CIVIC ACTIVISM TARGETING
IN PARTICULAR PLANNING ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE ISSUES 4HIS MAY BE DUE IN PART TO
THE FACT THAT (ONG +ONG IS NO LONGER FUNDAMENTALLY SHAPED BY ITS MIGRANT ORIGINS A
GREATER PERCENTAGE OF ITS POPULATION THAN EVER BEFORE WAS BORN IN (ONG +ONG AND BY
ITS FORMER ROLE AS A TRANSIT POINT FOR MIGRANTS BETWEEN #HINA AND THE 7EST )T IS ALSO
NO LONGER A "RITISH COLONY (ONG +ONG IS THEREFORE POTENTIALLY OPEN TO A MORE PRO


:HANG  

6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACES 

FOUND MODEL OF CIVIC OWNERSHIP EMOTIONAL BELONGING AND IDENTIÙCATION AND DEMANDS
ARE DIRECTED AT THE GOVERNMENT OF THE (ONG +ONG 3PECIAL !DMINISTRATIVE 2EGION ON
THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT IS uOURi GOVERNMENT 4HE DEMOLITION OF THE ICONIC 3TAR &ERRY
0IER %DINBURGH 0LACE #ENTRAL p SEE )MAGE  IN $ECEMBER  WAS A WATERSHED
IN THIS REGARD 4HE PROTESTS AGAINST THE DEMOLITION WERE NOT PRIMARILY ABOUT THE
ARCHITECTURAL WORTH OF THE SITE PER SE WHICH DATED IN THIS FORM BACK TO  BUT ITS
PLACE IN INDIVIDUAL AND HISTORICAL MEMORY !T THE SAME TIME (ONG +ONG POST 
HAS EMBARKED ON AN UNCERTAIN JOURNEY THAT IS TO END IN  WITH ITS FULL ABSORPTION
INTO THE 0EOPLElS 2EPUBLIC OF #HINA p WHATEVER THAT MAY EVENTUALLY MEAN
)N TERMS OF URBAN DESIGN IN (ONG +ONG THE MORE MODERN AND EXCLUSIVE THE RESI
DENTIAL BUILDING THE MORE ITS MAIN FUNCTIONS LIFE AND COMMUNITY ARE uINSIDEi WITH ITS
AUTONOMOUS FACILITIES SWIMMING POOL RECREATION AREAS PODIUM CLUB HOUSE AND EVEN
ITS OWN BUS SERVICE TO SHUTTLE THE RESIDENTS BETWEEN OUTSIDE AND IN 4HE uPODIUMi IS
HIGH ABOVE STREET LEVEL AND THE WHOLE COMPLEX IS REMOTE FROM STREET LEVEL ACTIVITY
4HE HIGH END COMPLEXES IN SOME CASES EMPLOY FORMER "RITISH ARMY 'URKHA SOLDIERS
AS SECURITY THE uWALK UPi BUILDING MAY HAVE NO SECURITY GUARD AT ALL 4HE CONTAINED
HIGH RISE RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX IS INVESTED IN THE (ESTIA  (ERMES DISTINCTION (ESTIA AS
“THE CIRCULAR HEARTH IN THE CENTRE OF THE HOUSE THE CLOSED SPACE OF THE GROUP WITH
DRAWN INTO ITSELFƒ WHILE (ERMES THE GOD OF THE THRESHOLD “REPRESENTS MOVEMENT AND
RELATIONS WITH OTHERSƒ 3OME RESIDENTIAL COMPLEXES ARE BUILT WITH AN ADJACENT PUBLIC
SHOPPING MALL BUS AND -42 METRO LINKS SO THAT THE INTERACTION WITH THE WIDER CITY
IS NOT MEDIATED IN THE ÙRST INSTANCE THROUGH THE STREET
4HE VISIBLE SIGNAGE IS uFRONTSTAGEi OF THE CITY AND THE BUSINESS AND SOCIAL LIFE TRANS
ACTED IN THE INTERIORS FORMS ITS uBACKSTAGEi /FÙCIAL SIGNAGE AND PUBLIC COMMERCIAL
INFORMATION IS GENERALLY OFFERED IN BILINGUAL FORMAT IN #HINESE AND %NGLISH IN VARYING
CONÙGURATIONS AND COMBINATIONS DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF THE TEXT ITS ORIGIN AND
CONTEXT /NE FEATURE OF (ONG +ONG STREET AND INSTITUTIONAL NAMES IS THEIR COLONIAL
PROVENANCE WITH MANY NAMED AFTER “"RITISH ROYALTY MINISTERS GOVERNORS COLONIAL
SECRETARIES MILITARY OFÙCERS AND PROMINENT BUSINESSMENƒ 4HE uFRONTSTAGEi OF THE
CITYSCAPE OF (ONG +ONG IS MARKED BY THE DENSITY OF TEXT IN ITS PUBLIC SPACE 4HIS
DENSITY IS FOUND IN A NUMBER OF CHARACTERISTIC CONTEXTS IN PARTICULAR OF AREAS WHERE
SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE BUSINESSES TRADING COMPANIES RESTAURANTS RETAIL AND WHOLESALE
OUTLETS PREDOMINATE )N GENERAL THE GREATER THE DENSITY OF SIGNAGE THE MORE #HINESE
CHARACTERS DOMINATE #OMMERCIAL SIGNAGE BOTH FRAMES THE ENTRANCES OF BUSINESSES AT
STREET LEVEL AND TO AN EXTENT ABOVE STREET LEVEL AND ALSO PROJECTS OUT INTO THE STREET
)MAGE   /THER FEATURES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE DENSITY OF LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE INCLUDE


#LOCK 4OWER 3TAR &ERRY 0IER IN #ENTRAL (ONG +ONG 0HOTOGRAPH BY (ENRY,I #REATIVE #OMMONS !TTRIBUTION 3HARE!LIKE
 ,ICENSE

4SUI  

!UGÁ   DISCUSSING 6ERNANT  

3EE 'OFFMAN  

9ANNE  (ELLER   

 #HRISTOPHER - (UTTON

THE DISPLAY BY STREET LEVEL POPULAR RESTAURANTS OF MENUS AND PICTURES OF SIGNATURE
DISHES IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER INFORMATION SUCH AS REVIEWS BY RESTAURANTS IN THEIR
WINDOWS )MAGES    AND IN THE FORM OF ADVERTISING STANDS IN THE STREET THE
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE FRONT OF ANY VACANT STREET LEVEL PREMISES WITH POSTERS )MAGE
  HANDWRITTEN ANNOUNCEMENTS AND SIGNS IN FORMAL OR INFORMAL NOTICE AREAS AND THE
OFÙCIAL SIGNS THAT CONFRONT THE VISITOR TO PUBLIC RECREATIONAL SPACES SUCH AS PARKS
3OCIOLOGISTS SPEAK OF AN uATTENTION ECONOMYi OR uECONOMY OF ATTENTIONi IN WHICH
THE GREATER THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THE MORE SCARCE THE AVAILABLE ATTENTION )N
TERMS OF THE LANDSCAPE OF SIGNS IN THE RELEVANT DISTRICTS OF (ONG +ONG THIS COMPETI
TION FOR ATTENTION “BOMBARDS THE USER WITH MESSAGESƒ AND LEADS TO “AN UNORDERED
SETTING OF SUNDRY SIGNSƒ 4HIS uDISORDERi HOWEVER FORMS ITS OWN AESTHETIC ORDER CRE
ATING A KIND OF SEMIOTIC uBUZZi OF ACTIVITY /THERWISE UNREMARKABLE STREETSCAPES “ARE
OFTEN UNIÙED AND MADE PLEASURABLE BY LAYERS OF SUPERIMPOSED SIGNAGEƒ 4HE DENSITY
OF TEXT MEANS THAT IN SOME SECTORS OF THE CITY THE STREETS “ARE EFFECTIVELY DECONTEX
TUALISED FROM THEIR SURROUNDINGSƒ 4HEY BECOME “SPACES OF HEIGHTENED INFORMATION
BORDERING ON EVENT OR FANTASYƒ !T NIGHT MANY OF THESE SIGNS ARE NEON LIT CREATING
A STREETSCAPE WHICH IS FOREGROUNDED IN (ONG +ONG MOVIES AND COMICS AND IN IMAGES
PRODUCED BY OR DIRECTED AT TOURISTS )N ITS PROFUSION AND ORDERED DISORDER IT TAKES
ON AN ORGANIC QUALITY WITH THE SIGN AS THE uFOLIAGEi OF THE CITYSCAPE )MAGE   4HE
CITY IS COMPARABLE TO “AN ORGANIC BEING THAT KEEPS ON GROWING AND CHANGINGƒ 4HE
SIGN RICH OR TEXT RICH STREETSCAPE IS NOT PLANNED AND DIRECTED FROM ANY CENTRAL POINT
IT HAS NO CONSCIOUS OVERALL AESTHETIC RATIONALE AND EMERGES ONLY AS AN AESTHETIC FORM
WHEN IT IS SET AGAINST NEWER MORE STREAMLINED AND APPARENTLY LESS ORGANIC MODELS
OF DEVELOPMENT
)N CERTAIN (ONG +ONG NEIGHBOURHOODS THE SIGNAGE IS DENSE BOTH AT STREET LEVEL
AND ABOVE WALKING THE STREET ONE PASSES UNDER THIS uJUNGLE PANOPLYi OF WRITTEN TEXT
AND OTHER IMAGES 4HE uTEXT RICHi VERNACULAR SPACES ARE CONTRASTED WITH uTEXT POORi
OR uTEXT MINIMALi SPACES WHICH ARE FEATURES OF THE LATEST TRANSFORMATION OF THE (ONG
+ONG CITYSCAPE 4HE CLEAN LINES OF THE MODERN HIGH RISES WITH THEIR SHOPPING MALLS
AND IN BUILT TRANSPORT ACCESS REPRESENT THE uNEXT STAGEi IN THE REFASHIONING OF THE CITY
FOR WHICH THE STREET LEVEL BECOMES MUCH MORE OF A TRANSITORY uNON PLACEi 4HE IDEAL
IS A CITYSCAPE MADE UP OF CLEAN SHARP LINES RATHER THAN THE JUMBLE OF uVERNACULARi
STREET LIFE 'OVERNMENT POLICY IS TO ASSERT OFÙCIAL CONTROL OVER THE PAVEMENT AND
THUS MAINTAIN THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE OR THE PUBLIC AND
THE INTERIOR  #URRENTLY IN (ONG +ONG THIS IS EVIDENCED IN OFÙCIAL ACTION TO REMOVE


0HOTOGRAPH BY 7ENDY 'AN

#OOKSON 3MITH   

"EN 2APHAEL   

#OOKSON 3MITH   

#OOKSON 3MITH   

7OO   

/N THE CONSTANT REFASHIONING OF THE (ONG +ONG URBAN LANDSCAPE SEE !BBAS  

6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACES 

STREET RESTAURANTS SHOESHINE STALLS AND OTHER uCLUTTERi FROM THE CITYSCAPE 4HE VISUAL
uNOISEi OF THE TEXT RICH STREETSCAPE DOMINATED BY SIGNAGE CONTRASTS WITH THE LOW KEY
TEXT POOR INTERIORS OF THE ELITE MALLS WITH THEIR SHINY SMOOTH INTERIORS MINIMALIST
WINDOW DISPLAYS AND PREPONDERANCE OF GLOBAL FASHION BRANDS 3IMILARLY THE LOBBIES
OF MORE EXPENSIVE HIGH RISE APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND HOTELS ASPIRE TO THIS REÚECTIVE
METALLIC SMOOTH AND COOL MODERNITY )MAGE   4HE uDISORDEREDi DENSITY OF SIGNAGE
IN ITS CONTEXT IN THE TIME LINE OF (ONG +ONG URBAN DEVELOPMENT HAS POTENTIALLY A
NOSTALGIC QUALITY
)N THE MOST MODERN AND EXPENSIVE SHOPPING MALLS 0ACIÙC 0LACE )&# -ALL THERE IS
SCARCELY A #HINESE CHARACTER TO BE SEEN IN THE COMMERCIAL SIGNAGE AND THE INTERNATIONAL
BRAND NAMES ARE REPRESENTED THROUGH THE u2OMANi ALPHABET )N THE MORE MAINSTREAM
MALLS THE IMPRESSION IS MIXED ON OCCASION THERE IS THE ATTEMPT TO RECREATE THE TEXT RICH
DENSITY OF COMMERCIAL STREET CULTURE INSIDE THE MALL $EPENDING ON ONElS POINT OF VIEW
THESE ARE IMPOVERISHED SIMULACRA LIVELY POSTMODERN RECREATIONS OR JUST UNREMARKABLE
RESTAURANTS )MAGE   /NE CAN OBSERVE A CERTAIN POLARIZATION BETWEEN TEXT FREE
OR TEXT MINIMAL SPACES SUCH AS LOBBY AREAS OF LARGE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS OR CERTAIN
SHOPPING MALLS AND TEXT RICH SPACES WITNESS THE PROFUSION OF TEXT AND IMAGES INSIDE
AND OUTSIDE CERTAIN POPULAR RESTAURANTS (ONG +ONGlS CITYSPACE REÚECTS A DICHOTOMY
BETWEEN A VERNACULAR AESTHETIC OF NOISE HUSTLE BUSTLE AND THE BUZZ OF ACTIVITY IN
#HINESE 熱鬧 RÀ NAO OR YIHT NAAUH AND A COMPLEMENTARY AESTHETIC OF SMOOTH COOL
SHINY SPACES 9ET IN (ONG +ONG NON PLACES CAN BE uRE VERNACULARIZEDi BY THE SHEER
PRESSURE OF NUMBERS THE SHORTAGE OF PUBLIC SPACES AND THE ACCESS COMMERCIAL uNON
PLACESi OFFER TO AIR CONDITIONING ON HUMID SUMMER DAYS )N %AST !SIA -C$ONALDlS
RESTAURANTS BOTH TRANSFORM AND ARE ABSORBED INTO LOCAL BEHAVIOUR SETS
7ITHIN THIS FRAME SOCIAL MOBILITY TAKES INTIMATE LIFE FROM THE OUTSIDE TO THE DO
MESTIC uINSIDEi AND FROM THE STREET TO THE HIGH RISE AND NOSTALGIA FOR A DISAPPEARING
ORGANIC CITYSCAPE IS THE PRODUCT OF A SPECIÙC REÚEXIVE SENSIBILITY )MAGE   (OWEVER
GRASSROOTS OBJECTIONS TO DEVELOPMENT BY RESIDENTS OFTEN FOCUS ON THE DESTRUCTION OF
COMMUNITY NETWORKS WHICH ARE ALSO ECONOMIC NETWORKS RATHER THAN EXPRESSING A
GLOBAL OBJECTION TO DEVELOPMENT 3MALL BUSINESSES ARE OFTEN NOT TRANSFERABLE TO OTHER
DISTRICTS AND MAY NOT BE VIABLE IN THE ORIGINAL NEIGHBOURHOOD ONCE REDEVELOPMENT
HAS TAKEN PLACE )N THE MOVE FROM OUTSIDE TO IN AND UP FROM THE STREET LEVEL TO THE
ELEVATED MALL AN IMPLACABLE COMMERCIAL LOGIC SORTS OUT THE uÙTi FROM THE uUNÙTi
/NE FEATURE OF SOME POST VERNACULAR NON PLACES IS THE PROLIFERATION OF OFÙCIAL SIGNS
4HESE ARE NOT COMMERCIAL OR ADVERTISING SIGNAGE BUT INFORMATION FROM THE AUTHORITIES
OR BUILDING MANAGEMENT COMPANIES ON THE STATUS OF THE SPACE AND THE PROPER CONDUCT
OF THOSE WHO ENTER IT 4HIS COMES IN THE FORM OF ADVICE ADMONITION INSTRUCTIONS
AND THREATS 3IGNS WARN THEIR ADDRESSEES OF POTENTIAL OR CHARACTERISTIC OFFENCES AND
IN SOME CASES GIVE NOTICE TO OFFENDERS OF THE PENALTY THEY MAY EXPECT .OTICES MAY


3ARAH &UNG  *O*O #HOI  

3EE 7ATSON %D  

 #HRISTOPHER - (UTTON

ACTUALLY CITE LEGISLATION VERBATIM E G IN SIGNS OUTSIDE PRISONS OR MAY OFFER CONCISE
SUMMARIES "Y LAWS AND OTHER REGULATIONS FRAME THE ENTRANCE TO PARKS AND OTHER PUBLIC
SPACES OFTEN IN BOTH TEXTUAL AND ICONIC FORM AS IN THE FAMILIAR CIRCULAR SIGN WITH A RED
LINE THROUGH THE IMAGE OF THE FORBIDDEN OR UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOR )MAGE   2ESIDENTS
AND VISITORS ARE ALSO THE TARGET OF A CIVILIZING DISCOURSE WITH OR WITHOUT THE THREAT OF
LEGAL SANCTION E G SIGNS ABOUT PERSONAL CONDUCT DRESS CODES SMOKING LITTERING ETC
4HIS LEADS TO AN INCREASE OF WARNINGS ABOUT POTENTIAL DANGERS E G SIGNS WARNING THAT
uÚOOR MAY BE WETi OR ATTEMPTS AT DENYING LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY uAT OWN RISKi  )N (ONG
+ONG THERE ARE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE KILL JOY NATURE OF THESE SIGNS WHICH MEAN THAT
EVEN THE SIMULACRUM OF THE RURAL WITHIN THE URBAN THE (ONG +ONG PARK OR uSITTING
OUT AREAi IS PLASTERED IN TEXT 7HILE THE CITY AS TEXT CAN BE EXHILARATING IT IS ALSO A
RELENTLESS ASSAULT ON THE CONSCIOUSNESS THE CITY AS GOVERNMENTAL SPACE CONSTANTLY
ADDRESSES AND ADMONISHES ITS OCCUPANTS )N ADDITION PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS MAY USE
SIGNS AND NOTICES IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXERT CONTROL OVER THEIR IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT
)MAGE   !S TECHNOLOGIES OF REPRODUCTION BECOME POPULARIZED OR DEMOCRATIZED IT
BECOMES RELATIVELY CHEAP FOR PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND SMALL BUSINESSES TO PRODUCE OR
COMMISSION GLOSSY POSTERS AND AUTHORITATIVE LOOKING PRINTED SIGNS 4HE HANDWRITTEN
SIGN THUS RECEDES IN THE LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE THOUGH IT IS TAKING ON NEW AESTHETIC
VALUES INCLUDING A VERNACULAR QUALITY AS A RESULT OF ITS INCREASING SCARCITY

 #ONCLUSION

-ODERN LINGUISTICS WITH ITS FOCUS ON LANGUE HAS DIFÙCULTY GRASPING THE TEMPORAL AND
MATERIAL LAYERING OF THE DYNAMIC CITYSCAPE INCLUDING ITS TEXTSCAPE “-ODERN LINGUISTIC
THEORY ;c= DOES NOT DEAL WITH THINGS LIKE SIGNPOSTS )T DEALS ONLY WITH THE LINGUISTIC
ENTITIES WHICH MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT BE REPRESENTED ON A SIGNPOSTƒ 4HE TEXTSCAPE IS
CONSTANTLY IN MOTION UNDER THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF ECONOMIC SOCIAL AND DEVELOP
MENTAL PROCESSES )N THE CITY FOR -UMFORD “TIME BECOMES VISIBLEƒ BUT THIS EXCESS
OF ACCUMULATING TEMPORALITIES LEADS IN THE END TO A KIND OF CRISIS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
“4HROUGH THE MATERIAL FACT OF PRESERVATION TIME CHALLENGES TIME TIME CLASHES WITH
TIME HABITS AND VALUES CARRY OVER BEYOND THE LIVING GROUP STREAKING WITH DIFFERENT
STRATA OF TIME THE CHARACTER OF ANY SINGLE GENERATION ,AYER UPON LAYER PAST TIMES
PRESERVE THEMSELVES IN THE CITY UNTIL LIFE ITSELF IS ÙNALLY THREATENED WITH SUFFOCATION
THEN IN SHEER DEFENSE MODERN MAN INVENTS THE MUSEUMƒ 'IVEN THE “DIVERSITY OF ITS
TIME STRUCTURESƒ THE CITY TO A DEGREE “ESCAPES THE TYRANNY OF A SINGLE PRESENT AND THE
MONOTONY OF A FUTURE THAT CONSISTS IN REPEATING ONLY A SINGLE BEAT HEARD IN THE PASTƒ
,IKE A SYMPHONY THE CITY PRODUCES “SONOROUS RESULTS WHICH NEITHER IN VOLUME NOR
IN QUALITY COULD BE ACHIEVED BY ANY SINGLE PIECEƒ 4HE CITY IS A LAYERED PROFOUNDLY


(ARRIS   

-UMFORD   

6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACES 

TEMPORAL EXPERIENCE AN ARCHIVE OR SET OF ARCHIVES AND ITS MATERIALITY AND TEXTUALITY
SHAPES AND RE SHAPES INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY
4HE URBAN TEXTSCAPE IS A KEY ELEMENT IN THE SENSE OF MOVEMENT THE MIXTURE OF
CONTROL DISORDER AND FREEDOM WHICH GIVES THE CITY ITS “ESSENTIALLY DYNAMICƒ QUALITY
4HE CITYSCAPE IS ALWAYS IN MOTION BUT MANY DIFFERENT TEMPORAL FRAMES OR MODALI
TIES CO EXIST THERE JUST AS IN THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE COMPARE GEOLOGICAL TIME WITH
CYCLICAL AGRICULTURAL RHYTHMS  4HE SPACES OF THE CITY AFFORD DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES OF
TEMPORALITY THE SHOPPING MALL AS THE uNON PLACEi AT THE END OF HISTORY AS WELL AS AN
APPARENT LINEAR TEMPORAL SEQUENCE BETWEEN ONE KIND OF SPACE AND ANOTHER 4HERE IS
NO NORMATIVE EXPERIENCE OF THE CITY THAT WE CAN APPEAL TO 4HE VERNACULAR uCLUTTERi
WITH #HINESE SIGNAGE CAN BE SEEN AS OPPOSITIONAL OR COMPLEMENTARY TO THE SMOOTH
COMMERCIAL MODERNITY OR BOTH 3TANDING IN A DENSE uVERNACULARi NEIGHBOURHOOD IN
(ONG +ONG SUCH AS 3HAM 3HUI 0O ONE CAN SEE LOOMING BEHIND THE uFUTUREi IN TERMS
OF HIGH RISE TOWER BLOCKS )MAGE   -OVING FROM THE CLUTTER OF THE STREETS INTO A
HIGH CLASS SHOPPING MALL ONE CAN EXPERIENCE A SIMILAR TEMPORAL SPATIAL DISPLACEMENT
"UT THE uPURE FUTUREi NEVER ARRIVES AND ORGANIZING DISTINCTIONS SUCH AS THAT BETWEEN
VERNACULAR AND NON PLACE ARE CONTINGENT TO A PARTICULAR TIME PLACE AND POINT OF VIEW
u.ON PLACESi THEMSELVES ACQUIRE VERNACULAR OR POPULAR CULTURAL MEANINGS AS WELL AS
INDIVIDUAL ASSOCIATIONS AND CONNECTIONS AND WHEN VIEWED IN RETROSPECT THESE uNON
PLACESi ARE CLEARLY MARKED BY THEIR CULTURE TIME AND PLACE
4HE PHILOSOPHER 'EORG 3IMMEL ARGUED THAT THE DYNAMISM OF MODERNITY AND THE
METROPOLIS DERIVED ULTIMATELY FROM THE THREATENED REDUCTION OF HUMAN VALUE TO A
SINGLE SYSTEM OF REPRESENTATION NAMELY MONEY WHICH BOTH WAS AT MOTION WITHIN
THE WORLD YET AN OBJECTIVE POINT OF REFERENCE FOR IT "UT ONE CAN ÙND IN THE CITYlS
LAYERING OF TIME A BUFFER AGAINST THE DIRECT ACTION OF MONEY UPON THE LANDSCAPE THE
CITYSCAPE ABSORBS ETIOLATES AND TRANSFORMS THE DYNAMISM OF MONEY 2EADING THE
CITYSCAPE IS THEREFORE NOT MERELY A MATTER OF DECODING ITS MATERIAL ÙNANCIAL BASIS
IT IS ALSO ABOUT ATTENDING TO THE AESTHETICS LINGUISTICS AND SEMIOTICS OF ITS TEMPORAL
NON SIMULTANEITY -EMORY IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT THE PAST BUT ABOUT A PERCEIVED OR
EXPERIENCED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIFFERENT TEMPORAL FRAMES -EMORY CAN BE HELD TO
RESIDE IN THE HISTORY OF PRIVATE ASSOCIATIONS WITH PUBLIC PLACES AS WELL AS IN SHARED
OR COLLECTIVE MEANINGS ASSIGNED TO LOCATIONS AND SITES WITH THESE OFTEN REÚECTED AND
FOCUSSED IN POPULAR CULTURE 4HIS PRIVATE MEMORY WORKS ALONGSIDE OR IN PARALLEL WITH
OFÙCIAL OR FORMALLY DOCUMENTED HISTORY /N THIS VIEW OF MEMORY IT IS A SET OF MET
ONYMIC RELATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS AND IT ACCUMULATES IN A THICKENING RELATION BETWEEN
PEOPLE THINGS SIGNS AND SPACES
4HE DESTRUCTION OR RADICAL RESTRUCTURING OF BUILDINGS AND SPACES WHILE IT DOES NOT
DESTROY THE MEMORIES THEMSELVES ENDS THIS PROCESS OF ACCUMULATION AND ASSIGNS THIS
DYNAMIC ASPECT OF MEMORY TO THE PAST 0ARADOXICALLY HOWEVER THE BUILDING FACED WITH


!MIN  -ASSEY  4HRIFT   

3IMMEL   

 #HRISTOPHER - (UTTON

DESTRUCTION BECOMES IMBUED WITH A NEW AND DRAMATIC VALUE AS IT IS DETACHED FROM
THE TAKEN FOR GRANTED LANDSCAPE AND FOREGROUNDED IN PUBLIC NARRATIVES AND DEBATE !
BUILDING THAT WAS DRAB OR MERELY UNREMARKABLE MAY ACQUIRE A DENSE WEB OF ASSOCIA
TIONS ONCE IT STARTS TO STAND OUT AS A SURVIVOR FROM PREVIOUS WAVES OF DEMOLITION !
SHOP SIGN MAY ADOPT A STYLE OR SCRIPT STYLED AS ARCHAIC IN ORDER TO INDICATE ITS MARKET
NICHE OR TO SET ITSELF APART FROM MODERN NORMS AND DESIGN EXPECTATIONS )N THIS WAY
THE REBUILDING AND REFASHIONING OF THE CITYSCAPE CONSTANTLY CREATES NEW RELATIONAL
TEMPORALITIES NEW FORMS AND MEDIA OF MEMORY AND NEW OBJECTS OF NOSTALGIA 4HE
LANDSCAPE AND TEXTSCAPE OF THE CITY THE LANDSCAPE OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE MEMORY
INCLUDING LINGUISTIC MEMORY ARE IN CONSTANT AND DYNAMIC INTERACTION

2EFERENCES

!BBAS !CKBAR
 (ONG +ONG #ULTURE AND THE 0OLITICS OF $ISAPPEARANCE -INNEAPOLIS 5NIVERSITY OF -INNESOTA
0RESS
!MIN !SH  $OREEN -ASSEY  .IGEL 4HRIFT
 #ITIES FOR THE -ANY NOT THE &EW "RISTOL 4HE 0OLICY 0RESS
!UGÁ -ARC
 .ON PLACES )NTRODUCTION TO AN !NTHROPOLOGY OF 3UPERMODERNITY TRANSLATED BY *OHN (OWE
,ONDON 6ERSO &IRST PUBLISHED .ON LIEUX )NTRODUCTION ¸ UNE !NTHROPOLOGIE DE LA 3URMODERNITÁ
0ARIS 3EUIL 
"ACKHAUS 0ETER
 ,INGUISTIC ,ANDSCAPES ! #OMPARATIVE 3TUDY OF 5RBAN -ULTILINGUALISM IN 4OKYO #LEVEDON
-ULTILINGUAL -ATTERS
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&LEMING *ULIET

6ERNACULAR SPACES AND uNON PLACES 

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