Linguistic landscape in Mostar

Abstract: In this paper we aim at presenting the results of a new type of research – linguistic landscaping – done for the very first time in the city of Mostar. The theoretical and methodological approach combines postulates and paradigms developed by the linguistic landscape researchers like Rosenbaum et al. (1977), Spolsky and Cooper (1991), Landry and Bourhis (1997), Ben-Rafael et al. (2006), Cenoz and Gorter (2006), Backhaus (2007), Edelman (2010) etc. We aimed to find out information about the sociolinguistic situation in the city of Mostar using linguistic landcsape methodology. Namely, linguistic landscape research can lead to various conclusions about speech community and its social and political implications, about prevailing cultural beliefs; it mirrors different social issues. The study aims to answer the following research question: To what extent does the linguistic landscape of Mostar reflect the languages spoken by the speech community? We used the methodology described in recent publications in the discipline and analyzed one thousand and ten linguistic signs collected at six survey areas in the city. Data analysis results have shown that linguistic landscape in Mostar has its specific traits influenced by ethnolinguistic composition, geographical distribution, power relations, prestige, symbolic value, vitality and literacy.