Meaning and material in the language of the street

This paper describes the materiality of street signs, an unappreciated and ubiquitous type of everyday written text. Drawing on social semiotics, linguistic landscapes and writing system research, it uses a categorisation of social roles associated with street signs and of the functions of street si...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social semiotics 2015-01, Vol.25 (1), p.81-109
Main Author: Cook, Vivian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Correspondence
Handwriting
Identity
Landscape
letters
Letters (Correspondence)
Linguistics
material
Materialism
Materials
Meaning
Scholarship
Semiotics
Signs
Social roles
Stone
Street signs
typography
Writing
Writing systems
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper describes the materiality of street signs, an unappreciated and ubiquitous type of everyday written text. Drawing on social semiotics, linguistic landscapes and writing system research, it uses a categorisation of social roles associated with street signs and of the functions of street signs applied to street signs in Newcastle upon Tyne, with some other wider examples. The materials are divided into: stone and metal signs, which use capitals and archaic letters, convey permanence and quality, and are locating in function; signs handwritten or printed on paper, which also use capitals, convey temporary status and novelty and are mostly informing; painted signs, which often use lower case, have highly individual letter forms to express identity, and are usually informing; other materials ranging from glass to snow, expressing diverse ideas of permanence. The conclusion is that the meaning of street signs depends in part on the materials they are made of, particularly to convey permanence and identity.
ISSN:1035-0330
1470-1219
DOI:10.1080/10350330.2014.964025