Frozen actions in the Arctic linguistic landscape: a nexus analysis of language processes in visual space

Abstract

This article examines the linguistic landscape (LL) of seven villages above the Arctic Circle, in the region called North Calotte. The area forms a complex nexus of contested and changing multilingualism, particularly as regards to endangered indigenous Sámi languages and Kven and Meänkieli minority languages. Viewing LL as a discursively constructed space and consequently signs as ‘frozed actions’ by various actors, and by adopting a Nexus analytical approach we examine three interrelated aspects of Arctic LLs: (1) the synchronic aspect by addressing the question of how languages are used in the landscapes of northern villages in the year 2008; (2) the historical aspect through identifying traces of different processes in these landscapes; and (3) the functional aspect by exploring what happens to endangered indigenous and minority languages in these LLs. In this article we argue that the Arctic LL is multi-layered, containing minority, national and global language orders, each organising and prioritising language resources differently. The layers and orders are, however, nested, and together they create the Arctic LL that bears witness to both the past processes and the current trends.