Language policy and national identity evolution in a new nation

Abstract

Abstract Previous studies of the Linguistic Landscape in Timor-Leste conducted over a decade ago found Portuguese language use dominated official signage, although English dominated overall through its presence on commercial signs, especially those targeting the more affluent parts of society. This innovative study revisits a previously examined LL in order to investigate changes in language practice over time, with particular attention to how the recently independent nation expresses its national identity in public spaces and how language policy decisions have taken effect. The findings show that the visibility of Portuguese has increased while that of English has reduced. This suggests that being Portuguese-speaking may be aligned with expressions of Timorese identity. Further, while multiple languages are found in the LL, of the indigenous languages only Tetun, one of the two official languages of Timor-Leste, has a presence. This may raise concerns about the vitality of those other indigenous languages.