Abstract

This chapter deals with the representation of foreign languages in the linguistic landscapes of the twin border cities of Ivangorod and Narva on the Russian-Estonian border. The data collected in 2018 are analyzed in the framework of Ethnographic Linguistic Landscape Analysis, with a focus on language ideologies and their impact on communication practices. Both Russia and Estonia adhere to quite a strict monolingual policy, not favoring diversity in public language use. Narva, populated mostly by Russian speakers, reveals an evident mismatch between official language policy and actual communication patterns. The diversity of its linguistic landscape is created mainly by private actors, with business playing a major role. Ivangorod, despite being a border city, does not use foreign languages as a symbolic resource to construct its border identity. Rather it represents, in terms of linguistic landscape, an outpost of monolingualism.

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