TITLE:
A City in Shame: The Cairene Linguistic Landscape and Cultural Distinction
AUTHORS:
Sadek Saad
KEYWORDS:
Urban Studies, Urban Design, Linguistic Landscape, Placemaking, Culture, Cairo
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.11 No.2,
June
9,
2023
ABSTRACT: Authoritarian placeless projects after
2017 introduced a significant shift in Cairo’s linguistic landscape; giant
streets and electronic billboards, banners, and signs co-shaped the
city’s global image. Promoting English and bilingualism (English-Arabic)
created the study question. Why do advertisements address the Arabic-speaking population in English? This study aims at
investigating the Cairene linguistic policy and its cultural meanings. The
field study occurred between 2020 and 2022 in around twenty sites in Cairo,
among which authoritarian placeless projects were significant. Exploring
Cairene linguistic landscape in Cairo is based on former literature and
observations while moving around in public spaces on foot and by car. Around 20
locations were visited, 120 photos were taken, and spontaneous interviews were
conducted. The collected data were
produced during two years (2020-2022) of fieldwork in Cairo. Describing
and categorising the Cairene linguistic landscape identified its cultural
values. Moreover, exploring historical changes
in the 19th and 20th centuries explained the linguistic
socio-cultural roots. The culture of shame bridges shifting from pride to profit in Cairo’s linguistic landscape,
presenting countless symbolic meanings, among which cultural distinction,
linguistic centrality and marginality are significant.