Content uploaded by Joseleanor Melliza Magno
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Joseleanor Melliza Magno on Jun 26, 2018
Content may be subject to copyright.
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
94
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher
Education offering Communication programs
Joseleanor M. Magno (MA)
Department of Communications, Linguistics and Literature ,
University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines
jmmagno28@yahoo.com
Date Received: December 5, 2016; Date Revised: February 15, 2017
Asia Pacific Journal of
Multidisciplinary Research
Vol. 5 No.1, 94-103
February 2017 (Part II)
P-ISSN 2350-7756
E-ISSN 2350-8442
www.apjmr.com
Abstract - This study aimed to investigate the linguistic landscape of Cebu City, Philippines Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) through bulletin board displays of Communication Departments.
Descriptive-qualitative method as well as frequency counts were utilized in analyzing the photographed
visual languages and survey questionnaires. Evidently, although few instances of bilingual signages
occur, English language dominates the 51 displays from 5 participating universities. Likewise, the text
content reflects more on invitation, instruction and announcement. Coming from an authoritative figure
addressed to the public particularly the students, the text is purely written with very low reader
interaction. Despite available online media platforms, informative and creative bulletin board displays
were still considered extremely important and useful. The study concluded that HEI’s linguistic landscape
represents current news and information in a formal tone and context as it caters to mature audience.
Keywords: bulletin boards, communication, HEIs, linguistic landscape
INTRODUCTION
These days, sociolinguistics do not just walk
around the world carrying field notebooks and
sound recording equipment; they also carry
digital photo cameras with which they take
snapshots of what has in the meantime become
known as ‘linguistic landscapes.” [1]
Language is visible everywhere as it is “displayed
in textual form” [2] on commercial signs, government
notices, posters, traffic signs, graffiti, advertisements,
etc. With continuous development of researches that
focused on visible languages in public spaces [3]-[6],
this growing interest in linguistic landscape provides
an avenue for interpreting and understanding
multilingualism and the community. The most widely
quoted definition for Linguistic Landscape (LL) was
conceptualized by Landry and Bourhis [7] when they
conducted their study on the ethnolinguistic vitality of
French in Quebec. From then on, the term becomes
prominent as the "visibility and salience of languages
on public and commercial signs in a given territory or
region" [7]. Ben-Rafael, Shohamy, Amara, &
Trumper-Hecht [6] also provided a similar definition
as it refers to LL as “any sign announcement located
outside or inside a public institution or a private
business in a given geographical location”.
Singhasiri [8] expressed that “the public space is
the excellence [sic] place where different languages
come into contact”. This platform for discourse may
be in form of different signs and signages that are used
to “disseminate message of general public interest
such topographic information, directions, warnings,
etc.” [9]. Moreover, Jaworski [10] pointed that LL
showcases the linguistic practices in the community,
status of language and how such language is situated
in the modern and global arena. Specifically, he
describes the contexts that LL constitutes:
Texts servicing apparently mundane
communicative functions, such as
explaining parking restrictions or giving
directions, can also be assertions of minority
language rights, or instruments of official
language policy, or markers of changing
power relations between languages or
language groups [10]
In analyzing LL, one factor to consider is the LL
actors. This term refers to actors responsible for the
creation, placement and choice of linguistic landscape
[6]. Consequently, these actors represent two separate
LL elements which are divided into top-down and
bottom-up categories. These categories espoused by
Shohamy and Gorter [11] mean items issued by the
government or „institutional agencies which in one
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
95
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
way or another act under the control of local or central
policies” (Top-Down) and private individuals or
“associative or cooperative actors who enjoy
autonomy of action within legal limits” (Down-up)
[6]. For this study, these categories were utilized in
investigating the bulletin board displays of both
government and private higher educational institutions
(HEIs) offering communication programs.
Further, LL attempts to “understand the motives,
uses, ideologies, language varieties and contestations
of multiple forms of „languages‟ as they are displayed
in public spaces” [12]. Researches on LL [8]-[9] have
established the importance of English language as a
tool for international communication. Because of its
dynamic role in globalization, English has enjoyed
privilege and status not only in European countries but
also in Asia.
According to Kasanga [3], “The languages used
in public signs indicate what languages are locally
relevant, or give evidence of what languages are
becoming locally relevant. Although the Department
of Education (DepEd) in the Philippines has already
institutionalized the mother tongue-based multilingual
education (MTBMLE) [13] mobilizing the community
to promote the use of first language (L1) in instruction
and literacy, Cebuano language still lagged behind
compared with Filipino and English, the official
languages of the Philippines, in terms of formal
communication and documentation.
However, movements regaining Cebuano
language‟s status and usage in the local community
have been ongoing such as the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan Resolution no. 1292-2010 requesting
consideration of the previous referral made on the
proposed ordinance mandating the use of Cebuano
(Bisaya) as the basic language of learning and
medium of instruction from primary through high
school [14] as well as the recently passed ordinance,
authored by Julian Daan, designating the last week of
February of every year as Semana sa Pinulongang
Bisaya (Cebuano Language Week) [15]. Such
initiatives prove the local government‟s drive to
continuously promote the language.
Most of the studies in LL centered in on
documenting and analyzing signs visible in the cities
and public domain such as road signs, street names,
train/bus stations, public notices, market/business
establishment signs, shop names and logos, and
advertisements. With issues related to multilingualism,
literacy, multimodality, language policy, linguistic
diversity and minority languages [16], LL is
continuously growing as a pedagogical resource, data,
and theory used in various nations. Since no studies
have been observed in the local context, there is a
pressing need to investigate the linguistic landscape
within the local community concentrating first in the
academic sphere as this represents an influential agent
in proliferating language exposure, usage, and
appreciation among the young generation.
With the available technology and the
advancement of social media, institutions such as
higher educations have maximized these resources to
disseminate information and ameliorate
communication. School administrators have utilized
web-based email services such as YahooMail and
Gmail to send announcements, pertinent documents,
messages, memos, and reports within and beyond the
academic community. Teachers have resorted to
Facebook and text messages as means to conveying
instructions and information. Students have taken
advantaged of their gadgets, automatically
downloading PDF files for their reports, reading
current events and getting the latest updates.
Nevertheless, the absence and speed of internet and
WIFI connection, and availability of computers and
gadgets may also prove daunting if all communication
rely on digital world.
This concern demands the necessity to still make
use of informational bulletin boards for various school
stakeholders. Exposure to organizational chart,
invitations, activities, memos and the like improves
chances of retaining the information than just a click-
and-delete option. In addition, considering that
Communication departments are experts in
communication since they focused on creating,
distributing and interpreting messages, the
communication channels between the department and
its students are compelling. The linguistic landscape
of this department serves as a visual representation of
their identity that could be emulated by other
departments.
Unlike basic education set up, the tertiary level
caters a more mature and independent audience who
are aware of the theories, principles and application of
their program; thus, knowing the type, tone, and style
of messages and language that appeal to them may
augment open communication, cooperation and active
participation.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Specifically, the study aimed to investigate the
language distribution (i.e. monolingual or bilingual
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
96
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
languages) and language functions (e.g. providing
instructions, giving directions, etc) of displayed
messages on the bulletin boards of HEIs‟
Communication Department. Halliday‟s [17]
situational variables (i.e. field, tenor, and mode) in this
context as well as the communication majors‟
perception in terms of language preference, their
awareness, usefulness, and patronage of bulletin
board and its messages were also looked into.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
With growing interest in LL, a number of
researches have utilized this concept in explaining the
language situation in their countries [5], [8], [18].
Akindele [5] aimed at illustrating the importance
of LL in the linguistic arena of Gaborone Botswana.
Common patterns of language usage, official language
policies, language attitudes and language contact were
looked into. The data, composed of 270 pictures, were
collected in 2009 and 2010 and examined according to
language and visual representations. These signs,
names, prohibitions, notices, directives, and
advertisements were taken from public domain
specifically bus stations and malls/shopping centers in
Gaborone. Twenty business shop owners were also
interviewed regarding their choice of language in
putting up signs. Findings showed that English only
dominated the LL in Gaborone possibly since it
carries prestige, power, status, and economic
development. Evidences of English and Setswana
(National Language) bilingual signs were also evident.
However, despite the overwhelming presence of
English, signs of growing multilingualism (inclusive
of Chinese) are visible in the Gaborone‟s public
sphere.
Consequently, bilingual signages were evident in
public spaces in Thailand. Singhasiri [8] verified
locals‟ awareness and understanding of English‟s role
in economic growth and tourism aside from the
presence of the different languages (i.e. Thai and
Bahasa Maley) which also reflected power, status and
importance within the locality. With reliance on visual
languages for analysis, photos of signs, names on
buildings, advertisements, commercial shop signs and
public signs on State Railways Station of Thailand
(SRT) buildings were photographed and categorized
according to LL actors, languages, functions and
patterns of language displayed. Findings indicate that
in top-down contexts, the bilingual pair Thai and
English is used in five language functions namely, in
providing general information, greetings and farewell
messages, giving directions, warning, and
prohibitions. This growing integration with other
nations generates the need for institutional agencies
and private individuals to cater to other nationalities
[8].
Both studies illustrate LL‟s dynamic and engaging
role between people and visual languages found in
public spaces. Numerous researchers abroad have
already paved way in establishing the importance of
LL in explaining language status and aiding
pedagogical practices. With this in mind, it is but
timely that the present research in the local context
was conducted.
Most researches on bulletin boards are focused on
its online interactive capacity. One such study was
conducted by Taboada [18] where she used Halliday‟s
[17] framework and characterized bulletin board
messages in terms of genre and further analyzed these
as requests for advice, argumentation, pumping and
bashing a company, and attacks on other posters
within financial boards.
In sum, these studies have supported the
contention that LL is important in urban or public
spaces [5], strengthens multilingual literacy [8],
provides and promotes opportunities for language
learning evident in pedagogical contexts such as in
HEIs as evident in bulletin board displays [18]. These
studies were used as references in examining and
understanding linguistic landscape in the local
academic contexts.
METHODS
Descriptive-qualitative method was particularly
used and content analysis of its functions was
employed in documenting and analyzing the bulletin
board displays and messages found in the bulletin
boards. Language distribution refers to the specific
language (i.e. monolingual or bilingual) used in
providing a specific purpose (i.e. language function)
such as providing instructions, giving directions,
prohibiting, etc. In addition situational variables [17]
and survey questionnaires distributed to selected
communication majors complemented the analysis of
this genre.
Bulletin board displays of Communication
Programs mounted near the department office or
within the vicinity of the university or institutions
served as the source of data. Since eleven higher
education institutions (HEIs) are offering
communication programs within Cebu City, they were
identified as part of the study.
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
97
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
Visual languages found in the bulletin boards
were photographed using a Samsung Tablet. A
researcher-made questionnaire on LL awareness and
perception was also distributed to 110 Communication
majors from different institutions. A transmittal letter
was distributed to HEIs‟ administrators asking for
permission to gather data from their vicinity. With
their approval, bulletin board displays were
photographed. These pictures were then sorted out
according to language distribution, function, and
situational variables. Moreover, the communication
majors‟ awareness and perception were also
identified.
Out of 11 Cebu City HEIs offering
communication programs identified in the study, only
5 responded. Given the time constraint, only the
available data were included in the analysis i.e. 51
bulletin board displays and 115 student participants‟
answered questionnaire. These data were retrieved
from the following universities: University of Visayas
(UV) offering Journalism and Broadcasting, Cebu
Eastern College (CEC) offering Development
Communication, University of the Philippines (UP)
offering Mass Communication, University of San Jose
Recoletos (USJR) offering Communication and
LIACOM Major in Communication and Marketing,
and University of San Carlos (USC) offering Media
Communication and Corporate Communication.
Photo A. Sample Linguistic Landscape within an HEI
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Aside from photos which are excluded in the data,
invitations received the most number of posts
followed by news article/clipping then
imperatives/instructions as exhibited in Table 1.
Communication departments vary in their LL but have
utilized English in almost all their messages.
Choosing English language over other languages
proves the remarkable influence of English as well as
the prestige it currently carries in HEIs.
Table 1. Language Distribution and Function (N=51)
Displays
Monolingual
(English)
Bilingual
(Filipino-English)
Invitations
16
-
News Article
11
2
Imperatives/
Instructions
7
-
Announcements/
Notice
6
-
Suggestions
2
-
Job Ads
2
-
Organizational
Charts
2
-
Recognition
1
-
List of Courses
1
-
Guidelines
1
-
Total
49
2
As illustrated in Photo B, only one post is
presented in Tagalog with English technical terms to
explain the meaning of ozone layer. Further, another
clipping (Photo C) illustrates a bilingual message to
strengthen the importance of flood safety tips. Other
bilingual posts show translation of French to English
(Photo D) and provide the date and time of the
Japanese Language Proficiency Test.
Photo B. Information on Ozone Layer
Photo C. Flood Safety Tips
Photo D. Review Note on French
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
98
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
Bilingual signages are very minimal perhaps
because the LL actors do not see the need to translate
the language since the messages aimed to address
mostly college students who understand perfectly well
the English language, which serves as the official
language for correspondence of these universities.
Table 2. Language Preference (N=115)
Language
f
%
English only
46
40
Filipino only
9
7.82
Cebuano-Bisaya Only
5
4.34
English and Filipino
30
26.08
English Filipino and English
75
65.21
Local Languages
5
4.34
Foreign Languages
7
6.0
*multiple responses
Regarding the preferred language, 75 out of 115
(65.21%) respondents indicated their interest in
reading bulletin board messages that contain English,
Filipino and Cebuano languages compared to just
individual languages: English only (40%), Filipino
only (7.82%), and Cebuano-Bisaya only (4.34%) as
illustrated in Table 2. Among the three, English
garnered the most number of choices supporting the
findings that English language enjoyed privilege and
status in Asia due to its relevance in international
communication and globalization [8] and [9].
Exposure to English, Filipino and Cebuano-Bisaya in
the academe, home, and social environment and the
comfort of using these in everyday communication
and interaction could have prompted the students‟
preference. The fact that these languages are mandated
by the Philippine law may also constitute their
favorable attitude. Moreover, the communication
program they are enrolled in could have offered and
provided more opportunities to appreciate the usage
and application of these languages. Even with the
proliferation of MTBMLE, the students still
appreciate and find multilingual posts more
appropriate than just using the local language. No
statistical analysis was employed to find out the
significant difference in the responses of
communication majors.
Contrary to their preference, all messages except
for 5 posts contain only English since the content and
LL actors evidently come mostly from the
administration or person of authority (i.e. registrar,
faculty, dean) who sees English as an official
instrument of communication dissemination. Bulletin
boards may also represent a formal means of
communication owned by the department; hence, a
reserved tone is recognized and utilized by the
message consumer. Consequently, Waray, Korean and
Japanese languages were also suggested as some
respondents are probably using Waray or have
background in foreign languages. Evidently, one
announcement on the Japanese Language Proficiency
Test has both English and Japanese messages. In
addition, five review notes posted also consist of
foreign languages other than English such as French.
It is noteworthy to point out that these review notes
are posted in a department which also offers an
Applied Linguistics program and where French
language is one of the courses taught.
Table 3. Displays‟ Situational Variables
Displays
Field
Tenor
Invitations
Contest, Competitions,
Scholarships, Forum,
Conferences
Organizer to
Public
News Articles
/Clippings
Environment
Author to Public
Imperatives
/Instructions
Safety Tips during
Natural disasters
Author to Public
Announcements
/Notices
General Orientation,
I.Q. Diagnostic Test,
Program
Representative
Election,
School Activities/
Requirements
Department/Unit
head to Students
Suggestions
Elective Courses
Department to
Comm Majors
Job Ads
Job Position/Opening
Employer to
Applicants
Organizational
Charts
Faculty Profile
Department to
Students
Recognition
Recognition of
students‟ exemplary
achievement
Department to
Students
List of Courses
Course Offerings
Department to
Comm Majors
Guidelines
Guidelines on proper
usage
Department to
Comm Majors
*The Mode is Text written to be read
Field refers to what the language is used to talk
about; tenor refers to the role relationships between
the interactants; and mode indicates the role language
is playing in the interaction [18]. Table 3 illustrates
that the field covers a wide range of texts and content,
in varied format and style, that provides
department/university announcements or public
information, invites interested applicants, instructs
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
99
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
safety precautions e.g. in preparation for natural
calamities, recognizes achievers, and asks for
suggestions that target not only communication
majors but also other students. Given its one-way
mode of communication, except when one post
requires students to write suggested course electives,
all posts do not require an avenue for discussion.
Since the tenor shows that the messages are from an
authoritative figure that mostly just provides
information to the public, there is low interaction and
reader involvement. In terms of mode, the
communication is purely written with only one written
feedback i.e. suggested course. Oral feedback was
excluded in the study.
These findings contrast with Taboada‟s [18] on
the genre structure of bulletin board messages since
the contexts differ. Her data taken from an online
bulletin board revealed that a specialized discussion
about stocks and company performance dominated the
conversation which occurs between specialist-to-
specialist and sometimes novice to specialist
(especially when requesting for advice). Also evident
was the low affective involvement among participants
because they were not well acquainted yet. Further,
since the channel was online, the mode was computer-
mediated communication which elicited rapid
feedback. Nevertheless, despite the disparity, the main
purpose of bulletin board messages which is to carry
functional roles i.e. to convey specific
information/request/question to target audience is
explicit
Invitations which carry the most number of
postings include the following items: contests,
competitions, forum, conferences, and scholarships
since these require applicants and interested
individuals who are not exclusive to the
Communication program to participate in the said
activity or event. Moreover, most invitations posted
indicate the qualifications and requirements that
applicants need to accomplish. Varied invitations are
exhibited as follows:
Photo E. Essay Photo F. Scholarship
Writing Contest
Safety tips or measures are labeled as instructions
although some of these messages are taken from news
clippings such as Photo G. Other postings include the
following:
Photo G. Safety Measures Photo H. Org Chart
Photo I. List of Course Photo J. Prohibition
One prohibition was also posted as exhibited in
Photo J. Below the message was a handwritten
comment „That means you, Wes”, which this Wes
replied with “Okay -Wes” followed by a frowned
face. Such instance is interesting as it engages the
reader to provide feedback which is an important
communication process; hence, the message which is
intended not only for a specific individual but for
anyone who finds herself/himself in similar
situations/occasions is positively relayed.
One department, however, has general bulletin
boards catering signages that illustrate other programs
and university functions. As observed, their linguistics
landscape is not only exclusive to their department-
university but also reflects their identity as
environment conscious (e.g. How do trees fight
Global Warming), health conscious (e.g. Leptospirosis
break in Olongapo), well-prepared (e.g. What to do
before, during and after earthquake), competitively-
driven (e.g. The 48th Shell National Students, Art
Competition, Gawad Pangulo Contests) and research
oriented (e.g. The Benilde Prize: Innovation for
exclusion) that encourages new knowledge. Given the
contents of their bulletin board displays, the
department-university molds its students to be
competitive, resourceful, ingenious and socially
aware/responsible individuals. Moreover, their LL
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
100
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
also contains informative instructions on what to do
before, during and after natural disasters such as
earthquake, tsunami, landslide and flood.
Table 4. Perception of Bulletin Board Displays (N=115)
Response
Aware-
ness
%
Useful-
ness
%
Patron-
age
%
Positive
108
93.91
115
100
115
100
Negative
7
6.08
0
-
0
-
Total
115
100
115
100
115
100
Table 4 illustrates that majority of the respondents
are aware of the existence of this communication
platform. Only 6.08% note that they do not have a
department/organization bulletin board. Further, all
respondents are in agreement of the boards‟ usefulness
and express the need to continue the usage of this
platform.
Despite online media platform and other
communication tools utilized by some universities as
evident in available websites, students still consider
bulletin board information important and necessary in
disseminating not only organization, department or
university-related memo, concerns, and
announcements but also companies and other
stakeholders‟ scholarships, job offers, invitations, and
the like. The visual presence of this linguistic
landscape is also accessible, convenient and more
practical giving students the responsibility to be
informed and updated. The findings support
Singhasiri‟s [8] study indicating the local‟s awareness
of their linguistic landscape. Although its utilitarian
purpose was not explicitly explained, displays are
considered useful in orienting readers the
requirements for particular invites (e.g. scholarships,
competitions), details of a forum or seminar, students‟
exemplary work worth emulating, familiarizing
department faculty and staff, and so on.
Table 5. Importance of Bulletin Board Displays (N=114)
Degree
f
%
Rank
Extremely
Important
75
65.78
1
Important
39
34.21
2
Not Important
-
-
-
Total
114
Despite the difference in the level of importance
with 65.78% expressing the bulletin board displays‟
extreme importance as presented in Table 5, the
student respondents all approve of its pragmatic value.
One participant forgot to answer this item; hence, the
decrease in N.
Announcements are the most important post
identified followed by department-related memo and
university-related memo in contrast to the
departments‟ postings which present more invites (e.g.
contests, scholarships, forum and the like). However,
this result may not be that significant since there was
no orientation conducted on the descriptions and
differences of the items in the questionnaire, and
invites could also be labeled as announcements.
Moreover, job ads are not as highly needed as those
top three mentioned. Since these universities have
linkages and alumni offices, posting job ads in
department bulletins might overlap the job placement
function of these offices. Nevertheless, a list of
possible companies where communication majors can
choose from might aid them in their trainings, and
actual job application and linkages.
Other signages which received attention include
notices, instructions, warnings, news articles,
invitations, organizational chart, student‟s exemplary
works, review notes, lost and found post, personal
comments/messages/suggestions and a list of courses
offered. One respondent added the need to include the
liquidation of membership fee. A number of research
purported the importance of bulletin board displays
inside the classroom as these provide teacher
feedback, teaching and learning a particular course
[19], enhance online learning [20], and involve
participation [21] but no research has been known yet
to highlight the visual languages outside the
classroom. Given their contribution to the reader‟s
learning process, these displays and contents cannot
be unjustly dismissed as they serve an innovative way
of teaching diverse learners.
Table 6. Frequency in Reading and Changing
Contents/Displays (N=115)
Response
Checking/Reading
Info
Changing the
contents
f
%
f
%
Everyday
43
37.39
1
0.89
Once a week/
Weekly
10
8.69
71
63.39
Monthly
-
-
29
25.89
Once every
semester
-
-
3
2.67
Occasionally
(Thematic)
31
26.95
8
7.14
Seldom
26
22.60
-
-
Never
5
4.34
-
-
Total
115
100
112
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
101
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
Table 6 reveals that majority checks/reads
information posted on bulletin boards every day with
37.39% while majority prefers to have new or updated
contents or displays every week with 63.39%.
Unless they have appointments, business or
required to visit their departments, not all are active
participants when it comes to checking out
information displayed on their respective department
bulletin boards as every day and occasional viewing
has a slight difference. While only 37 out of 115
students signified that they have helped prepare their
department‟s bulletin board, statistics show that
majority opt to change the contents weekly and
pointed out the need to update sections on
announcements/notices, instructions, job ads,
recognition of students‟ exemplary works, news
articles and even personal comments/messages and
suggestions. Frequent updates might also show the
reason for students‟ sustainability and involvement in
checking and reading bulletin board information;
hence, the need for departments and organizations to
consider looking into this matter.
This finding is supported by Shmania [22] as she
suggested the need to change the bulletin board
system to make it easier for college community to find
interesting campus events and advertisements on
bulletin boards aside from online information received
from Facebook and department emails. Moreover,
despite this online communication, bulletin boards, in
which postings were changed weekly, were still used
occasionally suggesting that students respond to
information targeted at them as well as posters that
catch their eyes.
Table 7. Concept for Bulletin Board Displays (N=115)
Concept
f
%
Rank
Informative
92
80
1
Creative
69
60
2
Interactive
18
15.65
3
Engaging
15
13.04
4
Thematic
9
7.8
5
Colorful
1
0.8
6
*multiple responses
As presented in Table 7, informative and creative
are the appropriate combinations in bulletin board
displays with 80% and 60%, respectively. These are
followed by other less preferred descriptions such as
interactive with 18%, engaging with 15%, thematic
with 9% and colorful as the least identified bulletin
board concept with 1%.
Informational bulletin boards “provide students
with key pieces of information that can be narrow (i.e.
specific classroom events) or broad (i.e. current events
happening in various parts of the country or world) in
scope” [23]. Due to its function of bridging
communication between academic and other
stakeholders: students, teachers, school
administration, parents, and community members, this
information hub allows the readers to know the
„what‟s in‟ and „what‟s going on‟ in the (academic)
community.
Colorful displays may have attracted passersby
but these are not sufficient to sustain readers‟ interest
as posts that have relevance and impact are more
preferred. In the same manner, thematic, engaging and
interactive concepts received few positive points since
these may not initially address the needs and attention
of the readers. Although Taboada‟s [18] study focused
on online interactive board, she found out that there
was rather a low affective interaction among users
because they were not acquainted with each other.
This might also be similar in the present study. Given
its nature of visual language that does not engage
readers to respond, bulletin board displays are simply
meant to be a source of information.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Based on the findings, aside from snippets of code
switching, monolingual English was the prevalent
language utilized in the linguistic landscape. Top-
down and bottom-up dichotomy was not differentiated
due to only one participating university that is run by
the government. Nevertheless, there is no significant
difference since the contents displayed in this
university‟s bulletin boards show the department and
university‟s identity and not necessarily that of the
local government. Consequently, from an
administrator‟s point of view, the displays present a
reserved tone with less interaction which is
complemented by students‟ preference for more
informative and creative displays that require less
participation.
As observed, some departments still have to
maximize their bulletin boards to display timely and
relevant information because these are still considered
useful and worth patronizing. Since all students are
aware of its existence and are expected to be well-
informed of the latest updates not only of their
specific courses or organizations, but also of the
department-university activities, memos,
announcements, and the like as well as current issues
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
102
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
in the local, national and international arena, bulletin
boards are the ideal place to communicate these
messages and announcements as students are on
campus almost every day, excluding those in open
universities or distance education where learners are
expected to check the happenstance online.
Finally, bulletin boards are also considered
powerful teaching and community-building tools [24].
Unlike primary and secondary schools which load
bulletin boards with student work, “add personality to
school hallways, speak volumes about what teachers
value most” [24] and make parents proud of their
kid‟s achievements, HEI‟s linguistics landscape
presents a more formal and reserved tone, display
current events/issues, encourage involvement for
personal growth and development, and cater a more
mature audience.
Despite the influx of interactive media and social
media, bulletin board displays are highly encouraged
as these continue to reflect the thrust of the
department-university and are still important,
functional and convenient for spreading information
to students and passersby. Moreover, languages used
in these displays should also include local languages
and foreign languages aside from Filipino and
English.
Active linkages with industries and other
stakeholders could augment (graduating) students'
chances of associating and highlighting their
competencies with prospective employers' needs.
When students are aware of essential requirements,
they will be motivated to become competitive and
improve their competence and knowledge through
independent/collaborative studies and experiences,
aside from the contributing factors in the academe, to
prepare themselves for more challenging tasks in the
real workforce.
Since this research only focuses on HEIs, future
studies could explore the linguistic landscape of
public schools particularly in the basic education level
which evidently covers more linguistic displays that
serve as information means and educational tools.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The researcher would like to thank the
participating schools for granting permission to gather
data in their vicinity. Likewise, sincere gratitude is
extended to the Research Office of the University of
San Carlos as well as the Department of
Communications, Linguistics and Literature for the
constant support.
REFERENCES
[1] Blommaert, J. (2012). Chronicles of complexity:
Ethnography, superdiversity, and linguistic
landscapes. In Tilburg Papers in Culture
Studies 29. Tilburg: Babylon
[2] Gorter, D. (2006). Linguistic landscape: A new
approach to multilingualism. Clevedon, U.K.:
Multilingual Matters.
[3] Takhtarova, S. S., Kalegina, T. E., and Yarullina, F.
I. (2015). The role of English in shaping the
linguistic landscape of Paris, Berlin and Kazan. In
ScienceDirect, Procedia- Social and Behavioral
Sciences, 199 (2015), 453-458
[4] Ferenc, V. (2013). Linguistic Landscape (LL) in a
higher education establishment – case study of the
visual language use of the Transcarpathian
Hungarian Institute. Research Centre for
Multilingualism. Retrieved September 6, 2015 from
http://www.nytud.hu/nyelvitajkep/en/abstr-eng.html
[5] Akindele, D. O. (2011). Linguistic landscapers as
public communication: A study of public signage in
Gaborone Botswana. International Journal of
Linguistics, 2(1), pp. 1-11; doi: 10.5296/ijl.v3il.1157
[6] Ben-Rafael, E., Shohamy, E., Amara, M.H., &
Trumper-Hecht, N. (2006). Linguistic landscape as
symbolic construction of the public space: The
case of Israel, International Journal of
Multilingualism, 3:1, 7-30, DOI:
10.1080/14790710608668383
[7] Landry, R., and Bourchis, R. (1997). Linguistic
landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality: An empirical
study. Journal of Language and Social
Psychology, 16(1), 23-49.
[8] Singhasiri, W. (2013). Linguistic landscape in the
state railway station of Thailand: The analysis of the
use of language. The European Conference on
Language Learning 2013. Retrieved September 11,
2015 from https://goo.gl/tfaLpa
[9] Backhaus, P. (2007). Linguistic landscapes: A
comparative analysis of urban multilinguals in
Tokyo. Clevedon, U.K.: Multilingual Matters.
[10] Jaworski, N. (2008). Book reviews. Journal of
Sociolinguistics. UK: C Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
12 (2), 250–268.
[11] Shohamy, E. &Gorter, D. (2009).Introduction. In E.
Shohamy& D. Gorter (eds.), Linguistic landscape:
Expanding the scenery, 1-10. New York, NY &
London: Routledge.
[12] Linguistic landscape: An international journal
(2015), 1(3). John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Retrieved September 11, 2015 from
https://benjamins.com/#catalog/journals/ll/main
[13] DO 74, s. 2009 - Institutionalizing Mother Tongue-
Based Multilingual Education (MLE). Retrieved
http://www.deped.gov.ph/orders/do-74-s-2009
Magno, Linguistic Landscape in Cebu City Higher Education offering Communication programs
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
103
P-ISSN 2350-7756 | E-ISSN 2350-8442 | www.apjmr.com
Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2017 (Part II)
[14] DepEd Cebu Province Memo. Retrieved
http://www.depedcebuprovince.ph/memo/Memo15_
2011.pdf
[15] Sumacot, N. (2012, April 28). PB marks last week of
February as “Cebuano language week”. Freeman.
[16] Gorter, D. (2013). Linguistic landscapes in a
multilingual world. Annual Review of
AppliedLinguistics. Cambridge University Press.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0267190513000020
[17] Halliday, M. (1989).Context of situation. In
Language, Context and Text.Eds. M. Halliday and R.
Hasan. Oxford: Oxford University Press
[18] Taboada, M. (2004).The genre structure of bulletin
board messages. TEXT Technology, 55 – 82.
Retrieved September 9, 2015 from
http://texttechnology.mcmaster.ca/pdf/vol13_2_04.p
df
[19] Thiyagu, K. (2013). Pedagogical innovations in
teaching of Mathematics: Bulletin board and smart
board. APH Journal. Retrieved
[20] Newberry, B (2005). The use of bulletin boards for
discussions in online learning. Retrieved
http://www.itdl.org/journal/nov_05/article04.htm
[21] Tarr, P. (2004). Consider the wall. Beyond the
journal. Young children on the web. Retrieved
https://goo.gl/nqFQlu
[22] Shmania, A. (2011). Advertising gone to the
recycling bin? Paper use on the campus center
bulletin boards. Retrieved https://goo.gl/XD4wwh
[23] Mazone, J. (2013). Using Bulletin Boards to
Differentiate the Classroom Environment. Retrieved
https://goo.gl/Ld4qJI
[24] Education World (2016). Bulletin boards are
powerful, community-building tools. Retrieved
https://goo.gl/DZKQM3
COPYRIGHTS
Copyright of this article is retained by the author/s,
with first publication rights granted to APJMR. This is an
open-access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license
(http://creative commons.org/licenses/by/4.
