LINGUISTIC LANDSCAPE STUDY: STORE AND RESTAURANT NAMES AS REPRESENTATIONS OF MULTICULTURAL IDENTITY IN PRINGSEWU, LAMPUNG

Abstract

This study examines the use of language in the names of shops and restaurants in Pringsewu Regency through the perspective of Linguistic Landscape (Landry & Bourhis, 1997). The purpose of this study is to understand the characteristics of the multicultural region of Pringsewu Regency, Lampung, based on the naming of shops and restaurants on Jalan Lubtas. The research was conducted using a qualitative case study method through observation, documentation, questionnaires, and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The results of the study show that business names generally have an informational function, conveying the identity of the product and business owner, while the symbolic function displays cultural identity through local pronouns such as Mas, Abang, or Teteh; regional names on the island of Java, Sidoharjo, Yogyakarta, etc.; architectural objects; and ancestral inheritance—the existence of the restaurant name “Gajah Mada” with the aim of preserving Indonesian history. The study concludes that the choice of language in the names of shops and restaurants in Pringsewu has many variations, not only used as a commercial strategy, but also as a social identity, a learning tool, and a builder of familiarity. These variations are formed by the private sector, thus forming a bottom-up pattern that indicates the absence of specific regulations from the government in naming shops and restaurants (Ben-Rafael, 2006).