Language use in the linguistic landscape of Wolkite

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to provide a descriptive account of language use in the linguistic landscape of Wolkite town, Gurage Zone, Ethiopia. It specifically uncovered how signs on buildings and roadsides in a multilingual setting are used to express different meanings and identities (linguistic, religious, and ethnic) in addition to their market value, that is. to attract clients. The study also showed language use patterns in the linguistic landscape. The research approach adopted was qualitative; labels and signs were collected and then thematically analyzed. The data were collected from signs on the right and left sides of the main asphalt road on the way from Addis Ababa to Jimma. The findings showed that Guragina, which is not used in any official settings in the Zone, is highly used in the linguistic landscape of Wolkite. Although dialect variation within Gurage was reflected in a few cases, the Chaha variety was more visible. Pragmatically, the signs used showed wishes, ambitions, success, surprises, dilemmas, and religious affiliations. The signs used were a mix of English, Amharic, and Guragina. The code-mixing is not random but systematic. The first word, if ever used, was Guragina and the second word was Amharic. English was used both as a mixed code and to provide gloss for the Guragina and Amharic versions of the signs.