English in Norwegian and Ethiopian Linguistic Landscapes

Abstract

Contributing to debates on the functions of English in the public space, we explore in this chapter the ways in which what is nominally referred to as ‘English’ is deployed in a range of contexts in two settings, one from the Global South, and the other from the North, or West. In both Norway and Ethiopia, English enjoys considerable currency, as well as characterizing modernity, alterity, and a global outlook, and we discuss here the extent to which the attestations of ‘English’ activate symbolic and communicative values. By taking a Linguistic Landscape approach, and comparing three pairings from a main commercial street, a market, and a shopping centre, we scrutinise the relationship between communicative and symbolic functions. In particular, we privilege the social and economic realities of Oslo and Addis Ababa in our discussion to evaluate the use of what we have traditionally understood as ‘English’ and highlight how the functions fulfilled by what individuals and groups recognise as this language are complex and centripetal.