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Article published In:
Linguistic Landscape
Vol. 6:3 (2020) ► pp.265–296

The linguistic landscape of Nuuk, Greenland

ORCID logo | University College London | Uppsala University
| University College London

The purpose of this article is to present and analyse public and private signs in the Linguistic Landscape of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Nuuk is a trilingual environment including the indigenous language (West Greenlandic), the former colonial language (Danish), and a global language (English). West Greenlandic is a somewhat unusual case among indigenous languages in colonial and postcolonial settings because it is a statutory national language with a vigorous use. Our analysis examines the use of West Greenlandic, Danish, and English from the theoretical perspective of centre vs. periphery, devoting attention to the primary audiences (local vs. international) and chief functions (informational vs. symbolic) of the signs. As the first investigation into the Greenlandic Linguistic Landscape, our analysis can contribute to research on signs in urban multilingual indigenous language settings.

Keywords: linguistic landscape, Greenlandic, Danish, Nuuk, Greenland, signs, multilingual, urban, minority, indigenous
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Greenlandic language policy and sociolinguistic background
    • 1.2Short history of Nuuk
    • 1.3Theoretical framework and research questions
    • 1.4Methodology
  • 2.Analysis
    • 2.1West Greenlandic at the centre
      • 2.1.1Signs marking state institutions
      • 2.1.2Public information signs
      • 2.1.3Supermarket signs and product labels
      • 2.1.4Informal community-produced advertisements
      • 2.1.5Road signs
      • 2.1.6Traditional pub signs
    • 2.2Danish at the centre
      • 2.2.1Construction and home improvement signs
      • 2.2.2Public health and safety signs
      • 2.2.3TV station sign
    • 2.3English at the centre
      • 2.3.1International shipping
      • 2.3.2Local retail, restaurant, and services signs
      • 2.3.3Wall murals and graffiti
  • 3.Summary and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 22 June 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ll.19010.val
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