Linguistic Landscape- Queen Street, Kensington

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The above photograph is of a sign which is found on the wall of a shop by the name of "Rejuvenation on Queen". The name of the shop is located on the top of the sign, which is in the Ideal position, which shows the most important information of the sign. It is written in a bigger font than the rest of the information on the poster. Directly below the shop name is the address of the shop which shows the location of the shop. Below the shop name and address are the different clinics and different treatments which are available to customers and targeted audience which cater for their specific needs. This signage due to the information presented obeys the function of a sign being informative because it not only mentions the clinics available but also includes a brief description of what it entails. On the right side above the "Nail Bar" are the words "Art Gallery/Coffee shop", which indicates that not only is there a range of clinics in this area, but also a form of entertainment which is the Art Gallery and a place for treats which is the Coffee Shop. At the bottom of the sign in the real position is the name "Aesthetic Clinic" which encapsulate the whole idea of all these clinics and is therefore written in bigger font. Next to these words is the contact number for further information of for bookings for the clinics. One thing to take notice of is the font used which is a curvy font normally associated with beauty and has a sultry effect to it which emphasizes that these clinics are here for enhancing one's beauty and self. Together with the font, and the written elements we see the concept of multimodality present. This sign is a bottom up sign which indicates that the shop owner has placed it outside the shop for the purpose of informing and attracting customers.

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The signs in the above photograph are found on the building of the restaurant “The Rusty Lady”. The signs are providing information about what the restaurant has to offer such as various food and live music. There is one main sign in the middle of two pillars which draws the most attention, but there are also various smaller signs on the pillars which also indicates what kind of food and beverages the restaurant has to offer. This therefore emphasizes that the restaurant has a wide selection of food available.

There are also signs in front of the parking bays which indicate that the parking space is exclusively for customers of the The Rusty Lady. All of the signs in this picture can be seen as bottom up because even though they are professionally made, they were placed by the owners of the restaurant and not by any government institution.

#bottomup #exclusive #LL3009

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The sign in the photograph above is a bottom up sign as it has been hand painted and was not placed here by government or the local municipality. The sign was painted by the owners of a flower shop in order to indicate the name of their shop.

This sign can be seen as informal because it is hand painted, as mentioned previously, and has been painted on a wall and not on a sign board. However the letters are big and bold, which draws attention to the sign and ultimately serves its purpose of displaying the name of the shop to potential customers passing by. The colour of the font is green which may emphasize the idea of nature and flowers and therefore could possibly be the reason as to why this colour has been used. The presence of grass or other plans which are growing directly beneath the sign as well adds to the effect of the signage, although it may not have been purposely planted there for the purpose of the sign. The background has no specific colour but is merely concrete and portrays a dusty look,which may possibly symbolize the soil, which altogether with the green font conveys the message of the sign. #bottomup #informal #LL3009

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The above photograph is of a sign taken on a shop wall. The sign contains visual and written elements which convey the full message of the sign, otherwise known as multi modality. The name of the shop is written in the biggest and boldest font, which is “CASH TRANSFORMERS”. The name of the shop is situated on the left, which is presented as the position of Given. Above the shop name, we see some imagery of certain products which emphasizes what the service offered at this shop is. 

On the left of the shop name, there are three contact details provided, which fall in the position of the New. The telephone number, fax number and the email address for the shop is written which enables easier and multiple modes of communication between the consumers and the shop owners or service providers. This sign is a bottom up sign, which has most likely been put up by the shop owners.  

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Above is a sign which stands on the side of Queen Street outside a guest house called Queens Place, and is a sign which designates a specific area for parking vehicles for anyone who is going to any of the shops in Queens Place. The words which occupy the top position of the sign, which is the ideal position,  are “PRIVATE PARKING”. These two words are written in the largest and boldest font and in the colour red. The colour red is a bright and visible colour, more often associated with warning signs and therefore the use of this colour fulfills the purpose of informing people that this parking is strictly reserved for certain people only. 

The words below PRIVATE PARKING, are written in a smaller font and in a dark blue colour which is not as bold and apparent as the red colour. These words seek to inform anyone on this road that this area is specifically reserved for customers of the shops in Queens Place, and only for the time that they are in these shops. The words “AND ONLY WHILE IN ANY SUCH SHOPS”, indicates that there is a time limit for parking in this area. The word “only” is written in red to place emphasis on the rule that no one else may occupy this space or park in this space. 

Below these words is a warning which is once again written in red font, which states that “WHEELS OF ALL OTHER VEHICLES WILL BE CLAMPED”. This means that any other vehicle parked in this area without the purpose of going to any of the shops at Queens Place will suffer the consequences of doing so,by having their vehicle wheels clamped.

Below this warning the words “UNCLAMPING FEE”is written once again in blue whereas the amount itself, being “R200″, is written in red, once again emphasizing the warning. This sign is a sign which informs people of the use of a specific space in this area and also acts as a warning for the public. It is a bottom up sign as it has been probably made by those who are in charge of Queens Place and possibly also has been put up by the owner’s of the guest house or maybe even owners of the shops at the guest house.

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The above photograph depicts an Indian shop found on Queen Street. The name of the shop is indicated on the above sign, which is written in the biggest and boldest font. The word “curry” is the linguistic element that indicates that this is a restaurant which sells Indian food. Above the name of the shop are the words “For the BEST curries, bunnies and biryani in JOHANNESBURG”. In this sentence, the words BEST and JOHANNESBURG are written in uppercase characters whereas the rest of the words are written in lowercase characters, which indicates that there’s emphasis placed in these two words. Below this sentence are the words “We cater for all occasions.”, so not only is it a restaurant but the staff also cater for occasions as well. This sign obeys the function of being informative. Below the name of the shop we see the words “Fully licensed” written in a yellow font, which is bright and very apparent and visible to the customers, which is an indication that this restaurant is allowed to sell liquor. Also included below the name of the shop is the contact number, which is an indication that further contact outside of operating hours and also for special services, is available for customers. This is a bottom up sign as it is a sign made specifically for this shop and was probably put up by the shop owner or staff.

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The above sign is a sign which is placed on a gate of a shop called Queen St. Optical. This sign indicates a space which is designated for certain people only. On the sign are the words “PARKING AT ALL TIMES STRICTLY FOR QUEEN ST. OPTICAL.” These words are written in bold green letters with the word “PARKING” right at the top and written slightly bigger than the words in the center, and then “QUEEN ST. OPTICAL”, also written in a bigger font, situated at the bottom of the sign. The written cues indicate that this space can only be occupied by people who either work at this shop or people who are coming into this shop. No other persons may park in this space. The function of this sign is to inform, and perhaps also to warn people as well. This sign is a bottom up sign as it most probably has been placed on the gate of the store by the owner of the store.

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The above is a photograph of a building which happens to be a restaurant, which occupies the space on the corner of Church Street. This restaurant goes by the name Ottimo, which is actually the Italian word for “excellent”. The use of an Italian word as the name of the shop indicates that this shop is probably owned by an Italian or that its cuisine is primary or only Italian foods. The use of this linguistic element is also a form of identifying this space to be symbolic or representative of Italian culture. What adds to this effect is the visual cue that we find on the sides of the word “Ottimo”. There are two hands, white in colour, gesturing with their fingers, known as a gesture commonly associated with Italians when it comes to describing food, and this case, it would mean that perhaps these hands are being used to place emphasis on the food being “excellent”. To add onto this Italian identity, is the Italian flag itself being painted in the background, which further more emphasizes that this shop is an Italian restaurant. 

The use of the visual cues and the written cues is the use of multi modality, which makes use of the seen and written to convey the message of the sign as a whole.

Below the windows of the shop, we see in bold the words “OTTIMO PARKING” written, which are linguistic elements that indicate that this space is reserved for a particular social actor with regards to this sign. The space can only be occupied by customers who are going to eat at this particular restaurant, and no other people are allowed to park their vehicles in this designated area. 

On the far left of the restaurant, in bold black font, we see the words “PIZZA AND PASTA TAKE AWAY” written with a telephone number directly below it. These are the written cues which informs the customers what this restaurant sells, or that they specialize in pizza and pasta. It also means that this is not only a sit-in restaurant but that food can be bought as “take-away” as well. The telephone number is also a function of being informative for customers. The visual cue found on the left of the telephone number is an image of a telephone and it symbolizes that this is the way of contacting or communicating with those in charge of the store. 

There are also two ADT signs which are found on the wall, which signify that this premise is protected and looked after by the ADT security company.This acts as a warning sign as well as an informative sign because it creates an awareness that this is a secure area which is being well looked after. 

The above signs are all bottom-up signs because they have been put up by the owners of the store. 

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Above is a photograph of the door of a shop. On the far left of the door is a signage which says “Entrance”. This a sign which simply gives direction to a person intending to enter the shop. It is a bottom up sign as it has probably been made and placed there by the owner of the shop. 

To the right of the “Entrance” sign, there is another sign which states “SOUND ROCK” right at the top, in the Ideal position of the sign, which is an indication of the shop name, being the most important bit of information on that sign. Below the name of the shop, are the words “Parking only”, which is found in the bottom position, otherwise known as the Ideal position of the sign, which indicates that this space outside the shop is reserved for customers or the staff of this shop. This too is a bottom up sign as it has probably also been made and put up by the owner of this shop. 

On the right side of the door of the shop is a larger sign, which has the name of the shop printed in bigger, bolder font that the rest of the words on the sign. The name again is found in the Ideal position of the sign which indicates that that is the most important bit of information on the sign before anything else. Below the name are a list of services that this store provides for their consumers. This list obeys the function of a sign being informative as it provides relevant information for their audience. At the bottom of the ding, in the Real position, we find the contact details for the store, which indicates two types of communicative methods for the consumers to reach the producers, either via telephone or via email. This sign is also a bottom up sign as it surely would have been placed on the wall of this store by the store owner. 

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The above photograph is of a book store which goes by the name of Paulines, which is probably an indication of a person’s name. Directly below the name, is written “Book & Media Centre”, which is directly informing the audience about the products and services available at this particular store. this wording obeys the function of a signage being informative. This sign would be a bottom up sign because it is issued by a social actor, who is probably the owner of this shop. One of the visual cues in the photograph that is found just towards the left of the word “Paulines”, is a globe. This imagery creates an idea of what the store specializes in. By being informed that it is a book store and media centre, it encapsulates the idea that this store is a space that embraces globalization and is a space of learning, education and information based on a global scale. The use of the written and verbal cues are factors which encapsulate the concept of multimodality.

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The above image is an example of a bottom-up signage and multimodality, where the store owners invested their time, creativity, thought and money to create the signage and enlarge the printed images on the windows. 

The signage is written in black and white and uses a big and bold font with all uppercase alphabets. Black is visually heavy, with its common association being power and strength. While white is the complete opposite of black, being associated with peace and ironically purity (considering the images on the windows, and what the store stocks). Around the written text, the colour red is explicit. Red is an attention-grabbing colour, with an energetic and vivid influence within the business world. Understanding colour and its impact isn’t just visual, but can also increase brand recognition. 

Below the written text containing the store name, number and a brief description of what the store stocks are images of women with barely any clothes on posed in a seductive manner, enticing a masculine audience to enter, but also not limiting their target audience to just men but anyone old enough may purchase from their store. The effect of these visual choices is to catch attention, not in a threatening way, though, but in a manner evoking trust and confidence. The visual content also portrays body language that may be associated with seduction and sexual activity which is precisely what this store is promoting, as well as the type of products they are selling. The use of visual cues combined with the written elements display the concept of multimodality.

#multimodality #bottom-up #ll3009

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This sign is a crucial warning sign that was placed on an electric fence that belongs to an optometry. The sign is not advertising any form product but is rather warning trespassers to keep away from the property. The sign is placed on the electric fence itself acting as an access point for all people to see the sign and in this way it aims to keep everyone safe by alerting everyone to a form of potential danger. This signage is multimodal in that it uses a combination of symbol, colour and writing to provide information and instruction. The usage of the symbols and pictogram are intended to be understood independently of the language ability of the person viewing it. On safety signboards, the colour yellow is usually to indicate a form of caution. The word ‘danger’ occurs first enclosed by asterisks so that the idea is highlighted and is the first idea that English-speakers engage with.

This sign has a significantly bottom-up input even though these warning signs are mass produced by a national company that invests quite a bit of money with the materiality, outlook and design of the sign. The reason that it is not a top-down signage is because of the fact that the design of the sign allows the owner to monitor and even take down the sign after some time. The sign is not top-down because it does not appear in a public site but on a private property and the sign is not issued by national and public bureaucracies but rather it is issued by the individual owner of the property.

In terms of the framework, the elements of information that are presented on the left side of the sign are understood to be Given information, whereas information on the right side of the sign is considered as New. The Given information in this sign (the symbol/image) is the point of departure of the message and something already known to the view. The New information-the writing of the word ‘danger’ and ‘electric fence’ may be marked as something which is not yet known and hence something to which the viewer must pay special attention to. Placing information at position New marks the information as material that is not a taken-for-granted assumption and is a novel piece of information. In this sign, the writing appears in the English language which is an indication that English is the most important language of the country or region.

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In this picture, there are many signs that one can analyse, however, the main focus will be the KFC advertisement. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) is a fast food restaurant chain and is the second largest restaurant chain after McDonalds, hence it is an extremely popular place for people to buy food from. The KFC sign together with the restaurant can be said to be situated along a main road (a busy area). The restaurant is being placed in a busy area. It can be suggested that the fact that the KFC sign is placed within a busy location is that it aims to attract a wide variety of potential customers. It can be seen that the KFC sign is placed on a much higher level than other signs in that in this way KFC is not just advertising their food to people that are within walking distance but also reaching out and persuading other people that recognise the restaurant from a further distance to purchase their food.

This signage can be classified as a top-down signage as compared to a bottom-up signage in that it is a signage produced by a multinational enterprise and bottom-up signage is typically produced by small shop owners and individual people. It can be seen that the sign has passed through more professional and commercial production chains. The materials, expert design and the fact that the signs are so large indicate that a considerable amount of money was invested in the production of the sign.  

In terms of the information structure of the sign, the elements which are presented on the top half of the KFC sign- the symbol or image of Harland David Sanders and the chicken – is understood to be Ideal whereas the bottom half of the sign is viewed as Real. The Real presents more specific and practical information i.e. the detail that the restaurant will be opening soon as opposed to the Ideal – the image of the chicken- which is the idealised essence of the of the information.

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The three signatures in the above image advertises a hair salon using graffiti, bold font and images that represent the services of the store and that make the store stand out from all the other stores. The images are of young, sophisticated and groomed women and men, which clearly illustrates the target market of the salon, while also indicating that the stylist will refine the clients, making them cosmopolitan and suited for the city. 

Visually, what is so immediately striking are the colours, framing, and the information that is placed in a thematic position. The numbers 786 appears on the sign in big bold font, which represents the numerical value that actually means “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim” (In the name of Allah, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent) in Arabic and is also the opening phrase of the Qu’ raan. The use of this number gives the store a Muslim identity. This number is presented in the Ideal position whereas in the Real position, we find the contact details of the shop which indicates that customers can contact the owners for further services or for information.

In terms of the general signage of the store, it is clearly a bottom-up signage, with all 3 signatures typically being produced by the shops owners.

#ll3009 #multimodality #bottom-up

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The signs present in the two photographs above are both used to convey that the building which can be seen in the picture is called “Queens Place”. There are many signs present in both pictures, but the first can be seen as many separate signs which have been painted on the wall of the building, while the other can be seen as one large sign which is found on the pavement next to the building, and displays various other signs within it. The multiple sings are used to show that the those business, such as restaurants, can be found within the building.

The first signage, which appears on the wall, can be seen as informal because most of it has been painted by hand and the fonts and pictures all appear in different colours, shapes and sizes. However, the signage which appears on the pavement can be seen as more formal because the signs are professionally made and each business gets an equal amount of space on the sign.  This sign is a bottom up sign because it has probably been placed here by those who work in this street or by the owner of Queen’s Place which is the first sign visible at the top of the board.

The crown which appears on the top of the sign on the pavement is used to further emphasis the name of the building, “Queens Place”, as crowns are associated with queens. The use of visual cues such as the crown and the written element such as the word “ Queen”, altogether combine to display the concept of multimodality.This sign also provides additional information other than which shops can be found in the building, it also has two smaller signs on either side of the main sign which are advertising apartment to rent, and are accompanied by a phone number. This displays how space and signage can be used for multiple purposes and to convey information about various things.

Another sign visible in this photograph is that of the yellow cone at the foot of the main sign. This can be said to be a top down sign because it is usually placed in an area to warn people as not to use the designated space for possible safety reasons or perhaps to reserve the space for certain individuals only.

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The building that is displayed in above photograph is clearly owned or utilized by the  company Goldwagen, which sells car parts. The entire building is painted blue and white, which are the colours chosen by the company to represent their brand. The word “Goldwagen” appearing on the front of the building on a white background makes the word stand out as it is bold and clear and is able to draw the attention of people passing by. The Goldwagen slogan appears on either side of the name in order to further emphasis and market their business. The windows of the building are covered with pictures of the products that that are sold inside the shop, which is a form of advertising and is aimed at creating awareness about what products they have to offer and encouraging people passing by to purchase these products. The colours and imagery portray the message of these signs, which is the concept of multimodality at hand.

There is also a van parked outside the building which is painted in the exact same colours as the building and displays the exact same logos. This puts even further emphasis on the shop as two signs are now being seen in the same place. The fact that the signage is painted on a vehicle displays a form of mobile signage as the company name and information about their products can be seen wherever the van goes. This expands the range in which the business is able to advertise and therefore is able expand their clientele to other areas.

These signs are all bottom-up signs as they have been made and placed here by the company itself.

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The prevailing language in Pastelaria Princesa is Portuguese. When translated into English it means “The princess’ pastry shop”. This sign is a bottom up sign as it most likely has been put up by the shop owners,and not any official institute.  The seating arrangement with the tables in the building suggests that this building is a restaurant. The name of the building is in Portuguese which is an indicator that people will be offered Portuguese cuisine.

The restaurant offers both upstairs and downstairs seating in which people are able to choose between an outdoors and indoors experience when dining. The Balcony offers a view in which people are able to appreciate a view at the same time as eating their meal. The balcony also has a railing in order to protect children from falling off and the railing can also be interpreted as a sign. The balcony also has a retractable awning which serves as a sun shade and the roof of the building extends over the balcony serving as a protector for the customers against rain. The style and the structure of the building indicates a European feeling. It can be said that this restaurant wants their customers to feel as if they are in Portugal.

The second most significant sign apart that can be analyzed in this picture is that of the flags hanging above the ceiling. All four of the flags represent countries in Europe. National flags are potent patriotic symbols and is used as a tool of identification and signalling. Flags can also be used as devices for decoration. In this context, it can possible be interpreted as this area being a Euro-centric area. In a South African context, all of these flags are international flags indicating that the restaurant is identified against local South African cuisine and that eating at the restaurant will grant one a more sophisticated European experience. The flags are the visual cues which indicate that this restaurant takes an international or more European stance and creates the sensation of foreign dining. This adds effect to the written elements and conveys the message as a whole which obeys the concept of multi-modality.