ABSTRACT

According to Article 19 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. This right includes the “freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” While it is generally agreed that freedom of speech is one the most fundamental human rights, the degree to which this privilege may become subject to legal restrictions is a highly controversial issue that differs largely throughout different cultures and political systems. One linguistic domain where such restrictions are particularly prominent is language on signs. The nature of these restrictions and how they influence the shaping of the linguistic landscape (LL) in a given place is the subject matter of this chapter.