ABSTRACT
This study, consisting of both empirical and interpretive linguistic landscape (LL) analyses, investigates the representation of bilingualism in Singapore schools. As linguistic landscape research continues to evolve, recent studies have shown that the LL applied as a methodological tool in the school context brings a fresh perspective to broader sociolinguistic issues such as linguistic inequality, language acquisition and language planning. Combined with how bilingual education is seen as a core element of Singapore’s education system, there is a need to examine how such bilingualism is visually created and reproduced in schools. The results show discrepancies between official policies and actual linguistic practices in the LL, where efforts to inculcate bilingualism is uneven across different Mother Tongue groups. Preferences for certain languages and types of bilingualism can be seen, which reveals an incongruity between the state’s overt and covert language ideologies. These findings can thus potentially aid curriculum planning and facilitate a more effective implementation of language policies in schools.
