Exploring linguistic landscapes in immigration and tourism hubs: A case study of Fatih, Istanbul

The present mixed methods study aims to explore the linguistic landscapes of two, tourism and immigration-dominated neighborhoods in the district of Fatih, Istanbul. The research questions aimed to explore (1) the diversity and prevalence of languages in the public spaces of Aksaray and Sultanahmet neighborhoods (2) the position of English in the language hierarchy on bi-/multilingual signs collected in the public space of Aksaray and Sultanahmet neighborhoods, and (3) the impacts of globally far-reaching events, such as political conflicts and warfare, on the linguistic landscape of local public space. Quantitative data were gathered through the method of photographing various images, such as shop signs, graffiti, posters, etc. in the public space of these neighborhoods. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews that were conducted with two voluntary participants from each neighborhood. The findings revealed that the diversity of languages in the public spaces of both neighborhoods is remarkably rich, and also the position of English on bilingual or multilingual is variable depending upon the types of signs, yet generally is either in the middle or at the bottom place. It is also revealed that global events have important impacts on the linguistic landscape of these local places in terms of the diversity and appearance of certain languages. Lastly, the results of the qualitative data revealed that participants have various attitudes and nurture particular emotions towards the use of certain languages in their shops.