Linguistic Landscape in Public Signs of Government and Private Agencies along the Mekong River Bank Road in Nakhon Phanom Municipality, Nakhon Phanom Province

Abstract

This study investigates the use of multilingual languages and text styles in public signs of government and private agencies along the Mekong River bank road in Nakhon Phanom Municipality, Nakhon Phanom Province. Data were collected through frameworks of Siwina (2020). A total of 611 public signs were analyzed, comprising 229 government signs (37.48%) and 382 private signs (62.52%). The findings reveal that in terms of language use, Thai was the most commonly used language, followed by Lao, Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese. In terms of language formats, monolingual signs in both sectors predominantly used Thai, followed by English, while multilingual signs, most commonly featuring Thai-English, were prevalent in both sectors. For multilingual text formats in government signs, direct translations were most frequently used, followed by partial translations and free writing. In the private sector, partial translations were most commonly used, followed by free writing and direct translations.

The results reflect the government sector's emphasis on ethnic diversity in the region, highlighting interactions with neighboring countries and ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese communities. In contrast, the private sector focuses on projecting modern and globalized imagery. Both sectors consistently prioritize Thai as the national and standard language for communication. The use of English illustrates adaptation to globalization and modernity. Furthermore, the diverse translation styles demonstrate efforts to align with local contexts and the need for direct communication with target audiences.