The commodification of language in the tourism linguistic landscape of labuan bajo, east nusa tenggara, indonesia

A preliminary report

Abstract

This preliminary report develops an analytical framework for examining how language is represented and potentially valued in the tourism linguistic landscape of Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It addresses three questions: (1) which languages and language combinations are visible in selected tourism-related signs, and what communicative functions do they perform; (2) how are these languages arranged through visual and spatial design; and (3) how might these patterns be interpreted in relation to commercial representation, linguistic capital, and local-language inclusion? The proposed study adopts a qualitative descriptive-critical design based on photographic documentation and contextual observation of signs in selected public and commercial settings. Each sign will be documented by location, sign type, language composition, communicative function, visual prominence, and commercial context. Analysis will combine linguistic landscape research with Heller’s account of language commodification, Bourdieu’s concept of linguistic capital, and Blommaert’s semiotic landscape perspective. Because fieldwork and systematic coding have not yet been completed, this report does not present empirical findings or claims about actual commercial outcomes. Instead, it specifies a transparent procedure for moving from observable sign features to context-sensitive interpretation. The framework is intended to support future empirical research on language, tourism, symbolic value, and linguistic inclusion in eastern Indonesia.