Chinese in the Linguistic Landscape of Chinese Communities in Malaysia: A Tale of Three Cities

The study of linguistic landscapes (LL) in Malaysia has emerged as a prominent area of research in Asia, predominantly focused on Kuala Lumpur, the capital city. Despite Chinese constituting over one fifth of Malaysia’s population, the presence of Chinese in the LL remains insufficiently explored. This empirical study addresses this gap by examining the visibility of Chinese in the LL of Chinese communities across three Malaysian cities: Penang, Ipoh, and Johor Bahru. By analysing a corpus of photographed public signs from various spaces, this research investigates the visibility of Chinese in the LL both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings reveal that the visibility of Chinese in the LL of Chinese communities in the three selected cities not only signifies Chinese identity but also serves as an effective means to preserve traditional Chinese culture among Malaysian Chinese. This study underscores the importance of understanding the role of minority languages in the LL within ethnic communities, contributing to a more comprehensive view of Malaysia’s multilingual and multicultural context.