Language Features and Language Ideologies in Philippine Tourism Landscapes: The Case of Baguio City and San Juan La Union

Research on the languages used in public signs and the role they play in the tourism landscape still needs to be explored in the Philippines. Anchored on Pennycook’s (2007) idea of language as a local practice, this descriptive qualitative design investigated and analyzed the language/s prominently seen and the language ideologies in Baguio City (BC) and San Juan La Union (SJLU), two prime tourist destinations in the northern part of the Philippines. Specifically, the study used 160 photographs of outdoor signages in the five tourist spots of BC and 140 photos from four tourist spots of SJLU. The data were photographed, collected, and analyzed regarding the number of languages used, language choice, and language features in the signs. The signages in the shop signs of the two linguistic landscapes generally tend to use the same textual features.Findings reveal that in both the top-down and bottom-up signs of BC and SJLU, those written in monolingual English appeared to have the most number of occurrences that reflect power structure and cultural dominance; that the mixing of languages is an accepted ideology that the locals employ to keep abreast in the international market and to maintain local pride in their public spaces; and, that the use of regional languages are retained for authenticity. The research recommends the blending of functionality, creativity and cultural authenticity in the signages that can become an integral part of the tourism experience.