Multiplicity of Multilingualism as Represented in Linguistic Landscapes: A Folk Linguistic Study on a College in China

ABSTRACT While the conceptual multiplicity of multilingualism has been recognized in previous scholarship, most linguistic landscape (LL) studies focus on specific interlingual power dynamics but overlook broader conceptualizations of multilingualism in regional contexts. This study examines how university students interpret multilingualism as represented in the LL on the campus of a Chinese college renowned for language education. Adopting a folk linguistic approach, ten participants with over two years’ experience studying at the college collected photographs of LLs they considered representative and shared their interpretations on LLs in qualitative interviews. The LL data and interviews were inductively coded. Findings reveal three participant‐ascribed readings of multilingualism based on LLs: (1) superficial multilingualism, factual monolingualism, (2) multilingualism as a distant mission, and (3) multilingualism as an emblem of lived experience. The study reveals the institutional conceptualizations of multilingualism and the diverse ways multilingualism is interpreted by individuals co‐construct the multiplicity of multilingualism as represented in LLs. This study reframes LLs as ideological artifacts that both reflect institutional visions and actively mediate how those visions are interpreted by local audiences. It also demonstrates the value of folk linguistic methods for capturing situated, bottom‐up interpretations of signages in public spaces.