Book Chapter Published

Abstract

Kuala Lumpur, traditionally with significant Chinese influences in its development, is a dynamic multilingual/multiscriptal city. Drawing on heterogeneous data taken from Kuala Lumpur’s linguistic landscape, this study takes account of multilingual signs, whose origins are traceable to various sources. These include Malay, Chinese (e.g. Chowkit and Chan Sow Lin), Sanskrit/Indian languages (e.g. Raja Chulan, Maharajalela, Suria KLCC), Arabic, and elements related to British colonialism (e.g. ‘Jalan Walter Granier’ and ‘Stesen MRT Cochrane’). These names witness the city’s history jointly shaped by various civilisations, attesting to its status as a multilingual contact zone. However, language use in the urban space is never set in stone, which is subject to change/renewal. This is illustrated in case studies, which include the replacement of colonial-era names in the decolonialized LL. They also include the transformation of a few traditionally Chinese-dominated spaces: the once Chinese-dominated Chowkit becoming ‘Little Jakarta’/South Asian neighbourhood, and the once-thriving Petaling Street’s dwindling sense of Chinese-ness. Additionally, this chapter shows that language on signs (and font size) can be a source of public debate. Overall, this chapter highlights that ‘space’ is subject to (re)definition over time, arguing that the LL of multilingual societies like Kuala Lumpur can be both a reason for celebration and a source of contestation and potentially division.

Keywords

Palimpsest, Kuala Lumpur, Urban space, Chinese spaces, Linguistic and semiotic landscape