Polish Language in the Linguistic Landscape of Vilnius

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the use of Polish-language signs in public space in Vilnius and to identify the reasons for the presence or, conversely, absence of Polish in the linguistic landscape of Vilnius in 2022. The subject of the study is inscriptions in Polish found in public space in the Old Town in Vilnius. As a result of the exploration carried out from December 2021 to May 2022, 52 photos of inscriptions in Polish were taken. The signs were analysed using the method adopted in the study of the linguistic landscape. They were classified according to their linguistic specificity into (1) monolingual, (2) polyphonic and (3) mixed signs. Apart from this, they were also classified into public and private ones. The specificity of the functioning of the Polish language in Vilnius is that it functions in speech rather than writing. Poles from Vilnius are multilingual and use several languages alternately. The willingness to remain anonymous by assigning oneself to the majority of society speaking a more prestigious language means that informal inscriptions (e.g. graffiti) are not created in Polish. Information signs in languages other than Lithuanian are not seen by the respondents as necessary, and their installation is effectively hampered by the system of administrative penalties.