Linguistic Landscapes in Minority Language Museums

This article is a research study published in the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. It investigates the linguistic landscape of the ‘Gerhard Rohlfs’ Museum of the Calabrian Greek Language and its role in safeguarding the endangered Calabrian Greek language. The study utilizes a linguistic landscape analysis based on 248 photographs to highlight the presence of Calabrian Greek, which demonstrates a more equitable status compared to Italian. Although Italian is the predominant language used in museum content, its prevalence makes the museum accessible to the anticipated main audience. The absence of English indicates potentially fewer international visitors, which may reduce competition with Italian and aid in the preservation of Calabrian Greek. The findings illustrate how language choices in museum settings can influence language hierarchies and contribute to the safeguarding of languages regarded as intangible cultural heritage. Future research directions include examining local and tourist perceptions of these museums and the use of minority languages in tourism.