Open AccessSoziolinguistische Perspektiven auf Praktiken des Semiotic Landscaping in Zeiten der Coronavirus-Pandemie.
Author(s) -
Gertrud Reershemius,
Evelyn Ziegler
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
linguistik online
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1615-3014
DOI - 10.13092/lo.110.8146
Subject(s) - semiotics , signage , pandemic , geography , landscaping , covid-19 , political science , sociology , humanities , advertising , linguistics , art , medicine , business , philosophy , disease , botany , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , biology
The Covid-19 pandemic has left an impact on the semiotic landscapes of both rural and urban environments. The present study analyses two corpora of signs which emerged as a direct result of the pandemic in the rural environment of Krummhörn, a municipality in northern Germany, and in the city of Essen (Ruhr Metropolis) between March and July 2020. In addition to regulatory and informative signage, the data revealed a high proportion of affective signs which were displayed mainly by individuals around private homes, intended as boosters of collective moral in times of crisis. The analysis shows that slightly different semiotic strategies were applied when comparing a rural with an urban environment.