What type of study is this?

This is a Reflexive Ethnographic Approach study (also classified as: Visual Ethnography, Linguistic Landscaping Method).

September 10, 2025Open Access

The Classroom Linguistic Landscape (CLL): examining English linguistic imperialism and decolonisation

Key Points

The analysis shows significant discrepancies in linguistic landscapes between different educational approaches.
Findings reveal that Bengali Medium education reinforces English as a dominant linguistic tool, marginalizing other languages.
A reflexive ethnographic approach utilized visual ethnography and linguistic landscaping methods for data collection.
The study indicates a potential for promoting equitable multilingual environments in education, counteracting English hegemony.

Abstract

This study examines classroom linguistic landscapes (CLL), the dynamics of linguistic imperialism, and (de) colonisation in educational spaces, and how it is reflected in (post)colonial linguistic ideologies. The reflexive ethnographic approach was conducted using visual ethnography (Barrantes, 2019; Pink, 2007) and linguistic landscaping method (Haji-Othman, 2020; Lyons, 2017; Pienimäki et al., 2023). The data were collected through photographic documentation of classroom materials, signage, artifacts, and many others. The analysis showed a significant discrepancy between Bengali Medium (BM) and Qawmi Madrasa Education (ME) in Bangladesh, where BM reinforces the dominance of English signage as a linguistic and cultural tool. By contrast, ME has a more balanced multilingual representation within CLL, including English, Bengali, Arabic, Urdu, and Farsi, thereby resisting English hegemony and actively promoting a more equitable multilingual environment.

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