Stickers on the Rear of Vehicles as Linguistic Landscapes : Analysis from a Stylistic Point of View

In Japan, a variety of signs installed in public and commercial facilities is found throughout cities to provide specific textual information to citizens, forming the linguistic landscape of Japanese society.However, textual information is seen not only on these fixed signs but also on moving vehicles in the form of car stickers.To clarify the linguistic landscape in Japan as a whole, stickers on cars should also be included in such research.However, some of them, such as akachan-ga nottemasu [baby is on board], are too vague to be regarded as signs, as their intentions cannot be immediately understood.Car stickers do not always appear to have a clear intention, even though they are supposed to provide certain information to drivers of following vehicles.This study aims to analyze the linguistic expressions of car stickers from a stylistic point of view.This research is expected to contribute to the elucidation of the Japanese communication style, which requires interpretation by the interlocutors, through car stickers as an aspect of the linguistic landscape in Japan.