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Ethnic spaces in various regions reflect transnational experiences and identities in the linguistic landscape (LL). Ethnic restaurants, rich in language and food, are valuable for LL research, yet studies on how the practices of transnational individuals are reflected in the LL of ethnic restaurants remain limited. This study examines how a Cantonese restaurant operated by an immigrant family in Honolulu’s Chinatown displays its cultural and linguistic identities in its spaces. The concept of foodscape (Abas, Citation2019. Linguistic Landscape 5 (1): 52–79) refers to a built environment containing visible written inscriptions, literacy practices, and social interactions within restaurant spaces. Using an ethnolinguistic landscape case study approach, data was collected through photos, interviews, and field notes. This foodscape was analysed through Scollon and Scollon’s (2003. Discourses in Place Language in the Material World. Routledge) geosemiotics and Blommaert and Maly’s (2016. Language and Superdiversity, 197–217. Routledge) ethnographic linguistic landscape analysis (ELLA). Findings revealed that restaurant spaces were constructed as foodscapes that index cultural and linguistic heritage, connections to local communities, multilingual practices, and adaptations to new norms. This study advances discussions of how linguistic and semiotic resources mediate authenticity and transnational identity, and highlights intersections among authenticity, transnational practices, and hybridisation in urban foodscapes.
Jia Liu (Mon,) studied this question.