Linguistic landscapes in transition: Polish students’ views on Ukrainian and Russian signage

In today’s globalised world, the presence of foreign languages and signs is not unusual. However, during periods of conflict, these linguistic features gain particular significance, including linguistic landscapes. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has substantially affected the Polish linguistic landscape, prompting an exploration of the attitudes of Polish university students to these changes. The findings indicate, first, that students have observed a noticeable increase in Cyrillic signage in their cities. Second, responses to these multilingual signs – particularly those in Ukrainian and Russian – range from strongly positive to neutral, and in some cases overtly negative. While many participants view such signage as a marker of demographic change and a symbol of solidarity with newcomers, reflecting Poland’s openness amidst geopolitical shifts, others perceive it as overshadowing Polish identity or indicating preferential treatment of Ukrainians. As a result, the presence of Ukrainian and Russian signage in Polish public spaces emerges not only as a practical tool for communication but also as a powerful symbol of evolving social values.