37.1116, Reviews: New Immigrants and Multilingual Linguistic Landscape in Taiwan: Ching-Yu Na and Serafín M. Coronel-Molina (2025)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-37-1116. Wed Mar 18 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.1116, Reviews: New Immigrants and Multilingual Linguistic Landscape in Taiwan: Ching-Yu Na and Serafín M. Coronel-Molina (2025)

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Date: 18-Mar-2026
From: Teresa Wai See Ong [ongtesa at gmail.com]
Subject: Applied Linguistics: Ching-Yu Na and Serafín M. Coronel-Molina (2025)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/36-3245

Title: New Immigrants and Multilingual Linguistic Landscape in Taiwan
Series Title: Multilingual Matters
Publication Year: 2025

Publisher: Multilingual Matters
           http://www.multilingual-matters.com/
Book URL:
https://www.multilingual-matters.com/page/detail/?K=9781800419568

Author(s): Ching-Yu Na and Serafín M. Coronel-Molina

Reviewer: Teresa Wai See Ong

Title: New Immigrants and Multilingual Linguistic Landscape in Taiwan
Publication Year: 2026
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Author(s): Ching-Yu Na and Serafín M. Coronel-Molina
Reviewer: Teresa Wai See Ong
Summary
Written by Ching-Yu Na and Serafín M. Coronel-Molina, New Immigrants
and Multilingual Linguistic Landscape in Taiwan is a monograph that
explores the linguistic landscape transformation observed in Taoyuan
City when immigration takes place. There are eight chapters in the
monograph, and they have two themes: (i) exploring the linguistic
ecology and (ii) reading the linguistic landscape. In the first theme,
the authors present an introduction, the conceptual framework guiding
the study and the methodology used for data collection and analysis.
In the second theme, they describe the findings, which are discussed
in four chapters, and end with a conclusion. The monograph ends with a
reference list and index.
In the first chapter, the authors briefly describe the definition of
‘linguistic landscape’ (LL) based on Landry and Bourhis’ (1997)
terminology. They continue by discussing how language planning and
policy (LPP) plays a crucial role in shaping the LL of a city. In the
case of Taiwan where the study took place, the authors state that the
Taiwan’s bilingual policy of Chinese-English has been adopted with the
aim of making Taiwan a bilingual nation by 2030. Taiwan also employs
the 2016 New Southbound Policy that aims to enhance economic
collaboration between Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries.
Subsequently, the authors state that Taoyuan City was chosen as the
research site for this study because of the new wave of immigration
that has turned the city into a dynamic and multilingual environment.
In Chapter Two, the authors talk about the foundational history and
linguistic transformations that have shaped Taiwan’s LPP. Taiwan, an
island located in East Asia, was a colony of various regimes,
including the Dutch, the Spanish, the Zheng, the Qing Dynasty, the
Japanese and the Kuomintang. In 1945, Mandarin Chinese was declared as
its official and national language, and it has become today’s most
widely used language in Taiwan. Other national languages, including
mother tongues of local ethnic groups, English and Southeast Asian
languages, gradually reshaped Taiwan’s LL due to the expansion of
local ethnic groups and transnational migration. In recent years,
Taiwan’s Ministry of Education has embraced the changing landscape and
introduced these languages in the school curriculum as elective
subjects.
In Chapter Three, the authors integrate several conceptual frameworks
that guided the study. Landry and Bourhis’ (1997) LL terminology
serves as the foundation for understanding the distinction between
top-down and bottom-up signs; Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) geosemiotic
framework provides insights into the analysis of collected data; and
Backhaus’ (2007) categorisation of multilingual writing classifies the
texts into homophonic, mixed, polyphonic and monophonic types. Guided
by four research questions, the authors explain the selection of sites
and period for data collection, alongside the artifacts that were
collected. They continue by describing the process of analysis using
the geosemiotic framework and triangulating of data for validity
purposes.
In Chapter Four, the authors report the regulations and implementation
of public and private signs in Taoyuan City. For public signs, the
bilingual policy was put into practice according to the government’s
regulations. Road signs were written horizontally and vertically with
Chinese being placed on top and displayed more prominently than
English. Different romanisations were used and a shift between the
different romanisations was observed, which serves as an indication of
the government’s efforts to navigate the complex relationship between
Taiwan, China and international counterparts. The authors also reveal
that common East and Southeast Asian languages were found in public
transport signs, and such a move signifies “linguistic inclusivity and
multicultural integration in Taiwan” (Na & Coronel-Molina, 2006, p.
53). On the other hand, the authors discover that English and East
Asian languages were found on private shop signs, including
transliteration that serves the purpose of maintaining the phonetic
identity of the shop’s brand. The main reason for using different
languages was to cater to specific communities by widening
communication.
In Chapter Five, the authors provide an analysis of the distribution
of languages on public and private signs in four representative sites
– (i) Taoyuan Houzhan Commercial District, (ii) Zhongping Commercial
District, (iii) Zhongzhen Commercial District and (iv) Taiwan Taoyuan
International Airport, which includes the Airport Mass Rapid Transit
(MRT). They state that specific East and Southeast Asian languages
were observed in each site due to the presence and influence of
immigrant communities, especially those from Vietnam, Thailand and
Indonesia. As these visitors and residents do not speak Chinese, it is
important to have signs in those languages for communication purposes.
These languages also represent cultural expression, showing how
Taoyuan City embraces the diverse communities living there.
In Chapter Six, the authors analyse the visual arrangement of
languages on public and private signs within multilingual Taoyuan City
via Scollon and Scollon’s (2003) geosemiotic lens. For code
preference, the data reveals Chinese was the most preferred language
and occupied the dominant position on public signs. This was followed
by English, Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian languages, such as
Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai and Tagalog. Such data highlights how
regional economy and geopolitical relationships have influenced the
language visibility in Taoyuan City. It also highlights the absence of
local and indigenous languages on public signs, which raises questions
regarding cultural preservation. Meanwhile, private signs in Taoyuan
City have showcased an amazing degree of flexibility because the
selection of foreign languages was more diverse. The landscape was
richer linguistically, with even Arabic seen, which indicates
accommodation for individual ethnic groups. The prioritising of
languages on shop signs varied accordingly to convey essential
information to consumers while preserving linguistic and cultural
authenticity.
In Chapter Seven, the authors explore native-born Taiwanese and
immigrants’ perceptions of the presence of immigrant languages in
Taoyuan City’s LL. In general, the community embraced the changes that
were observed and understood that the purpose was to facilitate
communication and enhance accessibility for various communities. They
mentioned how Taiwan has evolved as a multicultural and international
society over the years. Additionally, they respected such changes and
wanted non-native speakers’ identity to be recognised and valued in
the Taiwanese society. Nevertheless, there were some who expressed
their concerns that these rapid changes that would change the
‘original’ Taiwanese identity. These concerns about migration are not
unusual, but they underline broader implications for society division
that may take place.
In Chapter Eight, the authors wrap up the study by providing a summary
of the findings. They conclude that the monograph has provided a
comprehensive understanding of Taoyuan City, which serves as a
representative of how language policy and linguistic landscape
intersect.
EVALUATION
The field of linguistic landscape studies emerged with the terminology
‘linguistic landscape’ (LL) being introduced by Landry and Bourhis in
their 1997 seminar paper. Subsequently, the terminology expanded from
the visibility of languages on public and commercial signs to
everything that is seen, heard and felt in private and public spaces.
The field has also observed an expansion of conceptual frameworks
being employed to analyse and study collected data.
In this monograph, the authors have chosen Taiwan as their research
site, specifically focusing on Taoyuan City. The reason given was that
Taoyuan City has displayed a growth in linguistic diversity in recent
years, because of new immigrants and migrant workers arriving because
of its role as a crucial industrial and economic hub in Taiwan.
Migration has influenced the expansion of Taoyuan City to become more
diverse and inclusive, as observed in public spaces. In addition to
English, many East and Southeast Asian languages were seen in the
landscape, including in official contexts.
Employing LPP as the conceptual framework guiding the study, the
authors used ethnographic methods and the geosemiotic lens to present
their findings about the “complex interactions, coexistence and
competition among languages” (Na & Coronel-Molina, 2006, p.15) in
Taoyuan City. They divided the findings into four themes: (i) how
public and private signs were regulated and implemented, in
conjunction with Taiwan’s bilingual policy; (ii) how the languages
were distributed on public and private signs in four representative
sites where many immigrants and migrant workers stayed; (iii) how
languages were arranged and presented on signs (such as code
preference, multilingual writing types); and (iv) how Taoyuan City
residents perceived the presence of multilingual signs in both public
and private spaces and its implications for the Taiwanese society.
The reported findings have demonstrated practical insights into the
transformations observed in a city that embraced immigration of
foreigners. The authors describe the fact  that public signs, such as
road signs and government buildings, strictly adhered to the national
regulations. Moreover, in train stations, main foreign languages, such
as English, Japanese and Korean, were seen on public signs rather than
smaller ethnic group languages. Nevertheless, among the smaller ethnic
group languages, Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian were the most
popular, displayed alongside Chinese. Such implementation aimed for
assisting and accommodating foreigners living in Taoyuan City. On
private signs, the authors have seen that smaller ethnic group
languages were widely displayed including Southeast Asian languages,
which were uncommon in the past, particularly in a Chinese-dominant
country. Such displays demonstrate the reinforcement of cultural
identity and the influences within urban spaces. In addition, these
languages serve the practical purposes of communication for the
foreigners.
The opinions regarding the impact of these changes that were provided
by the Taiwanese community were divided, with some perceiving the
changes as positive while others perceived them negatively. For
example, some mentioned the benefits of immigration for the city’s
economic growth while others worried about how immigration would
‘replace’ the original cultures and languages in the city. Although
the findings have revealed the absence of local languages, such as
Taiwanese, Hakka and indigenous languages on the LL, which indicates
that they were no longer valued in the same way as others, this
discussion has highlighted the linguistic changes that are evident
when a city develops in terms of economy and welcomes immigration.
Nevertheless, the monograph has a lack of detailed discussion
regarding its contributions to LL studies and beyond. The discussion
provided was rather brief.
All in all, the authors have shown how languages transform a city when
immigration takes place. This is  happening not only in Taoyuan City
but also in most cities around the world due integration of economies
and cultures, advancement of transportation and proliferation of
information technology. Such globalisation is unavoidable, and this
monograph has shown readers how Taoyuan City embraced it and accepted
the intake of foreigners. It can also serve as a reference point for
those who are keen to investigate further in relation to the expansion
of the use of artificial intelligence and modern technology in the LL.
References
Backhaus, P. (2007). Linguistic landscapes: A comparative study of
urban multilingualism in Tokyo. Multilingual Matters.
Landry, R., & Bourhis, R. Y. (1997). Linguistic landscape and
ethnolinguistic vitality: An empirical study. Journal of Language and
Social Psychology, 16(1), 23-49.
Na, C.-Y., & Coronel-Molina, S. M. (2026). New immigrants and
multilingual linguistic landscape in Taiwan. Multilingual Matters.
Scollon, R., & Scollon, S. W. (2003). Discourses in place: Language in
the material world. Routledge.
Reviewer
Teresa Wai See Ong is a Research Fellow at Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore. She has extensively published in areas related
to language maintenance and language shift, language planning and
policy, linguistic landscapes and early childhood education. She is
currently involved in projects that aim to uplift neurodevelopment
trajectories during children’s early years so that their mental and
cognitive wellbeing can be optimised.



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