“Solidarity” and “inclusion” in the linguistic landscape: The presence of the Ukrainian language in public urban spaces in Poland and its language learning implications

Abstract

The aim of the article is to discuss how the linguistic landscape (LL) which emerged with the influx of Ukrainian refugees to Poland in 2022 reflects the solidarity and inclusive attitude of the Polish nation towards Ukrainian people. Furthermore, it has been suggested to consider this particular form of LL in raising language awareness, context-based language learning and language maintenance. The paper presents a two-stage quantitative-qualitative research of the LL. A diachronic approach has been applied, and the study first explores the linguistic landscape in the public space of Poznań during the first six months of war, and further analyses the changes that appeared in the LL within the following two years. The study has shown that the signs identified with the Ukrainian language express solidarity, support and understanding, as well as creating a sense of initial inclusion into the host society. “Solidarity” signs contained emotional slogans and appeals which reflected the unity of Polish society, and the shared, common objectives visible in their acting together to support Ukrainian refugees. On the other hand, the “inclusion” signs reflected the idea of including people in a group/community. This was expressed in the messages which referred to basic rights that Polish citizens are granted, such as access to healthcare, the labour market, education, as well as governmental protection. Further, “inclusion” was expressed in the signs that invited the refugees to participate in community life, for example in cultural events. The diachronic approach revealed the transience of solidarity signs, as most of them disappeared after six months, while at the same time those characterised as “inclusive” still remained in the public space of Poznań after two years of the war in Ukraine.