• ISSN: 2382-6282 (Print); 2972-3108 (Online)
    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
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    • DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
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HOME > Archives > 2025 > Volume 11 Number 2 (2025) >
IJLLL 2025 Vol.11(2): 66-71
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2025.11.2.575

A Comparative Study on Linguistic Landscapes between China and America During COVID-19 Based on Polyphony Theory

Zezong Tang and Yi Zhang*
School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China
Email: yizhang@nwpu.edu.cn (Y.Z.)
*Corresponding author

Manuscript received September 17, 2024; revised November 4, 2024; accepted January 17, 2025; published March 27, 2025.

Abstract—In 2020, the abrupt emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic had an unparalleled impact on the globe. Amid the pandemic, diverse linguistic landscapes surfaced in China and America, illustrating distinct social contexts and fostering multifaceted dialogues. To gain insights into the variations in linguistic landscapes between these two nations, the present study conducts a comparative study of polyphonic phenomena observed in 60 linguistic landscapes collected during 2020. Through examining the content within the polyphonic structure of these landscapes, it is evident that the Chinese linguistic landscape, ranging from micro-dialogue to large-scale dialogue, revolves closely around the prevention and control of the COVID-19 crisis, emphasizes the dual subjectivity of communicators and recipients, and ultimately fosters a polyphonic environment conducive to collective participation and unity in combating the pandemic. Conversely, the landscape themes associated with the pandemic in the United States appear fragmented, reflecting an open polyphonic characteristic that, to some extent, undermines effective prevention and control measures. This study contributes to our comprehension of the implications associated with linguistic landscapes in two nations and offers guidance for establishing effective linguistic environments in addressing significant emergencies.

Keywords—linguistic landscape, comparative study, polyphony theory, COVID-19

Cite: Zezong Tang and Yi Zhang, "A Comparative Study on Linguistic Landscapes between China and America During COVID-19 Based on Polyphony Theory," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 11, no. 2, pp.  66-71, 2025.

Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).

 

 

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