Kalocsanyiova, Erika ORCID: 0000-0002-3535-1084, Essex, Ryan ORCID: 0000-0003-3497-3137 and Poulter, Damian ORCID: 0000-0003-2521-5959 (2021) Signs for all: a linguistic landscape analysis of Covid-19 messaging in Hackney, London. In: 18th IMISCOE Annual Conference Online: Crossing borders, connecting cultures, 07-09 Jul 2021, Luxembourg. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This paper looks at how public health advice and guidance on Covid-19 manifested itself through public signage in six inner-city areas of Hackney, London. Lessons learned from recent public health crises suggest that the acceptance of public health messaging partly depends on meeting the specific communication needs of all populations, including migrant and minority ethnic groups. Evidence is emerging that the Covid-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting people from black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) communities. This raises new questions about the need for targeted communications, particularly in areas like Hackney where 39% of residents are foreign born and over 45% of population is made up of multi-ethnic or BAME communities. In May 2020, Hackney ranked third among the regions worst hit by the pandemic in England with an age-standardised mortality rate of 127.4 deaths linked to Covid-19 per 100,000 residents. The data for this paper comprises 1200+ signs photographed between May and July 2020 in six Hackney neighbourhoods with different levels of deprivation. Data was collected in three phases to document the linguistic landscape of the lockdown, through the easing of restrictions, to the reopening of society. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to investigate the presence and prevalence of communications aimed at BAME communities and other vulnerable groups. Drawing on this empirical work and the review of relevant research in the field of health and risk communication, this contribution will direct attention to the lack of targeted messaging during the first wave of the pandemic. It will also show how public signage around Covid-19 evolved and responded, or failed to respond, to changing conditions and needs as the crisis unfolded. In doing so, this paper advances knowledge about the role of public signage in effective health communication, especially in deprived inner-city neighbourhoods with high proportions of immigrant residents.

Item Type:	Conference or Conference Paper (Speech)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Covid-19; linguistic landscape; London; messaging; inequality
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Thinking and Learning
Last Modified:	08 Mar 2022 12:47
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/35308

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