Translanguaging in Urban Tourism: Multilingual, Multimodal and Multi-semiotic Resources in Nanning’s Linguistic Landscape

This study examines the linguistic landscape (LL) of five 4A and 5A tourist attractions in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, based on 889 photographed signs. The data were analyzed according to location, language composition, sequencing, authorship, and translanguaging strategies. The findings reveal a regulated multilingual environment characterized by a clear hierarchical order. Chinese–English bilingual signs predominate, while minority and ASEAN languages appear selectively, reflecting both institutional governance and economic positioning strategies. Minority languages, particularly Zhuang, function primarily as symbolic markers of cultural identity rather than as fully operational communicative tools, indicating a stratified rather than egalitarian multilingual practice. Beyond linguistic distribution, the signage integrates multimodal and multi-semiotic resources, including interactive designs, which enhance visitor participation and contribute to city image construction. Overall, the tourism LL emerges as a strategically orchestrated translanguaging space in which communicative, aesthetic, and symbolic functions converge to reinforce Nanning’s international profile and cultural distinctiveness.