Globalization in the Language and Letter through the Public Writings and Firms: the Case in the City Skopje

Abstract

We focus our subject of research on the changes resulting from the globalization processes in different cultures. Those changes are most obvious in the use of language and writing on the public signboards and company names. Thereto, we considered the approaches of the relevant linguists Ranko Bugarski ( Bugarski, 2001), Joshua Fishman (Fishman,2006), Manfred Steger ( Steger, 2009). Their approaches are based on detailed empirical researches on the contemporary trends in language. According to those trends, they define the language state as: 1. a state in language and 2. the language status in society. Under a state in language they imply the internal structuring of the national language, while under the language status in society they imply its place ( status), which depends on the social conditions in which that language functions. Those social conditions in which the language functions, are of exceptional importance for our analysis, since they are in direct correlation with the globalization processes, which emphasize multilingualism even more as a model according to which public communication is carried in different countries around world, among which is the Republic of Macedonia as well. Moreover, our research was focused on the following issues: - How much a foreign language is present on the public signboards and in company names compared to the mother language?, - How much are the Latin and the Cyrillic alphabet present, with exception of the alphabets of the minority communities in the local environment?