Typographic landscape in urban space: a sociolinguistic approach

This paper suggests a sociolinguistic approach to typographic landscape analysis. Typography is discussed as semiotic resource with meaning-making potential. The argues that variation provides dynamic indexical links social practice. It obtains its ‘social voice’ and becomes an integral part of the context in which it perceived typical able generate particular socially loaded meanings. research line contemporary semiotics, interactional linguistics, discourse studies based on meaning key notion providing basis for actors’ ideological ascriptions. formation are within modern Russian urban space. argued area enables addressing agency interaction aspects communication. city space access points observing, shaping interpreting meanings context. As cases point, discusses typefaces such Antiqua font used pre-revolutionary Russia, lettering imitating Soviet newspapers, Handwriting font, Stencil their em­bed­dedness current socio-cultural analysis uses advertising, com­mercial texts. findings indicate typography should be considered results from connections sign in. Semio­tification allows observing stronger reflexivity and, therefore, metapragmatic activity communicants.