English in the Urban Linguistic Landscape from Lingua Franca to Lingua Symbol

The main aim of this article is to offer a brief overview of various recent studies that have dealt with multilingualism in the urban linguistic landscape (according to Landry/Bourhis), in Europe and in the rest of the world, with special emphasis on the results regarding English. English is today considered the quintessential lingua franca, in that it is almost constantly and variously present in the linguistic landscape in many cities in the world, from store signs to directions for tourists, from messages in shop windows to commercial billboards. The studies discussed, in addition to confirming this role as lingua franca, highlight the growing use of English as a language symbolic of globalization, multiculturalism and prestige.