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Abstract. This paper is a response to the noticeable use of Chinese script in the public space of a country with a relatively small number of Chinese immigrants. The appearance of this linguistic phenomenon in Czechia arises from its significant involvement in the gastronomy business associated with vibrant outdoor branding. Sinograms are one of the most favorite items through which Chinese restaurant label the ethnic origin of the offered food. This study draws on the conceptual framework of linguistic landscape theory and, through visual analysis, reconstructs the graphic and linguistic contexts in which sinograms are displayed on restaurant storefronts. It is based on the photo documentation collected during August 2020 in the capital city of Prague. The sinogram-oriented approach enables a unique outlook on the dynamics of the foreign non-Latin script displayed on commercial signs. The established set of similarities indicates a high level of unity in the marketing of Chineseness through the sinograms.

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Tereza Slaměníková (2022), “Sinograms on Commercial Signs. A Case Study of Chinese Restaurants in Prague,” in Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2022 (Yannis Haralambous, Ed.), Grapholinguistics and Its Applications, Vol. 9, Brest: Fluxus Editions, 135–156.


@INPROCEEDINGS{gla9-slam,
   AUTHOR = {Tereza Slaměníková},
   EDITOR = {Haralambous, Yannis},
   TITLE = {{Sinograms on Commercial Signs. A Case Study of Chinese
Restaurants in Prague}},
   BOOKTITLE = {{Proceedings of Grapholinguistics in the 21st Century, 2022}},
   SERIES = {{Grapholinguistics and Its Applications}},
   VOLUME = {9},
   PUBLISHER = {Fluxus Editions},
   ADDRESS = {Brest},
   YEAR = {2022},
   PAGES = {135--156},
   DOI = {https://doi.org/10.36824/2022-graf-slam},
}