Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort
Based on an ethnography incorporating interview, linguistic landscape and observational data, this research illustrates how temporary linguistic value is negotiated and how an Arctic tourism destination is made fit for consumption for a specific audience. Set within a tourism resort in the Finnish A...
Published in: | International Journal of the Sociology of Language |
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2023
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Online Access: | https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/176431/ https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2021-0060 |
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ftulancaster:oai:eprints.lancs.ac.uk:176431 2023-08-27T04:06:32+02:00 Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort Muth, Sebastian Strömmer, Maiju 2023-05-25 https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/176431/ https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2021-0060 unknown Muth, Sebastian and Strömmer, Maiju (2023) Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2023 (281). pp. 103-127. ISSN 0165-2516 Journal Article PeerReviewed 2023 ftulancaster https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2021-0060 2023-08-03T22:42:06Z Based on an ethnography incorporating interview, linguistic landscape and observational data, this research illustrates how temporary linguistic value is negotiated and how an Arctic tourism destination is made fit for consumption for a specific audience. Set within a tourism resort in the Finnish Arctic during two weeks in Winter when the region habitually receives a large influx of Russian-speaking visitors, we illustrate how Russian is conceptualized as a means of economic practice by stakeholders in the local tourism industry. While some offer services specifically for a Russian-speaking audience as part of a short-term high-risk/high-reward investment, others regard Russian as an expression of a negative niche market that compromises the overall image of the Arctic as a global tourism destination. We discuss these different understandings of commodity value and highlight, how stakeholders in the local tourism economy imagine and discursively construct Russian-speaking tourists. In doing so, this paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the conditions of language commodification and the processes involved in the valuation and devaluation of linguistic resources within temporary linguistic markets. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Lancaster University: Lancaster Eprints Arctic International Journal of the Sociology of Language 0 0 |
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Lancaster University: Lancaster Eprints |
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Based on an ethnography incorporating interview, linguistic landscape and observational data, this research illustrates how temporary linguistic value is negotiated and how an Arctic tourism destination is made fit for consumption for a specific audience. Set within a tourism resort in the Finnish Arctic during two weeks in Winter when the region habitually receives a large influx of Russian-speaking visitors, we illustrate how Russian is conceptualized as a means of economic practice by stakeholders in the local tourism industry. While some offer services specifically for a Russian-speaking audience as part of a short-term high-risk/high-reward investment, others regard Russian as an expression of a negative niche market that compromises the overall image of the Arctic as a global tourism destination. We discuss these different understandings of commodity value and highlight, how stakeholders in the local tourism economy imagine and discursively construct Russian-speaking tourists. In doing so, this paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the conditions of language commodification and the processes involved in the valuation and devaluation of linguistic resources within temporary linguistic markets. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Muth, Sebastian Strömmer, Maiju |
spellingShingle |
Muth, Sebastian Strömmer, Maiju Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort |
author_facet |
Muth, Sebastian Strömmer, Maiju |
author_sort |
Muth, Sebastian |
title |
Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort |
title_short |
Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort |
title_full |
Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort |
title_fullStr |
Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort |
title_full_unstemmed |
Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort |
title_sort |
conditions of commodification:russian as a transient commodity in an arctic tourism resort |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/176431/ https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2021-0060 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic |
op_relation |
Muth, Sebastian and Strömmer, Maiju (2023) Conditions of commodification:Russian as a transient commodity in an Arctic tourism resort. International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 2023 (281). pp. 103-127. ISSN 0165-2516 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2021-0060 |
container_title |
International Journal of the Sociology of Language |
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0 |
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0 |
_version_ |
1775347424474169344 |