Constructing environmental conservation in university linguistic landscapes: A comparative ecolinguistics study

Abstract

The language of environmental conservation is increasingly conveyed via the ubiquitous signage on university campuses, but its linguistic and ecological frameworks remain underexplored in Indonesian higher education. This study examines the depiction of environmental conservation in campus linguistic landscapes and how particular campus users interpret these messages in relation to environmental responsibility. The study used a qualitative comparative case study method to investigate 32 fundamental environmental indicators at two public universities in Indonesia, and conducted semi-structured interviews with two faculty members and four students. The investigation focused on language choice, discourse construction, ecological perspective, spatial and material context, and audience reception. The findings showed that environmental accountability was mostly expressed in terms of routine actions including waste segregation, food waste reduction, energy and water conservation, maintaining cleanliness, recycling and smoking restrictions. The widest prevalence in the corpus was shown for Indonesian, while English was used more selectively in prohibitions, bilingual or mixed expressions, details related to the facility, and persuasive slogans. The indicators were from bans and direct orders to incentives and pleas for community participation. Many participants said signage acts as a reminder and emphasized the significance of its placement and supporting facilities. This study shows the value of combining the analyses of linguistic landscape, ecolinguistics, material context, and audience interpretation when assessing environmental communication on campus.