The linguistic landscape as an additional source of input in second language acquisition

In this article we explore the role that the linguistic landscape, in the sense of
all the written language in the public space, can have in second language acquisition
(SLA). The linguistic landscape has symbolic and informative functions
and it is multimodal, because it combines visual and printed texts, and
multilingual, because it uses several languages. In this paper we look at its
potential use as a source of input in SLA, in general, and in the acquisition
of pragmatic competence, in particular. We also inquire into the role of the
linguistic landscape in the acquisition of multimodal literacy skills and multicompetence.
We conclude that the linguistic landscape is a learning context
and can also be used for raising awareness in SLA.