Benidorm’s linguistic landscape: unveiling the multifaceted tapestry of urban expression

The study of linguistic landscapes offers a captivating and nuanced avenue for understanding the intricate interplay among language, culture, and urban environments. The influence of mass tourism in Benidorm, a vibrant city within the Valencian region, has left an indelible mark on its linguistic landscape, offering a testament to the transformations brought about by the tourism industry. In addition, the coexistence of autochthonous minority languages within this city presents a complex and often precarious situation, where the tensions between cultural preservation and economic prosperity come to the fore. Through our own field methodology, and under the theoretical framework of the Critical Discourse Theory, we will analyse in depth the different aspects of the linguistic landscape of Benidorm, showing the challenges that the city faces to maintain coexistence between all the different languages that populate its streets and that make up a unique linguistic landscape.