Between Souks and Malls: A Semiotic Reading of the Linguistic Landscape of Saudi Arabia is an engaging ethnographic journey that charts the linguistic cornerstones of Saudi Arabia's past, present, and future.
The author, the first Saudi woman to conduct comprehensive research and surveys on the linguistic landscape of her home country, provides a profound analysis. Through meticulous observation of photographs from Souk Athulatha'a and Asir Mall, she illustrates that the semiotic elements of shapes, colors, placement, and scripts of each sign reflect not only traditional culture but also the dynamic changes underway within the nation.
The fieldwork, conducted in Asir, focused on the oldest souk, unveiling a wealth of traditional and cultural riches. This research reveals the many hidden treasures of Saudi heritage, capturing the essence of the country's evolving linguistic landscape.
Dr. Siham Alhaider: after her BA in English and her MA in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) from King Khalid University in Saudi Arabia, she went on to receive a second MA in Linguistics and a Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Florida. Her scholarly contributions include numerous research articles in the field of linguistics.
In 2022, Dr. Alhaider was honored with the Excellence Award from King Khalid University for her contributions to teaching and learning, where she is today an Associate Professor in the English Department. Her academic interests span theoretical linguistics, applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, semiotics, language studies, ethnographic studies, the linguistic landscape, and second language acquisition.