The Linguistic Landscape, broadly defined as multimodal text in public space (Landry and Bourses, 1997), has in recent times received attention from language educators as a source for learning given its ability to provide opportunities for exposure to authentic language practices (e.g., Cenoz & Gorter, 2008). Although there is a growing body of literature concerned with LL’s application to pedagogy, the majority focus on English in multilingual LLs (e.g., Sayer, 2009) and no studies have addressed the actual application of LLs in classrooms for pragmatics development.

Addressing these gaps, this study develops LL-based projects for learners of Japanese. Twenty-two intermediate-advanced learners of Japanese were scaffolded to analyze the emergency signage in tourist-oriented locations in Japanese. Utilizing an interventionist approach, student learning outcomes were measured in two ways: first, pragmatic competence surrounding directives (e.g., imperative constructions, register, lexical choice) was measured through pre- and posttest data, and second, critical competence (or critical literacy, Sato et al., 2017) was measured through reflective essays and a ‘retranslation’ unit-final project.

The pretest-posttest data shows that through engaging with language in physically, temporally, and socially mediated spaces, learners come to understand the pragmatics surrounding emergency signage (as a genre) and directives (as a linguistic phenomenon) in Japanese. Additionally, reflective essays document how students developed a critical view of LL and reveal students’ emergent understandings of the LL as constructed from social and political power. The unit culminates in a ‘retranslation’ project where students conduct fieldwork and retranslate signs they analyzed as problematic. Student findings were organized and presented to the wider campus community as a way to raise awareness of the need for accurate and clear multilingual emergency signage. The study concludes with implications for LL-based language projects and offers suggestions for future attempts to utilize the LL as a pedagogic tool.