Kuching is renowned for its multilingual and multicultural history, dating back to the 18th century. The Old Basaar region emerged as a bustling trading hub for various ethnic groups, including Malays, Chinese immigrants, Indian immigrants, along with a smaller number of Dayaks and Europeans. The city's landscape thrived on a variety of languages, including, but not limited to, Chinese dialects, English, Mandarin Chinese, and Malay, serving as mediums of inter- and intra-group communication. Linguistic diversity defines this region.

To investigate the relationship between language and ethnic identity in this complex, multilingual setting, linguistic landscape research is conducted in the city of Kuching, Sarawak, with a focus on three streets: Main Basaar Street, Carpenter Street, and China Street.

An analysis of over 1,000 photos captured from these streets reveals disparities in the distribution of languages on signage across the region. More Malay and English signs are found on the signs of the new shops compared to the old ones, while more Chinese dialects appear on the signs of the old shops. We interpret this variation as a combined outcome of multidimensional factors in socio-political, historical, geographical, economic, and ethno-linguistic aspects. Initially, since the mid-19th century, the dominant role of the Chinese in business has made Chinese dialects the lingua franca. After Sarawak's incorporation into Malaysia in 1965, the top-down influence of language policies triggered a shift from Chinese dialects towards Malay. Meanwhile, globalization has played an important role in increasing the prevalence of English signs. Language shift in the region results in instances of non-simultaneity - the coexistence of the old and the new, indicating the nonlinearity of time. Despite this shift, grassroots initiatives by the Chinese dialect community aimed at preserving ethnic identity have contributed to the mosaic of languages displayed on signage and in daily discourse.