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Multilingual Tourism in Strasbourg: Businesses’ Strategies for the Preservation of Alsatian Language Through Tourism Activities
Dalarna University, School of Culture and Society.
2025 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (One Year)), 10 credits / 15 HE creditsStudent thesis
Abstract [en]

This study explores the role of tourism in the preservation of the Alsatian language through the perspective of Strasbourg's tourism-related businesses. Using an interpretivist paradigm, it employs a qualitative methodology based on semi-structured interviews with local businesspeople in cafés, restaurants, and souvenir shops. The aim is to understand how language practices in tourism settings contribute to or hinder the preservation of the Alsatian language, a regional dialect with deep historical and cultural significance. Findings indicate that English and French dominate tourism communication in Strasbourg, reflecting the global lingua franca status of English. In contrast, Alsatian is very rarely used in functional interactions with tourists and appears primarily in symbolic forms such as names of traditional dishes or decorations, offering limited opportunities for meaningful cultural engagement. Businesspeople acknowledge the cultural value of the language but view it as economically marginal and irrelevant for everyday customer service. Alsatian’s presence is thus limited, aestheticized, and often reduced to a tool for branding or evoking authenticity. The study concludes that while tourism offers potential for raising awareness of regional languages, its current contribution to Alsatian preservation is minimal and largely commodified. Comprehensive language planning and policy interventions are necessary to foster renewed interest in the language among locals and tourists, starting with fostering local pride. Further tourism practices such as multilingual signage, storytelling, or cultural interpretation, if aligned with local community interests, could then support both cultural sustainability and economic differentiation for the destination. This thesis provides theoretical contributions by integrating sociolinguistic and economic perspectives to explore the role of tourism in language preservation, particularly through the case of Alsatian in Strasbourg. It offers insights into how regional languages can function as cultural assets and economic commodities in tourism, balancing cultural preservation and market demands from businesspeople’s perspectives. This study highlights the tension between commodification and authenticity, and the delicate balance between meeting global tourism demands and sustaining local cultural identity.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2025.
Keywords [en]
Tourism, culture, languages, preservation, Strasbourg
National Category
Human Geography
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:du-51171OAI: oai:DiVA.org:du-51171DiVA, id: diva2:1993660
Subject / course
Tourism Studies
Available from: 2025-09-01 Created: 2025-09-01 Last updated: 2025-10-09

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CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • chicago-author-date
  • chicago-note-bibliography
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf