The Functioning of Urbanonyms in the Multilingual Landscape of Tabasco State, Mexico: Sociolinguistic and Ethnocultural Aspects

This article explores the urban naming landscape in the multilingual and multicultural context of the Mexican state of Tabasco. The object of analysis is urbanonyms—names of streets, squares, establishments, institutions, and other elements of urban infrastructure. The study aims to identify the linguistic and semantic characteristics of urban naming practices and to determine the degree of symbolic presence of indigenous languages, particularly Chontal, in the visual structure of the public space. The empirical data comprise 155 urbanonyms collected by the author during a field research internship in the cities of Villahermosa, Comalcalco, and Tenosique. The methodological framework is based on sociolinguistics and linguistic landscape theory, including the concepts of linguistic visibility, symbolic dominance, ethnocultural identity, and institutional exclusion. The methods employed include content analysis, thematic classification, and functional typology. The findings reveal the overwhelming dominance of the Spanish language across both official and commercial urban naming. Foreign borrowings (mostly English) serve as markers of globalized cultural capital. Indigenous languages are extremely limited in representation—mostly appearing in the names of culinary establishments—and perform a decorative or stylized function, without being incorporated into the institutional naming system. This reflects the symbolic marginalization of indigenous cultures and their exclusion from urban semiotics. A comparative reference to the region of Quintana Roo, where indigenous languages (especially Yucatec Maya) are prominently featured in toponymy, demonstrates the feasibility of alternative language policies rooted in cultural inclusion. The study concludes that the current naming practices in multilingual regions of Mexico require critical rethinking to foster ethnocultural equality and symbolic justice.

linguistic landscape, urbanonymy, Chontal language, indigenous languages, sociolinguistics, Mexican toponymy, public space, ethnocultural identity, naming policy, multilingualism