1 Introduction

The industrialization of rural areas in southern Jiangsu has triggered two-way population flow. Qiuze Village is taken as the research object to explore the relationship between language landscape and social subject identity construction, analyze the identity characteristics and social relationship changes of different groups.

Theoretical background, research methods, and research objects

From the perspective of social constructivism, this paper explores the dynamics and multiplicity of identity, emphasizing that identity is constructed through language and nonverbal means in interaction. Chen Xinren proposed the concept of pragmatic identity, which includes self identity and other identity, as well as the macro and micro levels of identity construction. Scholars such as Tracy and Bucholtz have studied the linguistic means of identity construction, such as personal pronouns, speech acts, and phonetics. Language landscape research focuses on how language landscapes construct identity, and Gallina proposes macro and micro analytical frameworks. Researchers have proposed a language landscape resource system for constructing identity, including direct and indirect identity resources, based on previous research. Direct identity resources refer to identity nouns, while indirect identity resources include hyper discourse resources (code, placement) and discourse resources (content resources, formal resources). The study adopts the method of language landscape ethnography, combined with synchronic and historical analysis, to explore the relationship between language landscape and identity construction. The research object is Qiuze Village in Kunshan City. Through immersive surveys, filming of language landscapes, interviews and exchanges, rich first-hand information was collected, providing empirical basis for the study.

3 Language Landscape Resources of Qiuze Village

Detailed records of the language landscape resources in Qiuze Village, Suzhou, including 8 categories and a total of 3477 samples. Renting and building categories include rental advertisements, rental management notices, etc., reflecting changes in the rental market and the funding sources for villagers to build houses. Restaurants and supermarkets showcase the identity and characteristics of their operators through signs and product introductions, with diverse naming conventions such as pointing to owners, consumers, or imitating others. The fishing ban and flood control signs reflect the government's management and protection of resources, such as the fishing ban notices in Dianshan Lake and the signs on flood control embankments. Road and bridge signs include road name signs, traffic signs, etc., indicating the changes in the rural road management system. Environmental and rural style signs such as rural civilization paintings and garbage classification signs showcase the villagers' aspirations for a better life. License plates and work uniforms reflect the professional identity of villagers and outsiders, such as work uniforms for environmental sanitation, property management, etc. Although there are not many signs related to agricultural production and municipal facilities, they reflect the agricultural foundation and municipal construction of the village. These linguistic landscape resources are not only numerous, but also constantly changing, reflecting the identity construction and village development of the social subjects in Qiuze Village.

Identity Construction and Social Relations of Social Subjects in Qiuze Village

The language landscape of Qiuze Village presents and constructs multiple identities of different social entities such as villagers, village committees, migrant workers, and merchants through various signs and signage, such as rental advertisements, building signs, mobile food trucks, fishing ban signs, river and lake chief signs, road code signs, bridge code signs, road chief signs, "Residential Environment Improvement Architecture Map", "Public Toilet Sanitation Management System", car license plates, work uniforms, "High quality Agricultural Product Base" signs, sewage treatment signs, and citizen stations. These identities include landlords, construction workers, service industry practitioners, modern agriculture practitioners, law enforcers, managers, public service providers, and cultivators of rural customs and civilization. The identities of social entities in Qiuze Village are diverse, variable, and mobile, resulting in complex social relationships between different groups such as landlords and tenants, neighbors, customers and shop owners, employees and employers, colleagues, partners, law enforcers and law enforcement targets. These social relationships reflect the social relationships generated by the interaction between subjects, and reflect the diversity and dynamism of the social subject identity in Qiuze Village.

5 Conclusion

Under the strategy of industrialization and rural revitalization, Qiuze Village has achieved significant population mobility and improved municipal facilities, with a rich and diverse language landscape. The analysis of language landscape ethnography reveals the construction and changes of multiple identities of villagers, reflecting the complexity of contemporary rural social relations in China. These changes pose new challenges to rural social governance.