Linguistic landscape study focuses on the languages/scripts displayed on signage in city space, and the language choice on signs is subject to various factors. Taking language

economics as a perspective, this paper investigates the economic motivations underlying the construction of linguistic landscape in three Southeast Asian countries: Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Characterized by multilingualism and multiculturalism, all of these countries present very different language use patterns on official and private-related linguistic landscape. Specifi cally, government signs are predominantly monolingual, asserting the supremacy of national or official language, whereas commercial signs are mainly bilingual or multilingual signs, often presenting English and the major consumer language(s). This paper uses some key concepts in language economics (e.g. cost and benefi t, effi ciency and justice, supply and demand, use value and instrumental rationality) as an analytic vehicle to expound the economic factors that contribute to the formation of linguistic landscape in these countries. It is argued that the political utility is the major concern in offi cial sectors, while economic payoff is emphasized by private proprietors, and this discrepancy results in the contrast of language use patterns in government and private signs. The analysis in this paper suggests that language economics can provide a useful tool for certain language planning and policy research.