An Introduction to Language Matters: Part 2

Abstract

Having met up recently at the ABC’s 10th European conference in Antwerp, we coeditors were very pleased to see how well the first issue of “Language Matters” (Journal of Business Communication, April 2010), which focused on language at the macro level, has resonated with the business communication community. Not only were many positive comments made about the articles in the first issue but also many of the key concerns raised regarding the centrality of language in business communication were reflected in the conference presentations and plenary sessions. Indeed, both Guiliana Garzone (2010) and Brigitte Planken’s (2010) plenary addresses emphasized the importance of both language and new technologies in development in business communication, and several of the articles in “Language Matters” show how the synergy between language and technology is influencing the evolution of business communication today. Similarly, Jo Mackiewicz’s (2010) engaging plenary talk reminded us of the importance of relating research findings to business practice and of the need to give due attention to the implications of any research we do: a plea that we hope has been carefully attended to in the articles in these two issues. Both issues of “Language Matters” attempt to show how language continues to play a central role in what Planken (2010) referred to as “the changing landscape of business communication” as increasing globalization and the