Abstract
<p>Organisations recruiting knowledge workers worldwide face a considerable challenge with regard to the choice of corporate language. The use of English as a lingua franca is often perceived as the most obvious option. However, there may be good arguments for using the host country language even in cases where the language in question is relatively small and the English skills of the local population are high. Our paper reports on the results of a study of a Nordic organisation that has chosen the local language as its corporate language. We investigate the implications for the employees’ professional and social identity and also discuss the language ideology underlying this choice. The study is based on both interviews and a survey conducted among both local and international members of the organization.</p>
Highlights
The 21st century has seen a dramatic increase in the number of linguistically diverse organisations, as labour mobility creates workforces hailing from various national backgrounds
In the following we present the results from our interviews and the questionnaire relating to language ideology (3.1), language and social identity (3.2), and language and professional identity (3.3)
Language ideology Questions relating to language ideology were posed both in the interviews and in the survey with a view to identifying the rationalisations behind the choice of the local language as a corporate language, and to determining to what extent these rationalisations were accepted by both Norwegian and international employees
Summary
The 21st century has seen a dramatic increase in the number of linguistically diverse organisations, as labour mobility creates workforces hailing from various national backgrounds. One of the consequences of this development is the need to solve the communicative issues that arise from a workforce that do not share a first language. Empirical research in this field indicates that many organisations resort to ad hoc solutions with regard to solving communicative issues in linguistically diverse settings. The description of ELF focuses on communicative effectiveness and accommodation skills rather than narrow notions of correctness linked to native English varieties, and “enables its users to express themselves more freely without having to conform to norms which represent the sociocultural identity of other people” (Howatt/Widdowson 2004: 361). For the present group of knowledge workers, being able to express themselves using ELF is a requirement for having an international career
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
