Skip to main content

The Wellington Language in the Workplace Project: Engaging with the Research and Wider Communities

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Creating and Digitizing Language Corpora

Abstract

The Wellington Language in the Workplace Project (LWP) team has been collecting data in New Zealand workplaces since 1996 and has amassed a rich corpus which provides a valuable resource for engaging with local communities at a number of levels. Our research is community-based and engagement with workplaces has helped shape our research objectives and understanding, as well as assisting research participants to develop a fuller appreciation of the importance of effective communication. Our research has also been shared with the wider business community through newsletters, non-academic journals and other media channels, as well as through workshops and seminars. Further practical applications of the research have involved teaching materials and resources aimed at helping both native and non-native speakers improve their communication at work.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    See http://www.employmenttoday.co.nz/databases/modus/pages/et-contact-details.

  2. 2.

    For the stuff.co.nz website, see http://www.stuff.co.nz.

  3. 3.

    See http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lwp

  4. 4.

    See http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/research/narrative

  5. 5.

    See http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/publications/occasional-papers.

  6. 6.

    See http://www.ssnz.govt.nz/living-in-new-zealand/information-resources/index.asp

  7. 7.

    See http://worktalk.immigration.govt.nz

References

  • Angouri, Jo, and Francesca Bargiela-Chiappini. 2011. ‘So what problems bother you and you are not speeding up your work?’: Problem Solving talk at work. Discourse & Communication 5(3): 209–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, Laurie, Dianne Bardsley, Janet Holmes, and Paul Warren. 2011. Q and Eh? Questions and Answers on Language with a Kiwi Twist. Auckland: Random House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron, Deborah, Elizabeth Frazer, Penelope Harvey, Ben Rampton, and Kay Richardson. 1992. Researching Language: Issues of Power and Method. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Czaykowska-Higgins, Ewa. 2009. Research models, community engagement, and linguistic fieldwork: Reflections on working within Canadian indigenous communities. Language Documentation & Conservation 13: 15–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammond, Sue Annis. 1996. The Thin Book of Appreciative Enquiry. Plano, TX: Thin Book Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Handford, Michael. 2010. The Language of Business Meetings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet. 1998a. Don’t under-rate small talk. NZ Business April: 52.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1998b. Humour gets things humming. NZ Business October: 60.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1998c. No joking matter! The functions of humour in the workplace. Proceedings of the Australian Linguistics Society Conference. Brisbane University of Queensland. http://www.als.asn.au/proceedings/als1998.html (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • ———. 1998d. The power of talk. Management May: 56–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1998e. Small talk. NZ Business April: 52.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1998f. What’s in a successful meeting? New Zealand Business 19.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1999a. Humour makes work go well. Employment Today July: 10–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1999b. Managing social talk at work: What does the NESB worker need to know? TESOLANZ Journal 7: 7–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2000a. Doing collegiality and keeping control at work: Small talk in government departments. In Small Talk, ed. Justine Coupland, 32–61. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2000b. Talking English from 9 to 5: Challenges for ESL learners at work. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 10(1): 125–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2001. Implications and applications of research on workplace communication: A research report. New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics 7: 89–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2002. Workplace communication and ESOL teaching. CLANZ 3: 8–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2003. Women’s talk at the top. Boardroom: The Journal of the Institute of Directors May: 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2007. Telling tales at work. New Zealand Management May: 36–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2009. Is sex relevant in the ESL classroom? In Best of Language Issues, eds. Rakesh Bhanot, and Eva Illes, 272–278. London: London South Bank University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet, and Rose Fillary. 2000. Handling small talk at work: Challenges for workers with intellectual disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education 47(3): 273–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet, Rose Fillary, Marianne McLeod, and Maria Stubbe. 2000. Developing skills for successful social interaction in the workplace. New Zealand Journal of Disability Studies 7: 70–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet, and George Major. 2002a. ‘It’s getting a bit desperate isn’t it!’ Communication on the Ward. Staff Matters, Staff Newsletter of Capital & Coast District Health Boards June 41: 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2002b. ‘Just flex your arm eh’. Communication on the Ward. Staff Matters, Staff Newsletter of Capital & Coast District Health Boards July 42: 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2003a. Nurses communicating on the ward: The human face of hospitals. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand 8(11): 14–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2003b. Talking to patients: The complexity of communication on the ward. Vision—A Journal of Nursing 11(17): 4–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet, Meredith Marra, and Bernadette Vine. 2011. Leadership, Discourse and Ethnicity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet, and Nicky Riddiford. 2011. From classroom to workplace: Tracking socio-pragmatic development. ELT Journal 65(4): 376–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet and Maria Stubbe. 1998. Small talk, business talk—Oiling the wheels of business. People & Performance June: 28–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, Janet, and Maria Stubbe. 2003. Power and Politeness in the Workplace: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Talk at Work. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, Deborah, and Maria Stubbe. 2004. Communication and the Reflective Practitioner: A shared perspective from sociolinguistics and organisational communication. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 14(2): 185–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ladegaard, Hans J. 2011. ‘Doing power’ at work: Responding to male and female management styles in a global business corporation. Journal of Pragmatics 43(1): 4–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Major, George, and Janet Holmes. 2002. Capital Coast Health Nurse–Patient Communication Study Methodology Notes. Language in the Workplace Occasional Papers 8. Available at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/publications/occasional-papers (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • Malthus, Caroline, Janet Holmes, and George Major. 2005. Completing the circle: Research-based classroom practice with EAL nursing students. New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics 11(1): 65–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCallum, Judi. 2013. Working in an Eldercare Facility: An ESOL Resource—Unit 1. Language in the Workplace Project. Available at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/resources/teaching-and-learning-resources (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. 2013. Briefing to Incoming Minister of Immigration. http://www.mbie.govt.nz/pdf-library/about-us/bims/MBIE%20Immigration%20BIM.pdf (accessed 9 August 2015).

  • Mullany, Louise. 2007. Gendered Discourse in Professional Communication. Basingstoke, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Newton, Jonathan. 2004. Face-threatening talk on the factory floor: Using authentic workplace interactions in language teaching. Prospect 19(1): 47–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, Keith. 2006. Language and Professional Identity: Aspects of Collaborative Interaction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Riddiford, Nicky, and Jonathan Newton. 2010. Workplace Talk in Action—An ESOL Resource. Wellington: School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Riddiford, Nicky. 2013a. Working on a building site: An ESOL resource—Unit 1. Language in the Workplace Project. Available at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/resources/teaching-and-learning-resources (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • ———. 2013b. Working on a building site: An ESOL resource—Unit 2. Language in the Workplace Project. Available at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/resources/teaching-and-learning-resources (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • ———. 2013c. Working on a building site: An ESOL resource—Unit 3. Language in the Workplace Project. Available at http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/resources/teaching-and-learning-resources (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • Riddiford, Nicky, and Angela Joe. 2005. Using authentic data in a workplace communication programme. New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics 11: 103–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 2010. Tracking the development of sociopragmatic skills. TESOL Quarterly 44(1): 195–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stubbe, Maria. 1998. Researching language in the workplace: A participatory model. Proceedings of the Australian Linguistics Society Conference. Brisbane University of Queensland. July 1998. http://www.als.asn.au/proceedings/als1998/stubb266.html (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • ———. 2001. From office to production line: Collecting data for the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project. Language in the Workplace Occasional Papers 2. Available from http://www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/centres-and-institutes/language-in-the-workplace/publications/occasional-papers (accessed 8 August 2015).

  • Stubbe, Maria, and T. Pascal Brown. 2002. Talk that works: Communication in successful factory teams: A training resource kit. School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies. New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stubbe, Maria, and Bernadette Vine. 1998. Swings and roundabouts: Getting things done at work. Te Reo 41: 182–188.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Vine, B. (2016). The Wellington Language in the Workplace Project: Engaging with the Research and Wider Communities. In: Corrigan, K., Mearns, A. (eds) Creating and Digitizing Language Corpora. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-38645-8_12

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-38645-8_12

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-38644-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-38645-8

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics