Gathering Linguistic Data from Multinational Companies: Inter-cultural Communication in the Workplace

  • Carmela Briguglio
Chapter
Part of the Communicating in Professions and Organizations book series (PSPOD)

Abstract

That much communication in international business, particularly in multinational companies, takes place in English, is a fact that faces little challenge. English is increasingly a global language, with estimates that nearly one quarter of the world’s population, or between 1.2 and 1.5 billion people, are already fluent or competent in it (Crystal, 1997). This trend is likely to continue in the foreseeable future (Crystal, 2012; Graddol, 2000 & 2006), and in the field of business, arguably even more so than in other areas (Bargiela-Chiappini & Nickerson, 2003; LouhialaSalminen & Charles, 2006). Economic developments on a global scale, new communications technologies, the explosion in international marketing and advertising, and mass entertainment have also promoted the continued expansion of English as a global “lingua franca”.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Bacon-Shone, J. & Bolton, K. (2003). Charting multilingualism: language censuses and language surveys in Hong Kong. In M. Pennington (Ed), Language in Hong Kong at century’s end, Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong.Google Scholar
  2. Bargiela-Chiappini, F. & Nickerson, C. (2003). Intercultural communication in business: a rich field of studies. Journal of Intercultural Studies 24 (1), 3–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Bhatia, V.K. & Candlin, C. (Eds) (2001). Teaching English to meet the needs of business in Hong Kong. Final Report, City University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
  4. Bolton, K. (2002). Hong Kong English: autonomy and creativity. Hong Kong University Press, Hong Kong.Google Scholar
  5. Bolton, K. & Lim, S. (2000). Futures for Hong Kong English. World Englishes 19 (3), 429–443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Chew, K.S. (2000). Money talks: An investigation into the professional discourse of employees in the Corporate Communications Department of a medium-sized bank in Hong Kong, PhD thesis, Baptist University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
  7. Crystal, D. (1997). English as a global language. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Google Scholar
  8. Crystal, D. (2012). A global language. In Seargeant, P., & Swann, J. (Eds.), English in the world: history, diversity, change. Routledge, 152–177.Google Scholar
  9. Evans, S. & Green, C. (2003). The use of English by Chinese professionals in post-1997 Hong Kong. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 24 (5), 386–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Genzuk, M. (2002). A synthesis of ethnographic research. http://www-rcf.usc.edu Accessed from /~genzuk/Ethnographic_Research.html.
  11. Gill, S.K. (1999). Standards and emerging linguistic realities in the Malaysian workplace. World Englishes 18 (3), 215–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Gill, S.K. (2000). The past, present and future of English as a global/international language: issues and concerns in the Malaysian context. Asian Englishes 3 (2): 98–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Graddol, D. (2000). The future of English, British Council: London.Google Scholar
  14. Graddol, D. (2006). English next, British Council: London.Google Scholar
  15. Hammersley, M. (1990). What’s wrong with ethnography? The myth of theoretical description. Sociology 24 (4): 597–615.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Hammersley, M. (2006). Ethnography: problems and prospects. Ethnography and Education 1 (1): 3–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Holden, N. (2002). Business communication: a mosaic of new contexts for collaborative cross-cultural learning and knowledge-sharing. Paper delivered at the 14th ENCoDe conference, 20–22 June, Munich, Germany.Google Scholar
  18. Jenkins, J. (2000). The Phonology of English as an international language, Oxford University Press: Oxford.Google Scholar
  19. Kachru, B. (Ed) (1992). The other tongue, University of Illinois Press: Chicago.Google Scholar
  20. Kirkpatrick, A. (1995). Chinese rhetoric: methods of argument. Multilingua 14 (3), 271–295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Kirkpatrick, A. (2004). Norms, varieties and intelligibility, Plenary address for the 5th Malaysia International Conference on English Language Teaching, Malacca, 10–12 October.Google Scholar
  22. Le Compte, M. & Schensul, J. (1999). Designing and conducting ethnographic research. Altamira Press: California.Google Scholar
  23. Le Vasan, M. (1994). Teaching English for special purposes: A case study of a Malaysian business organization. Issues in Educational Research 4 (1), 35–47.Google Scholar
  24. Lesznyak, A. (2002). From Chaos to the smallest common denominator: Topic management in English Lingua franca communication. In Knapp, K & Meierkord, C. (Eds), Lingua franca communication. Peter Lang: Frankfurt am Main, 163–194.Google Scholar
  25. Levitt, T. (1983). The marketing imagination, The Free Press: New York.Google Scholar
  26. Li, D.C.S. (1999). The functions and status of English in Hong Kong. English World-Wide 20 (1), 67–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. Louhiala-Salminen, L. & Charles, M. (2006). English as the lingua franca of international business: Whose English/ What English? In Palmer-Silveira, J.C., Ruiz-Garrido, M.F. & Fortanet-Gomez, I. (Eds) Intercultural and international business communication. Peter Lang: Berne, 27–54.Google Scholar
  28. Lundelius, J.O. (1997). Language and business: The Hong Kong mix. Business Communication Quarterly 60 (4), 112–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  29. Nair-Venugopal, S. (2000). English, identity and the Malaysian workplace. World Englishes 19 (2), 205–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  30. Nair-Venugopal, S. (2001). The sociolinguistics of choice in Malaysian business settings. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 152, 21–52.Google Scholar
  31. Nair-Venugopal, S. (2003). Malaysian English, normativity and workplace interactions. World Englishes 22 (1), 15–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Pennington, M.C. (1998). Language in Hong Kong: Century’s end, Hong Kong University Press: Hong Kong.Google Scholar
  33. Roberts, C., Davies, E. & Jupp, T. (1992). Language and discrimination: A study of communication in multi-ethnic workplaces, Longman: New York.Google Scholar
  34. Scollon, R. & Scollon, W.S. (1995). Intercultural communication: A discourse approach, Blackwell: Massachusetts, USA.Google Scholar
  35. Trompenaars, F. & Hampden-Turner, C. (1997). Riding the waves of culture: Understanding cultural diversity in business, 2nd edition, Nicholas Brealey Publishing: London.Google Scholar
  36. Van Maanen, J. (1988). Tales of the field., University of Chicago Press: Chicago.Google Scholar
  37. Van Maanen, J. (1995). Representation in ethnography, Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks.Google Scholar
  38. Waldvogel, J. (2001). Email and workplace communication: A literature review. Language in the Workplace occasional paper, No. 3,. Accessed from http://www.vuw.ac.nz/lals/lwp/resources/op3.htm.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Carmela Briguglio 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Carmela Briguglio

There are no affiliations available

Personalised recommendations