DOCSLIB.ORG

Working in a Foreign Language

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Working in a Foreign Language Master in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts WORKING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE: Case study of employees’ perceptions in a Luxembourg-based multinational company using English as a lingua franca Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ingrid de Saint-Georges Master Thesis submitted by: Yelena Radley Luxembourg June 2016 Abstracts With the globalisation of business and diversification of the workforce, an increasing number of companies implement a corporate language policy based on the use of a lingua franca, often English. Thus more and more people face the challenges of simultaneous socialisation into a new corporate and linguistic environment, and of re-inventing themselves as competent articulate professionals through the medium of a foreign language. While a number of studies have concentrated on the management angle of corporate communication, fewer seem to focus on the language-related experiences of the employees in a multinational company. Adopting a sociolinguistic approach, this study seeks to explore the implications of working in a foreign language through the perceptions of a sample of employees at a multinational IT company based in Luxembourg and using English as a lingua franca. The qualitative content analysis of the data obtained in the course of 6 semi-structured interviews provides insights into the ways the employees construct and negotiate their daily linguistic reality. The study examines their attitudes to working in a foreign language (English as a lingua franca or other language) and outlines the perceived benefits, challenges and coping strategies. Special attention is paid to discourses linking language to power and professionalism. The adaptation to professional functioning in a foreign language is presented as a continuum, tracing the journey from overcoming initial challenges to achieving ‘linguistic well-being’. While this trajectory is hard to generalise due to the variety of contributing factors, it is argued here that this type of person-centred bottom-up research is essential for understanding the reality of a modern multilingual workplace, and for raising individual and corporate awareness of the implications of working in a foreign language. *** i *** La mondialisation du milieu des affaires et la diversification ethnolinguistique des employés amènent les entreprises à adopter une langue véhiculaire du fonctionnement professionnel, souvent l’anglais. Ainsi, un nombre croissant d’employés doit faire face aux défis que présente l’adaptation simultanée à deux environnements - celui de l’entreprise et celui de la langue de travail. En même temps, ces employés ont besoin de se réinventer en tant que professionnels compétents par l’intermédiaire d’une langue étrangère. Bien qu’un certain nombre d’études se soient focalisées sur la communication au sein d’une entreprise du point de vue de la gestion, moins d’entre elles se sont penchées sur les expériences linguistiques des employés dans une entreprise multinationale. En adoptant une approche sociolinguistique, la présente étude cherche à explorer les implications du fonctionnement professionnel dans une langue étrangère à travers les perceptions des employés d’une société informatique multinationale établie au Luxembourg et utilisant l’anglais comme lingua franca. L’analyse qualitative du contenu des données obtenues au cours de 6 entretiens semi- structurés donne un aperçu de la manière dont les employés construisent leur réalité linguistique au quotidien. L’étude examine leurs attitudes envers la langue étrangère de travail (l’anglais ou autre langue) et en décrit les avantages, les défis et les stratégies d’adaptation. Une attention particulière est accordée aux discours reliant la langue au pouvoir et à la perception du professionnalisme. L’adaptation au fonctionnement professionnel dans une langue étrangère est présentée en tant que continuum, retraçant le trajet entre les difficultés initiales et la «santé linguistique». Bien que cette trajectoire soit difficile à généraliser en raison de la diversité des circonstances individuelles, il est soutenu ici que ce type de recherche focalisant sur les perspectives individuelles aide à comprendre la réalité d’une entreprise multinationale d’aujourd’hui, et à sensibiliser le public (employées ainsi que gestionnaires) aux implications du fonctionnement professionnel dans une langue étrangère. *** ii *** В условиях глобализации бизнеса и многоязычия сотрудников многие компании устанавливают язык корпоративной коммуникации, или «лингва франка»; часто в этой роли выступает английский язык. Таким образом, растущее число людей сталкиваeтся с проблемами одновременной социализации в новой корпоративной и языковой среде. В какой-то мере коммуниканты заново создают и себя, и свою профессиональную репутацию через посредство иностранного языка. В то время как ряд научных работ касался вопросов межнациональной корпоративной коммуникации на уровне компании, конкретный опыт языковой адаптации сотрудников в многонациональной корпоративной среде пока остается на периферии. Автор диссертации берет за основу социолингвистический подход и ставит своей целью исследовать, что же в реальности означает для людей профессиональная деятельность на иностранном языке, в данном случае, через восприятие группы сотрудников многонациональной информационно- технологической компании, базирующейся в Люксембурге и использующей английский язык как «лингва франка». Материал для анализа был получен в ходе 6 интервью с сотрудниками компании. В исследовании рассматривается их отношение к работе на иностранном языке (английском или другом иностранном языке) и анализируются связанные с этим преимущества, трудности и механизмы их преодоления. Особое внимание уделяется дискурсам, связывающим язык с концептами влияния и профессионализма. Процесс адаптации к профессиональной деятельности на иностранном языке представлен тематически в виде континуума, прослеживающего путь от преодоления первоначальных трудностей до достижения «языкового комфорта». Несмотря на то, что эта траектория зависит от множества факторов и потому не подлежит обобщению, автором утверждается, что личностно- ориентированные исследования, изучающие опыт коммуникантов, имеют важное значение для понимания реальности современного многоязычного делового социума, что имеет ценность как с индивидуальной, так и с корпоративной точки зрения. *** iii Acknowledgements As a mature student and a professional language teacher, I very much appreciated the opportunity to go back to academic studies, to face the challenges and enjoy the satisfaction of doing sociolinguistic research. I would like to thank all the organisers, lecturers and participants of the Master in Learning and Communication in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts at the University of Luxembourg for creating together a stimulating real-life laboratory where we have been able to learn as much from each other as from the theory. This Thesis is a result of hard work, and it would not have been possible without the support of many people. Above all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Ingrid de Saint Georges, who patiently and enthusiastically accompanied me on this journey, encouraging me to be an independent thinker and a meticulous researcher, and, most importantly, to keep my research interesting and human. I would also like to thank my friend and fellow student Joanna for her unfailing support and valuable comments on my thesis. Furthermore, my thanks go to my friends Irina and Alexander, who helped me get access to a rich and stimulating research environment. I am very grateful to all the participants in the present study for sharing their insights during the interviews. Last but not least, I am grateful to my loved ones - Matthew, Mark and Emilia - for supporting me throughout the entire process. iv Table of Contents Abstracts ................................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. iv Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. v List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................ vii 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework ................................................................................. 4 2.1. Multilingualism in the workplace ............................................................................................... 5 2.2. Key concepts .............................................................................................................................. 9 a) Language: conceptualising language in the workplace ....................................................... 10 b) Language policy and language management ...................................................................... 14 c) Corporate language policy: importance of combining different approaches ...................... 16 d) Lingua franca as
Load more

Recommended publications
  • WO/GA/24/4 REV.: Use of Portuguese As a Working Language of WIPO
    E WO/GA/24/4 Rev. ORIGINAL: English WIPO DATE: July 19, 1999 WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION WIPO GENERAL ASSEMBLY Twenty-Fourth (14th Ordinary) Session Geneva, September 20 to 29, 1999 USE OF PORTUGUESE AS A WORKING LANGUAGE OF WIPO Document prepared by the International Bureau 1. In two letters dated November 11, 1998, and January 25, 1999, the President of Portugal’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI), writing in the name of the seven countries whose official language is Portuguese, requested the Director General of WIPO to include, on the agenda of the next session of the WIPO General Assembly, consideration of the possibility of adopting Portuguese as a working language of WIPO. 2. In support of this request, the President of INPI stated that Portuguese is the fifth most widely spoken language in the world, being spoken by 200 million people, that all seven Portuguese–speaking countries are now party to the WIPO Convention and the main treaties administered by WIPO and that the majority of Portuguese speakers are nationals of developing countries. He also noted that the use of Portuguese as a working language of WIPO would reinforce and enhance the participation of Portuguese speaking countries in the development activities conducted by WIPO for their benefit and would reflect the new dynamic spirit of WIPO’s cooperation for development program. 3. It is recalled that Article 6(2)(vii) of the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization provides that the General Assembly shall “determine the working languages of the Secretariat, taking into consideration the practice of the United Nations.” WO/GA/24/4 Rev.
    [Show full text]
  • Switzerland 4Th Periodical Report
    Strasbourg, 15 December 2009 MIN-LANG/PR (2010) 1 EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL OR MINORITY LANGUAGES Fourth Periodical Report presented to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in accordance with Article 15 of the Charter SWITZERLAND Periodical report relating to the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages Fourth report by Switzerland 4 December 2009 SUMMARY OF THE REPORT Switzerland ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (Charter) in 1997. The Charter came into force on 1 April 1998. Article 15 of the Charter requires states to present a report to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the policy and measures adopted by them to implement its provisions. Switzerland‘s first report was submitted to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in September 1999. Since then, Switzerland has submitted reports at three-yearly intervals (December 2002 and May 2006) on developments in the implementation of the Charter, with explanations relating to changes in the language situation in the country, new legal instruments and implementation of the recommendations of the Committee of Ministers and the Council of Europe committee of experts. This document is the fourth periodical report by Switzerland. The report is divided into a preliminary section and three main parts. The preliminary section presents the historical, economic, legal, political and demographic context as it affects the language situation in Switzerland. The main changes since the third report include the enactment of the federal law on national languages and understanding between linguistic communities (Languages Law) (FF 2007 6557) and the new model for teaching the national languages at school (—HarmoS“ intercantonal agreement).
    [Show full text]
  • 'Official' Languages of the Independent Asia-Pacific
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities January 2019 'National' and 'Official' Languages of the Independent Asia-Pacific Rowena G. Ward University of Wollongong, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers Recommended Citation Ward, Rowena G., "'National' and 'Official' Languages of the Independent Asia-Pacific" (2019). Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts - Papers. 4025. https://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers/4025 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] 'National' and 'Official' Languages of the Independent Asia-Pacific Abstract In November 2018 New Caledonians went to the polls to vote on whether the French territory should become an independent state. In accordance with the terms of the 1998 Noumea Accord between Kanak pro-independence leaders and the French government, New Caledonians will have the opportunity to vote on the same issue again in 2020 and should they vote for independence, a new state will emerge. In another part of Melanesia, the people of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) will vote on 23 November 2019 on whether to secede from Papua New Guinea and form an independent state. With the possibility of two new independent states in the Pacific, the possible political and economic consequences of a vote for independence have attracted attention but little consideration has been paid to the question of which languages might be used or adopted should either territory, or both, choose independence.
    [Show full text]
  • U.S.-Japan-China Relations Trilateral Cooperation in the 21St Century
    U.S.-Japan-China Relations Trilateral Cooperation in the 21st Century Conference Report By Brad Glosserman Issues & Insights Vol. 5 – No. 10 Honolulu, Hawaii September 2005 Pacific Forum CSIS Based in Honolulu, the Pacific Forum CSIS (www.csis.org/pacfor/) operates as the autonomous Asia-Pacific arm of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. The Forum’s programs encompass current and emerging political, security, economic, business, and oceans policy issues through analysis and dialogue undertaken with the region’s leaders in the academic, government, and corporate areas. Founded in 1975, it collaborates with a broad network of research institutes from around the Pacific Rim, drawing on Asian perspectives and disseminating project findings and recommendations to opinion leaders, governments, and members of the public throughout the region. Table of Contents Page Acknowledgements iv Executive Summary v Report The year in review 1 Energy security and the impact on trilateral cooperation 4 Issues in the bilateral relationship 6 Opportunities for cooperation 9 Selected Papers United States, Japan, and China Relations: Trilateral Cooperation in the 21st Century by Yoshihide Soeya 15 Chinese Perspectives on Global and Regional Security Issues by Gao Zugui 23 Sino-U.S. Relations: Healthy Competition or Strategic Rivalry? by Bonnie S. Glaser 27 Sino-U.S. Relations: Four Immediate Challenges by Niu Xinchun 35 Sino-Japanese Relations 60 Years after the War: a Japanese View by Akio Takahara 39 Building Sino-Japanese Relations Oriented toward the 21st Century by Ma Junwei 47 Comments on Sino-Japanese Relations by Ezra F. Vogel 51 The U.S.-Japan Relationship: a Japanese View by Koji Murata 55 Toward Closer Sino-U.S.-Japan Relations: Steps Needed by Liu Bo 59 The China-Japan-U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Working Group on the Legal Development of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks
    MM/LD/WG/18/5 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH DATE: AUGUST 13, 2020 Working Group on the Legal Development of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks Eighteenth Session Geneva, October 12 to 16, 2020 STUDY OF THE COST IMPLICATIONS AND TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF THE GRADUAL INTRODUCTION OF THE ARABIC, CHINESE AND RUSSIAN LANGUAGES INTO THE MADRID SYSTEM Document prepared by the International Bureau I. INTRODUCTION 1. At its seventeenth session, held in Geneva from July 22 to 26, 2019, the Working Group on the Legal Development of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks (hereinafter referred to as “the Working Group” and “the Madrid System”) discussed document MM/LD/WG/17/7 Rev. describing possible options for the introduction of new languages into the Madrid System, in particular, Chinese and Russian. The Working Group also discussed document MM/LD/WG/17/10 with a proposal by the Delegations of Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Tunisia on the introduction of Arabic into the Madrid System. 2. The Working Group requested that the International Bureau prepare, for discussion at its eighteenth session, a comprehensive study of the cost implications and technical feasibility (including an assessment of the currently available WIPO tools) of the gradual introduction of the Arabic, Chinese and Russian languages into the Madrid System. 3. As requested by the Working Group, this document discusses the cost implications and technical feasibility of gradually introducing the above-mentioned languages and provides an assessment of the availability of the Madrid System tools in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.
    [Show full text]
  • Language Management in the People's Republic of China
    LANGUAGE AND PUBLIC POLICY Language management in the People’s Republic of China Bernard Spolsky Bar-Ilan University Since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, language management has been a central activity of the party and government, interrupted during the years of the Cultural Revolution. It has focused on the spread of Putonghua as a national language, the simplification of the script, and the auxiliary use of Pinyin. Associated has been a policy of modernization and ter - minological development. There have been studies of bilingualism and topolects (regional vari - eties like Cantonese and Hokkien) and some recognition and varied implementation of the needs of non -Han minority languages and dialects, including script development and modernization. As - serting the status of Chinese in a globalizing world, a major campaign of language diffusion has led to the establishment of Confucius Institutes all over the world. Within China, there have been significant efforts in foreign language education, at first stressing Russian but now covering a wide range of languages, though with a growing emphasis on English. Despite the size of the country, the complexity of its language situations, and the tension between competing goals, there has been progress with these language -management tasks. At the same time, nonlinguistic forces have shown even more substantial results. Computers are adding to the challenge of maintaining even the simplified character writing system. As even more striking evidence of the effect of poli - tics and demography on language policy, the enormous internal rural -to -urban rate of migration promises to have more influence on weakening regional and minority varieties than campaigns to spread Putonghua.
    [Show full text]
  • French : the Most Practical Foreign Language
    French : The Most Practical Foreign Language While any language will be useful for some jobs or for some regions, French is the only foreign language that can be useful throughout the world as well as in the United States. French as a foreign language is the second most frequently taught language in the world after English. The International Organization of Francophonie has 51 member states and governments. Of these, 28 countries have French as an official language. French is the only language other than English spoken on five continents. French and English are the only two global languages. When deciding on a foreign language for work or school, consider that French is the language that will give you the most choices later on in your studies or your career. French, along with English, is the official working language of ● the United Nations ● UNESCO ● NATO ● Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ● the International Labor Bureau ● the International Olympic Committee ● the 31-member Council of Europe ● the European Community ● the Universal Postal Union ● the International Red Cross ● Union of International Associations (UIA) French is the dominant working language at ● the European Court of Justice ● the European Tribunal of First Instance ● the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg. ● the Press Room at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium One example of the importance of French can be seen in a recent listing of international jobs (8/29/06) distributed by the US State Department: 135 required or preferred French, 49 Spanish, 25 a UN language (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish), 6 Arabic, 6 Russian, 2 German, 2 Italian , and Chinese 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehensibility of Englishes Within Asean: a Synopsis of Results
    COMPREHENSIBILITY OF ENGLISHES WITHIN ASEAN: A SYNOPSIS OF RESULTS Jeffrey Dawala Wilang and Adisa Teo* Department of Languages and Linguistics, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Prince of Songkla University *email: [email protected] Abstract The purpose of this study is to measure the comprehensibility of the Expanding Circle nations‟ citizens, namely Burmese, Cambodians, Indonesians, Laotians, Thais and Vietnamese towards the Outer Circle Englishes, namely Bruneian English, Malaysian English. Philippine English and Singaporean English. Ten universities in the Expanding Circle that participated in the study, namely Assumption University, Chiang Mai University, Khon Khaen University, King Mongkut University of Technology North Bangkok, Mahapanya Vidayalai University, Mahidol University, Prince of Songkla University Hat Yai Campus, Rajamangala University Srivijaya Songkhla Campus, and Rajamangala University Srivijaya Trang Campus in Thailand, and University of Riau in Indonesia. Participants in the data collection process consist of two hundred and one subjects in undergraduate and graduate level. Eight comprehension tests and a questionnaire were used as main tools in the data collection process. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to analyze the results of the comprehension tests and to reveal the questionnaire‟s results. The following are the results of the study. (1) The Englishes spoken in the Outer Circle were moderately comprehensible to the citizens of the Expanding Circle nations. Based on the standardized comprehensibility scales and levels set in this study, the comprehensibility scores of Bruneian English, Malaysian English, Philippine English and Singaporean English are M=4.90, M=5.57, M=5.01, and M=4.76 respectively. All fell under the moderate comprehensibility level set at 3.34-6.67.
    [Show full text]
  • English As the Official Working Language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Features and Strategies
    English as the official working language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Features and strategies Author Kirkpatrick, Andy Published 2008 Journal Title English Today DOI https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078408000175 Copyright Statement © 2008 Cambridge University Press. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/41911 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au English as the official working language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Features and strategies ANDY KIRKPATRICK English as a lingua franca: a specific example Introduction: English in ASEAN gested the adoption of Malay as a second work- ing language. The suggestion was not even dis- The Bangkok Declaration of 8 August 1967 cussed. heralded the formation of the Association of The de facto adoption of English as the sole Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). While today working language of ASEAN is about to be for- all ten nations of Southeast Asia are members, malized. At the ASEAN Summit in November the number of founder member states was only 2007, the ASEAN Charter was introduced. Arti- five: Indonesia; Malaysia; the Philippines; Sin- cle 34 ‘Working Language of the ASEAN’ reads: gapore; and Thailand. Brunei joined in 1984, ‘The working language of ASEAN shall be Eng- Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Burma (Myanmar) lish’. This is the only mention of working or in 1997 and finally, Cambodia, in 1999. In official languages in the entire charter.
    [Show full text]
  • ICC-ASP-7-5 English
    International Criminal Court ICC-ASP /7/5 Assembly of States Parties Distr.: General 26 May 2008 Original: English Seventh session The Hague 14-22 November 2008 Report of the Court on options for outsourcing translation work * Point I “The Committee recommended that options for outsourcing translation work should be explored with the aim of finding lower cost providers, particularly for less sensitive work, and requested the Court to provide a report to the Committee on outsourcing options at its next session.”1 1. Article 50 of the Rome Statute provides as follows: “The official languages of the Court shall be Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The judgements of the Court, as well as other decisions resolving fundamental issues before the Court, shall be published in the official languages.” 2. The decisions requested to be translated under article 50 are all externalised for Arabic, Chinese, Spanish and Russian. The translations into these languages are sent to external translators who are qualified, experienced and sought-after translators and revisers in the legal field. A number of them are also used by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and United Nations agencies in Geneva for complex legal documents. Judicial decisions represent the jurisprudence of the Court and as such are translated to the highest level of quality required for translations (high stakes, jurisprudence, publications). 3. In order to deal with less complex and less sensitive documents, mostly administrative or open source documents, a call to tender for translation agencies was conducted in 2003.
    [Show full text]
  • The Eleven Official Languages Policy and Its Implica­ Tions for Language Teaching
    THE ELEVEN OFFICIAL LANGUAGES POLICY AND ITS IMPLICA­ TIONS FOR LANGUAGE TEACHING Johannes Rudolph Louw, D.Litt. Mini-dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Artium in the Department of English at the Potchefstroomse U niversiteit vir Christelike Hoer Onderwys Supervisor: Prof. J.L. van der Walt Potchefstroom 1996 Table of Contents 1 Foreword v Summary Vl Opsomming Vll Chapter 1: Introduction 1 1.1 The Problem Defined 1 1.2 Purpose of the Study 5 1.3 Method of Research 5 1.4 Overview of the Study 5 Chapter 2: Language Policy in SA: an overview 7 2.1 Introduction 7 2. 2 Language Policy Prior to 1993 7 2.2.1 Mother Tongue Instruction Policies 7 2. 2.1 .1 Mother Tongue Instruction Policies for Blacks 8 2.2.1.2 Mother Tongue Instruction Policies for Coloureds 11 2.2.1.3 Mother Tongue Instruction Policies for Indians 12 2. 2.1. 4 Mother Tongue Instruction Policies for Whites 12 2.3 Rationale for Adopting the Eleven Official Language Policy 16 2.3.1 Introduction 16 2.3.2 Linguistic Diversity in S.A. 16 2.3.3 Need for Redressing Historical Imbalances 20 2.4 Principles of the Eleven Official Language Policy 21 2. 4.1 The Principle of Multilingualism 21 2.4.2 Need to Redress Historical Imbalances 22 2.4.3 Policy of Regional Differentiation 23 Table of Contents 11 2.4.4 National and Provincial Language of Record 23 2.4.5 Language Planning 24 2.4.6 Right to Basic Education 25 2.5 Dealing with Language Rights 27 2.5.1 Language Rights in a Bill of Rights 27 2.5.2 Language Rights in Language Charters
    [Show full text]
  • Language Conflicts in the European Union W 321 of Official EU Language
    International Journal of Applied Linguistics w Vol. 16 w No. 3 w 2006 LanguageBlackwellOxford,IJALInternational0802-6106©163OriginalUlrich The AmmonAuthor UKArticle Publishing conflicts Journal Journal in Ltdof thecompilation Applied European Linguistics © Union2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd conflicts in the European Union On finding a politically acceptable and practicable solution for EU institutions that satisfies diverging interests Ulrich Ammon University Duisburg-Essen For EU institutions, having a single internal working language – for which English is the only candidate – would be the most efficient solution and, to all appear- ances, in the best interests of each member state and language community whose language is excluded as a working language. However, for member states from the large non-anglophone language communities, such a solution seems barely acceptable and, in addition, would not correspond to the EU’s official language policy on the preservation of language diversity. This is because “English only” is expected to inevitably transcend the borders of internal institutions and further limit the function of the remaining widely- spoken languages, especially as a lingua franca and in foreign language teach- ing. This contribution presents the conflict of interests between the smaller and the larger language communities in having only one or several institutional working languages for the EU and sketches out a possible solution which would serve both political and communicative demands. Keywords: European Union, institutional working languages, language interests, language conflicts Für die EU-Institutionen ware eine einzige interne Arbeitssprache, für die nur Englisch in Frage kame, am effizientesten, und sie läge allem Anschein nach auch im Interesse derjenigen Mitgliedstaaten und Sprachgemeinschaften, deren Sprachen von den Arbeitssprachen ohnehin ausgeschlossen sind.
    [Show full text]