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Thesis

French

ID: <

10670/1.534h7r

>

Where these data come from
Changing perspectives on multilingualism in the professional environment in Hamburg : between language policies and actual uses

Abstract

The pre-eminent goal of the present doctoral thesis, developed under a double supervision, is to describe, to characterize and to understand better the multilingual practice in the professional sphere by crossing the German and French perspectives. The chosen fields of research are a European aviation company and the UNESCO. Both of them have in common similar linguistic characteristics: the use of English as a lingua franca, the location of a branch in Hamburg (Germany), their headquarters in France, regular communication with sites in Spanish-speaking areas as well as the offer of English, French, German and Spanish courses for their employees. The research serves a triple objective: comparing the linguistic policy rules, identifying the exact situations linked to multilingual practices in the professional field and exploring the employees’role according to the communication vector chosen. I hypothesize that, in fact, the official discourse which explicitly prescribes the use of English, leaves room for multilingual exchanges in different daily activities. To start with, the linguistic regulations are explained on the European, the state and the entrepreneurial level. Then, the research done in the professional sphere as well as the problem itself are presented. As the collection of research material is based on a triangulation which is carried out with the help of questionnaires, interviews, recordings and observations of meetings, our method requires analysing different types of discourse. Departing from the question of the surroundings which is considered in a linguistic as well as sociological respect, I pursue to establish a link between the professional stance and the linguistic practices. Apparently the multiple competences, multilingualism, polyglotism and multiple activities situations recommends a reassessment of our teaching methods for languages.

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