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Språkideologisk förhandling i ett globalt intranätsprojekt

Abstract

This case study contributes to research on language ideologies and language planning in the business sector by exploring the planning phase of an internal communication project. Managers and communication specialists at a global industrial company were interviewed and recorded while participating in workshops. The data comprised communication in both English and Swedish, while the planned intranet was to include several other languages. Using a theoretical framework of language ideologies and mediated discourse analysis, the transcribed data were analysed to understand how language ideologies and discourses were negotiated and how participants positioned themselves. Findings reveal a dominant ideology of language hierarchy, placing English at the top, along with discourses of inclusion and efficiency. Negotiation was played out between notions of language as problem and language as resource, with an ideal of monolingualism (“a simpler world”) in the background. Participants used discursive resources such as narratives and the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages to negotiate ideological positions. Two professionals stood out by taking different positions: a Swedishspeaking terminologist and a native English-speaking communication specialist. Drawing on their respective historical bodies, they used unofficial policy documents as resources in the negotiation. The study highlights the need for language specialists in global organisations.