scholarly journals Content Analysis of Language-Sensitive Recruitment Influenced by Corporate Language Policy Using Topic Modeling

2021 ◽  
pp. 77-91
Author(s):  
Ziyuan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Text Analysis ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
English Language ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Corporate Context ◽  
Textual Practice ◽  
Language Boundaries ◽  
Corporate Language

Language-sensitive recruitment is a language management tool frequently used by corporate organizations. However, its relationship with corporate policy is lacking; hence, this study aims to consider language-sensitive job advertisements from a computational text analysis perspective and explore the match (or mismatch) between language-sensitive recruitment (English, Japanese, or bilingual) and corporate language policy. This study uses corpus methods combined with topic modeling and text analysis to investigate the influence of corporate language policy on the textual practice of language-sensitive recruitment in a Japanese multinational corporation (MNC). This study finds a considerable discrepancy between recruitment needs and corporate language policy. It also finds that bilinguals still play a key role in crossing language boundaries 10 years post-mandate of the English language policy in this Japanese MNC. The study contributes to business language by exploring an additional scenario for linking language competency with actual recruitment needs. Thus, this study sheds light on the implementation of language-sensitive recruitment in a multilingual corporate context, affecting the communication patterns and recruitment tactics.

Compulsory African language learning at a South African university

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Rudwick
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
South African ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
African Language ◽  
The South ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Vernacular Language

Abstract While many universities in the world are making provisions to include the English language in their institutional structure, the South African University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) is opposing the hegemony of English in its institution. The University has launched a language policy and planning (LPP) strategy that makes provisions first to incorporate the vernacular language Zulu as language of learning and teaching, and second, to promote it as a subject. In this vein, the institution recently made an unprecedented decision for the South African higher education system. Since the first semester of 2014, a specific Zulu language module is a mandatory subject for undergraduate students who have no proficiency in the language. Although considered a watershed moment among many African language promoters, the mandatory ruling is fiercely discussed and debated in the institution and beyond. Theoretically grounded in Language Management Theory (LMT) and empirically based on semi-ethnographic fieldwork, this article examines the interplay between macro and micro language dynamics at UKZN in the context of the mandatory Zulu module. In juxtaposing interview discourses of language policy stakeholders with those of Zulu lecturers, the study reveals a stark discrepancy between macro and micro language management at this university. The article argues that this mismatch between the language policy intents and actual practices on the ground is symptomatic for South Africa’s language policy in education being shaped more by ideological interests than by pedagogical regards.

scholarly journals English Language Policy in Relation to Teachers and Teacher Educators in Latvia: Insights from Activity Systems Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 60-76
Author(s):  
Tatjana Bicjutko ◽  
Līva Goba-Medne
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Systems Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Activity Systems ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Activity Systems Analysis

The ambitious objectives of European language policy and the strive for competitiveness have led to an increasing emphasis on foreign language competence at the level of national education systems. Using Spolsky’s onion model of language policy (2004) and Engeström’s Expansive Learning theory (1987, 2008), the study attempts to determine the formative influence of the existing multilayered language policy on the professional development of Latvian educators with the aim to compare the situation for teachers and teacher educators in respect of their English language proficiency.Given the prioritisation of English and strategic differences in foreign language management in relation to teachers and faculty, the activity systems analysis points to significantly higher demands and concomitant pressure in respect of English language competence of academic staff, and the lack of incentives to increase their proficiency for teachers. Remedying the existing situation through policy making, both systemic and individual perspectives should be taken into account, as their interplay affects the agency of educators in achieving the goals.

scholarly journals Global Commitment or Local Grievances? An Assessment of the Grundfos Language Policy

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (41) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Hanne Tange
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Language Policy ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Research Perspective ◽  
The Core ◽  
Local Practices ◽  
Management Communications ◽  
Different Parts ◽  
Corporate Language

This empirical study discusses language workers’ involvement with and responses to the introduction of a corporate language policy at the Danish multinational Grundfos in April 2004. The core argument is that a discrepancy exists between language workers’ global commitment to language management and respondents’ local practices. The analysis explores this differentiation in relation to the themes of language value, language visibility, and the visibility of the corporate language policy, comparing the confl icting views of respondents from management, communications, branding, technical marketing, production, and development units. This leads to the conclusion that the effect of the corporate language initiative is closely related to language attitudes in the different parts of the organisation, which calls for a research perspective that may accommodate local as well as global concerns.

scholarly journals Analyzing cultural expatriates' attitudes toward “Englishnization” using dynamic topic modeling

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Ziyuan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Corporate Culture ◽  
Topic Modeling ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Work Practices ◽  
English Only ◽  
Perceptions Of Leadership ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Corporate Language

Several Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) have recently adopted an English-only policy known as “Englishnization”. This study examines the impact of this policy using computer-assisted text analysis to investigate changes in cultural expatriates’ perceptions of Japanese work practices and values over time. Cultural expatriates are a significant but underexplored outcome of globalization. Despite the recent proliferation of studies on the internationalization of Japanese MNCs, few studies have focused on cultural expatriates' perceptions of corporate language policy in social media texts. This study analyzes a corpus of 208 posts from Rakuten, a Japanese MNC, on Glassdoor from 2009 to 2020. The findings suggest that these posts can be divided into three content groups: the threat of a foreign corporate culture, embracing the Rakuten way, and perceptions of leadership and marginalized status. Further, the posts reveal how Rakuten’s corporate language policy, as an instrument of internal internationalization, impacts external internationalization. The dynamics of “Englishnization’’ reveal a pressing issue facing Rakuten: namely, how to balance multinational cohesion with monolingualism and multiculturalism. This paper aims to demonstrate that dynamic topic modeling could enhance our understanding of the manner in which cultural expatriates and the English-only policy affect the internationalization of Japanese MNCs. It contributes to the literature by examining cultural expatriates’ perceptions of Japanese work practices and values from a diachronic perspective.

Impacts and implications of English as the corporate official language policy: A case in Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-129
Author(s):  
Saeko Ozawa Ujiie
Keyword(s):  
Language Policy ◽  
Foreign Market ◽  
Official Language ◽  
English Only ◽  
Common Solution ◽  
Corporate Official ◽  
Multilingual Learning ◽  
Japanese Employees ◽  
Japanese Speaker ◽  
Corporate Language

AbstractIncreasing numbers of corporations are now operating across national borders as a result of globalization. The “language barrier” is the first and foremost challenge they encounter when starting a business in a foreign market, and many companies are trying to solve the problem by adopting a common corporate language. Using English as an official corporate language is the most common solution for those corporations. The present study explored the impacts of English as a corporate official language policy implemented at a company, a rapidly developed high profile IT Company with 20,000 employees, in Japan, a country often perceived to be relatively monolingual and monocultural. When I started studying the company, I first found that the company’s motive to use English as the official corporate language was different from other instances of corporate language policy making I had come across. In previous studies (e.g., Feely & Harzing 2003; Marschan-Piekkari, Welch, & Welch 1999), the companies implemented common corporate language to solve problems caused by language barriers between employees with diverse linguistic backgrounds. However, the company in this study implemented the corporate language policy to prepare for globalization and recruit talents globally. When the company introduced the English-only language policy, most of the employees of the company were Japanese. Therefore, at the time of implementing the language policy, there was no compelling reason for them to use English. The language policy did not work effectively except for a few departments with non-Japanese employees who spoke different first languages. English functioned as a lingua franca in those departments with multinational employees. The findings indicate that for NNESs (non-native English speakers) to communicate with each other in English, the environment has to be more multilingual, less dominated by a single first language. Although almost all Japanese citizens are required to take intensive English courses in compulsory schoolings, the average level of English proficiency is considered to be relatively low in the advanced economies. The present study indicates that it is not for linguistic competence but a lack of interaction with other ELF speakers. Therefore, for learners of ELF in an intensely monolingual society such as Japan to become competent communicators in ELF, providing multilingual learning environments would be more effective than the prevailing teaching practices of classroom learning in L1 Japanese speaker only environments.

Summaries

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Text Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Automated Analysis ◽  
Supervised Machine Learning ◽  
Automated Text Analysis ◽  
Research Problems ◽  
Dutch Language ◽  
Automated Methods

Damian Trilling & Jelle Boumans Automated analysis of Dutch language-based texts. An overview and research agenda While automated methods of content analysis are increasingly popular in today’s communication research, these methods have hardly been adopted by communication scholars studying texts in Dutch. This essay offers an overview of the possibilities and current limitations of automated text analysis approaches in the context of the Dutch language. Particularly in dictionary-based approaches, research is far less prolific as research on the English language. We divide the most common types of content-analytical research questions into three categories: 1) research problems for which automated methods ought to be used, 2) research problems for which automated methods could be used, and 3) research problems for which automated methods (currently) cannot be used. Finally, we give suggestions for the advancement of automated text analysis approaches for Dutch texts. Keywords: automated content analysis, Dutch, dictionaries, supervised machine learning, unsupervised machine learning

Vietnamese–Australian children’s language proficiency and use

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692110345
Author(s):  
Van H Tran ◽  
Cen Wang ◽  
Sharynne McLeod ◽  
Sarah Verdon
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Language Ideologies ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Demographic Factors ◽  
Language Practices ◽  
Language Management ◽  
Factors Associated

Aim: To explore Vietnamese–Australian children’s proficiency and use of Vietnamese and English and identify associated factors that are related to demographics, language practices, language ideologies, and language management. Methodology: Vietnamese–Australian parents ( n = 151) completed a questionnaire (in English or Vietnamese) regarding their child’s language proficiency and use, demographic details and a range of factors as conceptualized by Spolsky’s language policy theory: language practices; language ideologies; and language management. Data and analysis: Bivariate analyses (Pearson’s correlation and analysis of variance) and multiple regression models were conducted to explore associations between language proficiency and use and associated factors and identify the most significant factors. Findings/conclusions: Factors associated with children’s Vietnamese language proficiency (oral/written) included: demographic factors; language practices; language ideologies; and language management. In contrast, children’s English language proficiency (oral/written) was linked to demographic factors and language practices. Children’s Vietnamese language use was not significantly correlated with demographics but rather with language practices, language ideologies, and language management. Children’s home language use and proficiency did not have a negative impact upon their English proficiency. Originality: This study is the first to consider factors associated with Vietnamese–Australian children’s language proficiency and use. Significance/implications: Demographic factors, language practices, language ideologies, and language management were associated with children’s language proficiency and use. The results can be used by parents, educators, policy-makers, speech–language pathologists and other professionals to support Vietnamese–Australian and multilingual children around the world to develop and maintain their home and majority languages.

scholarly journals The Role of Syntactic Expressive Means in the English Language Economic Mass Media

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Olga Dzhagatspanyan ◽  
Svetlana Orlova
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Text Analysis ◽  
English Language ◽  
Economic Report ◽  
Rhetorical Question ◽  
Economic Discourse ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Oral Speech ◽  
Media Reports

This article studies expressive syntax as a type of stylistic devices and illustrates its use in publicistic style economic oral and written media reports. The relevance of the research is that syntactic expressive means have not been thoroughly studied and analyzed in economic mass media. The work aims to identify the techniques that apply syntactic expressive means to evoke emotiveness in economic media reports. This article also addresses the recurrence of usage of expressive syntax in written and oral speech involving economic discourse. Using the method of text analysis on the bases of theoretical linguistic statements evaluating functional style, media stylistics, and stylistic devices in the English language, we determined the diverse usage of expressive syntax in both videocasting and written articles. From analyzed syntactic expressive means, we identified the frequency and common usage of such syntactic expressive means as rhetorical question and simple repetition in oral and written reports. The sample analysis indicated that a paragraph in any economic report might restrain more than one occurrence of expressive syntax; these carry a manipulative function through psychological phenomena represented via syntactic expressive means.

scholarly journals Topic Modelling in Bangla Language: An LDA Approach to Optimize Topics and News Classification

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malek Mouhoub ◽  
Mustakim Al Helal
Keyword(s):  
Topic Modeling ◽  
Text Categorization ◽  
English Language ◽  
Latent Dirichlet Allocation ◽  
Similarity Measures ◽  
Document Collections ◽  
Statistical Language Modeling ◽  
Document Models ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
News Corpus

Topic modeling is a powerful technique for unsupervised analysis of large document collections. Topic models have a wide range of applications including tag recommendation, text categorization, keyword extraction and similarity search in the text mining, information retrieval and statistical language modeling. The research on topic modeling is gaining popularity day by day. There are various efficient topic modeling techniques available for the English language as it is one of the most spoken languages in the whole world but not for the other spoken languages. Bangla being the seventh most spoken native language in the world by population, it needs automation in different aspects. This paper deals with finding the core topics of Bangla news corpus and classifying news with similarity measures. The document models are built using LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) with bigram.

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