Beskrivelse
Studying language policy in blue and white collar workplaces as if the two contexts are separate from each other can result in a fragmented picture of the particular workplace context under scrutiny. Studies have argued that the division blue/white collar is not a straightforward one (fx Kirilova & Angouri 2017). The cleaning industry, for example, attracts migrant background workers from very diverse educational backgrounds, as are such fields as catering, public transportation, etc. Well-educated migrants also start working and even remain in so-called ‘survival jobs’ due to lacking opportunities to make a career in their original professional field (Strömmer 2016, Kerekes 2017). My talk problematizes the theoretical and methodological challenges of researching blue collar workplaces in terms of the contemporary global socio-economic development. I analyse audiodata from two job interviews recorded in Denmark. Both interviews feature the same foreign-born applicant, applying for a highly qualified position in an economics department, and a low-paying job as a kitchen help in a nursery home. In the latter case, the applicant keeps her educational background secret to the interviewers. In both interviews, however, her linguistic performance in Danish is assessed as inadequate: for the kitchen job, the manger describes her as ‘too academic’ and not interested in the actual job activity; for the specialist job, the assessment committee is concerned with her pronunciation, as they experience trouble understanding her. Thus, I suggest that although blue and white collar settings have claimed different language policies and different success criteria, when we bring ethnicity, religion and language to the mix, the picture becomes more fragmented. ‘Language’ is still a major source of marginalization regardless of the setting and the employees’ professional skills and education. Kirilova, M & Angouri, J (2017). Workplace Communication Practices and Policies. Canagarajah(ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Migration and Language, 540-557. Kerekes, J. (2017). Language mentoring and employment ideologies: Internationally educated professionals in search for a work, Angouri, Marra & Holmes(eds.) Negotiating boundaries at work: Talking and Transitions, EUP, 11-28. Strömmer, M (2016). Affordances and constraints: Second language learning in cleaning work. Multilingua: Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication 35 (6),697– 721.| Periode | jun. 2018 |
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| Begivenhedstitel | Sociolinguistics Symposium 22 |
| Begivenhedstype | Konference |
| Placering | Auckland, New ZealandVis på kort |
| Grad af anerkendelse | International |