Introducing Language in the Workplace

Description

Assuming no prior linguistics background, this introductory textbook summarises key topics and issues from workplace discourse research in a clear and accessible manner. The topics covered include how people issue directives, use humour and social talk, and how they manage conflict and disagreement. The role of language in the enactment of identity is also explored, in particular leadership, gender, and cultural identity, along with the implications and applications of workplace research for training and communications skills development. Over 160 international examples are provided as illustration, which come from a wide range of workplace settings, countries and languages. The examples focus on authentic spoken discourse, to demonstrate how theory captures the patterns found in everyday interaction. Introducing Language in the Workplace provides an excellent up-to-date resource for linguistics courses as well as other courses that cover workplace discourse, such as business communication or management studies.

Bernadette Vine is a Researcher on the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project, based at the School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Bernadette has been part of the core project team since it began in 1996. Bernadette's research interests include workplace communication, leadership and New Zealand English. She is the author of Getting Things Done at Work: The Discourse of Power in Workplace Interaction (2004) and is co-author of Leadership, Discourse and Ethnicity (with Janet Holmes and Meredith Marra, 2012). She is editor of The Routledge Handbook of Language in the Workplace (2017).

'This book provides an excellent resource for anyone interested in workplace communication. Packed with useful real-world examples and providing a very comprehensive account of key topics in professional communication, Introducing Language in the Workplace is both engaging and accessible. I will certainly be using this book for teaching and would highly recommend it to students, practitioners and academics.' Malgorzata Chalupnik, University of Nottingham 'This book helps students, researchers and professionals connect abstract concepts and theories, like leadership, gender or power to specific instances of communication. The book guides the reader through detailed analyses of workplace interactions, offering both a long needed resource for instances of real-life data and a welcome guide to applying a range of analytical methodologies.' Erika Darics, Aston University 'This comprehensive, accessible and timely book explores key topics related to language in workplaces, such as how gender is relevant to the way people communicate at work, or why small talk can be so important to the development of relationships with colleagues, or why we tell stories. Dr Vine lucidly demonstrates the value of analysing authentic interactions, both from a research perspective and in terms of feeding back to workplaces.' Michael Handford, Cardiff University 'Requiring no previous knowledge of linguistics, this book provides an excellent and up-to-date introduction to spoken workplace discourse which will be highly relevant for students of language and business alike. It presents a range of approaches to analysing workplace interaction in an accessible manner, while the social constructionist theory underpinning all these approaches encourages readers to develop a differentiated and critical understanding of the topics covered. Special and original features include the wealth of spoken data excerpts from all over the world, the chapter summaries and exercises at the end of each chapter, as well as a final chapter with a discussion of implications and applications of each research topic.' Almut Koester, Vienna University of Economics and Business 'Moving beyond the world of 'corporate discourse' this book focuses on real world talk in a diverse range of workplace settings and occupations. Its approach and accessible style make it useful and interesting to a wide audience. Shifting from the traditional self-report data, contributors present authentic interactions in many contexts including talk between employees and clients, bus passengers, emergency management interaction and a lawyer's courtroom summing up. As a result, the book provides fascinating insights into what people actually say and do in the workplace rather than what they say they do. A must-read for both scholars and practitioners.' Jeannie Fletcher, Massey University, Auckland 'This exciting new textbook will be a much-needed addition to the growing field of language studies in the workplace. Including the voices of several international research experts, Bernadette Vine has succeeded in producing an excellent introductory volume, which covers a number of crucial areas of contemporary workplace research. It is brought to life by an impressive range of authentic workplace interactions. It is a must-read for any language student interested in exploring the practical applications of linguistics.' Louise Mullany, University of Nottingham