Pitfalls and Merits of Metalanguage in a (Potentially) Multilingual Workplace

This doctoral project promotes meta-pragmatic awareness and efficient communication in a multinational workplace.

The investigation is built upon a pilot study in a terminology and communications unit within an EU institution conducted in 2018/19 in Luxembourg. In subsequent research during 2020-2021, participants reflected on their expectations, experiences, plans, and broader social effects related to their meta-talk on language and multilingualism.

The findings inspire enhancements to the employee experience in the workplace and serve as inspiration for improving the management of language practices within international teams. The study highlights the importance of promoting meta talk in multicultural workplaces and suggests that organizations should encourage employees to openly discuss communication challenges and find ways to address them.

Doctoral researcher

Veronika Lovrits, University of Luxembourg

Supervisor

Assoc. Prof. Sabine Erhart, University of Luxembourg

Main research question

"What can metalinguistic stances reveal about socio-pragmatic intentions and their implications in the (potentially) multilingual workplace?"

Follow research updates on LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/comm/mynetwork/discovery-see-all?usecase=PEOPLE_FOLLOWS&followMember=veronika-lovrits

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2022 Nigel Holden Prize

received for the doctoral research paper “French and language ideologies in a multilingual EU institution: Re-constructing the meaning of a language choice” at the 15th Annual GEM&L Conference “The multiple facets of language in international organizations: New directions for research”, University of Passau, Germany.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview at the European Parliament

https://termcoord.eu/2022/05/interview-with-veronika-lovrits/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related academic publications

• Lovrits V (2024) Linguistic authority in the context of European mobility: Addressing the empty promise of élite multilingualism. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2024.2321394
• Lovrits V, Langinier H, and Ehrhart S (2024) French and language ideologies in a multilingual EU institution: Re-constructing the meaning of a language choice. International Journal of Cross-Cultural Management. https://doi.org/10.1177/14705958241237951
• Lovrits V. (2022). Making meaning of multilingualism at work: from competence to conviviality. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2047987 (open access)
• de Bres, J. and V. Lovrits (2021). Monolingual cringe and ideologies of English: Anglophone migrants to Luxembourg draw their experiences in a multilingual society. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1920965 (open access)
• Lovrits V. and J. de Bres. (2021). Prestigious language, pigeonholed speakers: Stances towards the ‘native English speaker’ in a multilingual European institution. Journal of Sociolinguistics 25(3), pp. 398-417. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12431 (open access)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conference contributions

• “Traineeship in an EU institution: Getting ready for a multilingual workplace” International conference “Teacher Training in Europe, „Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg and Jean Monnet Chair Freiburg for European Education and Center for Teacher Training of the University of Education Freiburg (DE), 25.-26. June 2022
• "French and language ideologies in a multilingual EU institution: Re-constructing the meaning of a language choice” The 15th GEM&L International Conference on Management and Language; Groupe d'Études Management et Langage Strasbourg, Universität Passsau (DE), 19.-21. May 2022
• “Practical effects of socio-pragmatic framing of languages in the workplace” Multilingualism in professional life, Università di Verona (IT), 25.-26. November 2021
• “Adverse ‘native speaker’ effects following Anglophones in the multilingual workplace” The Ninth Brno Conference on Linguistics Studies in English: Patterns and variation in English language discourse, Masarykova Universita Brno, (CZ), 16.-17. September 2021
• "On socially constructed aspects of language (in)competence: Raising critical language awareness in the multilingual workplace" PhD Conference in Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg (LU), 19. November 2020