• In or Out? Linguistic Realities at the Workplace

    Most of us have probably heard of multinational corporations like Microsoft, Amazon, Nike, L’Oréal, Apple, Facebook, Ikea and Toyota. They are all around us. Now you might wonder why I mention these companies on a site that is dedicated to languages. In an increasingly international market many companies are faced with the challenge of how to do business in multiple languages on a day-to-day basis. The implications of a multilingual workplace can be far-reaching. Social inclusion and exclusion through linguistic practices affect the work environment. As argued by Thomas (2009), language can act as a resource or a barrier (p. 311). 

  • Gendered Language and its Effects

    The distinction between genders is apparent in many of the languages. It can also be made visible through the use of feminine and masculine pronouns and articles. The German language even uses a neutral article (der, die & das). Contrary to this, in other languages gender differences are not specified grammatically. An excellent example for this is Hungarian. By looking at these examples, it becomes clear that language use and gender do influence each other. But how exactly does language use interact with gender in our day-to-day life? This blog is dedicated to this topic.

  • Regional Minorities and Music: Szüreti Felvonulás

    This will be just a quick and short post about a Swabian (German) tradition that is still present in parts of Hungary. I have spent 7 years of my life going to school in a town – Felsőgalla – where these traditions are actively kept alive. Most people speak fluent German and also identify as being part of the German minority.

  • Regional Minority Languages: German in Hungary

    A language blog would not be complete without talking about minority languages. They present a unique policy challenge to many European states and to the European Union. The extent to which they are represented and promoted in the educational system, the state bureaucracy and in cultural events, can vary from country to country. I am going focus on the role German plays in the Hungarian educational system. I choose this topic because of my personal relationship with it. After living several years in Germany (Stuttgart), I attended a German nationality school in Hungary. The school is located in a town where German is an actively used minority language. 

  • To speak English, or not to speak: that is the question.

    With Brexit looming on the horizons, the future of English as an official and working language of the European Union seems uncertain. If Brexit does indeed happen, it will be hard for English to maintain its dominant status. Malta and Ireland are the only Member States that use English – alongside their indigenous languages (Maltese and Irish respectively) – as an official language. The next vote on Brexit is scheduled for October 31, 2019. Until then, we should already consider different linguistic options: Will the English language exit hand in hand with the United Kingdom? What about German and French? 

  • “What’s up?” Formal vs. Informal Language Use

    In most European languages there is usually a formal and informal version of the personal pronoun “you”. For example, in German “Du” can be replaced by “Sie” and in Hungarian “Te” or “Ti” can be replaced by “Ön” or “Önök”. Some people consider the wrong usage as being rude and irreverent. However, in today’s fast-paced society informal language seems to become the norm as nobody seems to have time for politeness. The question gives itself: When does language become too casual? Is casual language a bad language? Who decides?

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