Language policy and planning in urban professional settings: bilingualism in Cardiff businesses

Elisabeth Barakos (née Haidinger)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This paper examines overt and covert Welsh-language policy and planning processes in private businesses in Cardiff. As part of an ongoing broader critical discourse-analytical study on the discursive construction of the promotion of Welsh in the private sector in Wales, a critical examination of language policy, ideology and perceived practices in Cardiff firms was performed. The study is based on qualitative interviews with business stakeholders in Cardiff and a set of language-policy documents. Analysis of the participants' perceptions indicates a range of factors that are in play when businesses engage with language-policy issues. It also provides a vital glimpse into how key business stakeholders perceive the sense of worth, or otherwise, of using the Welsh language and how top-down language-policy processes are mediated at the micro-level. The study identifies an overall positive trend in the levels of support for Welsh in business, with recurring favourable attitudes towards Welsh as a resource and a desirable, non-essential skill. Nonetheless, challenges remain, particularly with respect to the top-down planning agenda, which often diverges from the scenarios encountered in urban business settings.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)167-186
Number of pages20
JournalCurrent Issues in Language Planning
Volume13
Issue number3
Early online date24 Sept 2012
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

Keywords

  • language policy and planning
  • minority languages
  • language ideologies
  • Welsh language
  • Cardiff
  • discourse analysis

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Language policy and planning in urban professional settings: bilingualism in Cardiff businesses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this