Language Policy and Communication Policy - Same Same but Different?

Abstract

Surprisingly, no attempts have yet been made to relate language policy and communica tion policy. This is the case in theoretical contributions on language policy and theoretical contributions on communication policy alike, none of which mentions the other concept. It is also the case in existing language policies where the term communication policy is not referred to at all. Likewise, the term language policy is not found in communication policies, even when a particular company or organisation has a language policy as well as a communication policy. This contribution aims to defi ne both terms and subsequently to establish the relation between them. There are at least two signifi cant differencesThe second half of the 20 th century saw the formation of a number of new composites derived from the term policy, e.g. educational policy, children's policy, women's policy, environmental policy and immigration policy. These new derivations were related to key areas in the political decision-making processes of international, national or local authorities. From the late 1980s, the scope of such derivations was broadened to include aspects such as planning and decision-making in companies, organisations, schools and other non-political groups. Examples include senior policy, smoking policy, alcohol policy and stress policy. Along with this development, the scope of older, purely political terms has also been broadened to include planning and decision-making in companies etc. This development is social as well as linguistic, and it does not just apply to the Danish language, nor has it only occurred in Denmark. The group of new derivations also comprises the terms language policy and communication policy.

“English is an unwritten rule here”

“…Peltokorpi and Vaara (2012, p. 809) focus on the regulatory aspect of language policies when stating that: “we define language policies as the rules and regulations that govern language use in MNCs.” Following this definition, language policies can be seen almost as regulatory devices, which like other forms of regulation, control and influence human behaviour (Baldwin and Cave, 1999, p. 2). A somewhat broader definition of language policies may be found in Kangasharju et al (2010, p. 2), who argue that “language policy refers to both the general guidelines and the practical procedures and instructions for improving and harmonising internal and external communications, which the management of an organisation or another responsible party has presented in a written form.” These language policies may address language and communication at a general level, for example, by explicating what languages are to be used in what situations, or at a more detailed level, by stating specifically which documents are produced in what language(s) (Bergenholtz and Johnsen, 2006). It is also worth noting that company-external parties, such as governmental agencies, may try to influence the content of corporate language policies and the implementation of them.…”

Corporate Language Policies – What Are They

“…According to Bergenholtz and Johnsen [28], a language policy can be defined as the deliberate control of language related matters. More specifically, a language policy in the words of these authors concerns the relationship between a language or languages on the one hand, so called interlingual relations, and issues specific to the language or languages on the other hand, so called intralingual matters.…”