Pitfalls and Merits of Metalanguage in a (Potentially) Multilingual Workplace: Sociolinguistic Studies from an EU Institution in Luxembourg

This dissertation presents a compilation of four academic articles on qualitative sociolinguistic research exploring the implications of metalanguage in an international workplace. The research was conducted with language professionals from an international terminology and communication department of a European Union institution based in Luxembourg. The participants engaged in iterative semi-structured interviews and reflexive metaphor drawing, which prompted metalinguistic comments on the languages and speakers they encountered in their daily work. The analyses draw on the tradition of critical socio-pragmatic discourse analysis. They link the sources of knowledge about language (structural and social conditions), the resulting intentions (whether understood or misunderstood), and the subsequent effects of language use.
The four articles are accompanied by an overarching commentary that describes the research process and brings the separate studies together into one report. The first article describes a pilot study that investigated the metalinguistic stances of trainees identified by the team as ‘native English speakers’. The findings reveal the negative effects of language ideologies that construct the position of ‘native English speaker’ as particularly valuable in a multilingual unit. The second study explored the different meanings of ‘multilingualism’ and the development of its understanding among trainees during their internship and research participation. The results underscore the need to consider the social and affective aspects of language use, which may be of greater importance than the precision of linguistic expression, even in the work of language professionals. The third study unveiled the differing interpretive frameworks for language choice between English and French in the context of cross-cultural management. In the discourse analysis of “language cringe” and “language push”, the article reveals a number of incongruent intentions and effects in metalinguistic commentaries that reinforce stereotypes of ‘French speakers’ while limiting the willingness of individuals to use French in multilingual settings. Finally, the fourth study focused on linguistic authority in the context of European mobility. The resulting final article highlights the negative impact of language ideologies on younger workers with unstable job situations, and discusses the implications of the “empty promise” of multilingualism in the EU institutions.
In conclusion, this dissertation provides a critical, theoretically triangulated analysis of metalinguistic discourse circulating in the international work environment of the European institutions in Luxembourg. Collectively, the studies reveal the adverse effects of language ideologies at work; challenge prevailing stereotypes; and advocate critical reflection, which can lead to respectful action in multilingual contexts. The results highlight the need to pay attention to metalinguistic commentaries, as different interpretations of language use, whether manipulated or simply different, can contribute to tensions within work teams. The aim is to mitigate or address discursive manipulations by promoting open, critical, and respectful metalanguage, while acknowledging the importance of social and affective functions of language.