Eng305

Session 3
the Language of Work

What is special about

the language of work?
Workplace talk differs from ordinary
conversation in:
Goal Orientation: participants focus on
specific goals or tasks;
Turn-taking rules or restrictions: there are
rules unwritten on who speaks when;
Allowable contributions/discourse: what
participants may or may not say depending on
hierarchy or status;

What is special about

the language of work?
Professional lexis: workplace context may be
reflected in the lexical choice, i.e. in special
lexis or vocabulary used by the speakers
Structure: workplace interactions are
structured in specific ways
Asymmetry: workplace interactions are often
asymmetrical: one speaker has more power
and/or special knowledge than the other

 Look at the two texts and decide:

1- Are the two conversations different?

2- Identify and note down differences relating to

each of the six features of workplace language:
Goal; Turn-taking; Contribution; Lexis; Structure;
Asymmetry

Variation in workplace language

Register

Sales

Genre

Finance

Letters,
negotiations

Variation in workplace language:

Register
Each profession has its own special lexis;
Different workplace texts may use specific
grammar and sentence structure and may
vary in style;
The set of linguistic features which
characterizes texts in different professional
contexts is known as register.
Register of medical profession is different
from that of sales.

Register: Definition
The set of linguistic features which
characterizes texts in different and academic
fields, as well as other specific contexts.
These linguistic features include grammar,
lexis and style.
Examples of registers are the language of
journalism and the language of advertising.

Variation in workplace language:

Genre
A communicative event that is defined by its
goal(s) or purpose(s).
It occurs regularly and understood by all
members of the professional community.
It has a predictable structure.
Common genres include business letters, job
interviews, negotiations.

 Look at the following spoken or written texts

from different professional contexts and try to
answer the following questions:
1- what is the register (professional context)?
2- What genre is the extract?
3- What clues including vocabulary, grammar,
structure, and style helped you identify the register
and genre?
4- What is the communicative purpose of each
genre?

Written Workplace Genres

Each profession, organization or branch of
industry uses its own range of written genres.
Basic written genres used to communicate
with others inside and outside the
organization are letters, memos, emails,
faxes.
Other written documents include proposals to
carry out work and reports to document the
work that has been done.

Importance of
Written Workplace Genres
Many written documents are produced at
work because:
1. it is necessary for future work to have a
written record of what has been done
previously;
2. it may be important for legal reasons, in case
there is some dispute about agreement
reached or work carried out.

Characteristics of Written Genres

Communicative goal or purpose;
Structured in terms of separate MOVES,
each serving a particular communicative
purpose related to the overall goal of the
genre.
For example the main function of a sales
promotion letter is persuasive: it attempts to
elicit a particular response from the reader:
getting them to buy the product or service.

Moves of a sales promotion letter

1. Establishing credentials
2. Introducing the offer:
I. Offering the product
II. Describing the offer in detail
III. indicating the value of the offer
3. Offering incentives
4. Enclosing documents
5. Soliciting response
6. Using pressure tactics
7. Ending politely

 Read the sales promotion letter from a British

printer aimed at companies who might need
their services for labels, stationery or other
products:
1. Which of the moves are used in the letter?
2. Where does each move begin and end?
3. Based on your analysis, which move always
occur (obligatory) and which are optional?