The linguistic domains of business and commerce are especially affected by the economic and communicative globalization. Since language use in these domains has an impact on the use of a language in other domains, the future development of the European languages will not mainly depend on language-internal processes, but will increasingly be influenced by the use of English as the international vehicular language. The present development in Europe is discussed in several overview articles and a series of reports on the specific situation in various European countries. In addition, the Lisbon Resolution of EFNIL, pointing at the advantages of multilingualism in international business, is presented in 26 languages including the 23 official languages of the European Union. It calls the EU and its members to acknowledge languages as key factors for economic success, also from the perspective of consumers and workers.

This volume fills an important gap in exploring English in the domains of business and commerce through the prism of sociolinguistics and the sociology of language, as opposed to analyzing business genres or taking a linguodidactic approach. It expands the regional coverage of English in Europe, with several studies based in Central Europe, and also considers contexts which interact with Europe even though they are physically outside of it (Asia, Africa). It addresses English as just one of several languages at play in the ecology of the countries. It focuses not only on the position of languages as declared in documents of various organizations, that is, language policy, but also everyday linguistic practices as observed in business contexts, that is, interactions. The studies are divided into three thematic areas: ideologies and discourses on English in the business sphere, the management of English in business and organizational contexts, and English and other languages on local and international labor markets. It will be of interest to readers concerned with multilingualism in the economic sphere and the workplace and the interplay between macro and micro levels during the management of communication in organizations.

This volume fills an important gap in exploring English in the domains of business and commerce through the prism of sociolinguistics and the sociology of language, as opposed to analyzing business genres or taking a linguodidactic approach. It expands the regional coverage of English in Europe, with several studies based in Central Europe, and also considers contexts which interact with Europe even though they are physically outside of it (Asia, Africa). It addresses English as just one of several languages at play in the ecology of the countries. It focuses not only on the position of languages as declared in documents of various organizations, that is, language policy, but also everyday linguistic practices as observed in business contexts, that is, interactions. The studies are divided into three thematic areas: ideologies and discourses on English in the business sphere, the management of English in business and organizational contexts, and English and other languages on local and international labor markets. It will be of interest to readers concerned with multilingualism in the economic sphere and the workplace and the interplay between macro and micro levels during the management of communication in organizations.

The European linguistic diversity goes far beyond the official national languages of the present 27 member states of the European Union. In every country several languages of smaller or larger groups of speakers are used besides the official language or the languages of the majority population. These languages are autochthonous languages that have been used for a long time in the individual country as well as allochthonous languages of different groups of migrants and their descendants. The sometimes complicated relations between national, regional and minority languages within various countries are discussed in this volume. Besides reports on several countries, the general sociolinguistic and legal conditions are dealt with in overview contributions. In addition, the Dublin Declaration on the relationship between official languages and regional and minority languages in Europe is presented in 24 languages.

This volume examines the role of English in academic and research settings in Europe and provides recommendations on the challenges posed by the dominance of English over national languages as languages of science and research dissemination; the need for language support for academics that need to disseminate their research in English; and the effect of past and present language policies.

Responding to the growing interest in the role of language in international business, this book presents language as a critical management challenge for the internationalizing firm. Several perspectives are explored, including the individual, the firm

This volume examines the role of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in education in Europe. Following the implementation of the Bologna process, English has assumed a central role in European education offering institutions the opportunity to cater to the needs of an internationalized student body and increase their competitiveness. On the other hand, the increased use of ELF has become an issue of concern, often perceived as a threat to other languages, tilting the scale towards linguistic inequality and stressing the urgent need for the development of new language policies. Both aspects of ELF are at the center of discussion in the proposed volume, which consists of a variety of papers examining ELF in different parts of Europe (Eastern, Central and Western) and different levels of education. The volume makes a substantial contribution to the lively and controversial debate about what is recognized as a central topical concern of language education policy in Europe and beyond.

The Handbook of World Englishes is a collection of newlycommissioned articles focusing on selected critical dimensions andcase studies of the theoretical, ideological, applied andpedagogical issues related to English as it is spoken around theworld. Represents the cross-cultural and internationalcontextualization of the English language Articulates the visions of scholars from major varieties ofworld Englishes – African, Asian, European, and North andSouth American Discusses topics including the sociolinguistic contexts ofvarieties of English in the inner, outer, and expanding circles ofits users; the ranges of functional domains in which thesevarieties are used; the place of English in language policies andlanguage planning; and debates about English as a cause of languagedeath, murder and suicide.

This collection of essays by well known specialists in e-commerce and Internet law, drawn from both academe and practice, analyses recent crucial legislation which has created, for the first time, a legal regime governing European electronic commerce. The central focus is on the European Electronic Commerce Directive and its implementation in the UK since August 2002. The E-Commerce Directive develops a distinctive European strategy for regulating and promoting on-line business and the information society. Areas of the Directive analysed include contracting on-line, Internet service provider liability, consumer privacy including spam and 'cookies', country of origin regulation, and on-line alternative dispute resolution (ODR). Further chapters move beyond the Directive to discuss other important new laws in this domain, including the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive, the Distance Selling Directives, the Electronic Money Directive, the Lawful Business regulations on employee surveillance, the disability discrimination rules affecting websites and the extension of VAT to on-line transactions. Both the European framework and the rules as implemented in the UK are examined and critiqued for how well they meet the needs of business and consumers.