Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop

This study investigated language use between shop attendants and customers at a photo shop. The objectives were to identify languages commonly used for interaction in a smaller provision shop and to examine the responses to the uncommon language choice including how inappropriate language choices ar...

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Main Authors: Ting , Su Hie, Lau, Kimberley Yih-Long
Format: Proceeding
Language:English
Published: 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/752/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/752/1/LANGUAGE%2BCHOICES%2BDURING%2BTRANSACTIONAL%2528abstract%2529.pdf
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author Ting , Su Hie
Lau, Kimberley Yih-Long
author_facet Ting , Su Hie
Lau, Kimberley Yih-Long
author_sort Ting , Su Hie
building UNIMAS Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description This study investigated language use between shop attendants and customers at a photo shop. The objectives were to identify languages commonly used for interaction in a smaller provision shop and to examine the responses to the uncommon language choice including how inappropriate language choices are repaired. The case study was carried out at a photo shop in Sibu. The techniques used for data collection were participant observation, video recording and semistructured interview. The participants involved were the shop attendants and customers. A total of 150 transactions were recorded. The results showed that Bahasa Melayu, Bazaar Malay Foochow, Mandarin, Hokkien and English were the common languages used in the transactions. The two instances of inappropriate language choices by the shop attendants were due to a misjudgment of the customers' ethnicity. The responses were non-verbal expressions followed by utterances in a language of wider communication. The, findings have implications on cross-cultural' communication and English for Specific Purposes courses and are applicable to the transactions in the Asian context.
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language English
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spelling unimas-7522022-05-13T01:54:46Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/752/ Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop Ting , Su Hie Lau, Kimberley Yih-Long P Philology. Linguistics This study investigated language use between shop attendants and customers at a photo shop. The objectives were to identify languages commonly used for interaction in a smaller provision shop and to examine the responses to the uncommon language choice including how inappropriate language choices are repaired. The case study was carried out at a photo shop in Sibu. The techniques used for data collection were participant observation, video recording and semistructured interview. The participants involved were the shop attendants and customers. A total of 150 transactions were recorded. The results showed that Bahasa Melayu, Bazaar Malay Foochow, Mandarin, Hokkien and English were the common languages used in the transactions. The two instances of inappropriate language choices by the shop attendants were due to a misjudgment of the customers' ethnicity. The responses were non-verbal expressions followed by utterances in a language of wider communication. The, findings have implications on cross-cultural' communication and English for Specific Purposes courses and are applicable to the transactions in the Asian context. 2010 Proceeding NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/752/1/LANGUAGE%2BCHOICES%2BDURING%2BTRANSACTIONAL%2528abstract%2529.pdf Ting , Su Hie and Lau, Kimberley Yih-Long (2010) Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop. In: Proceedings of Borneo International Conference on Language and Literature (BiCOLL), "Unity in Diversity", 7-9 June 2010, Kuching, Sarawak. (Unpublished)
spellingShingle P Philology. Linguistics
Ting , Su Hie
Lau, Kimberley Yih-Long
Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop
title Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop
title_full Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop
title_fullStr Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop
title_full_unstemmed Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop
title_short Language choices during transactional Encounters at a photo shop
title_sort language choices during transactional encounters at a photo shop
topic P Philology. Linguistics
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/752/
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/752/1/LANGUAGE%2BCHOICES%2BDURING%2BTRANSACTIONAL%2528abstract%2529.pdf