Foreign words and expressions in external English communications : the case of French in the Belgian food industry

Details

Supervisors

De Cock, Sylvie

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en communication multilingue, à finalité spécialisée: langues des affaires

Abstract

The goal of this study is to uncover the extent to which Belgian companies in the food industry, and more specifically companies based in French-speaking regions, make use of French words or expressions in external communicaitons in English. This study will look at three possibilites for the use of French: advertising, corporate identity, and (un)translatability. First, the domain of communication will be explored, investigating the role of companies and employees in communicational exchange, and how multiple factors influence and steer communicational acts and information. Then, this dissertation will look at the impact of Internet on communication mediums and the role of social media through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Expanding on these influence, it will explore the role of corporate identity in corporate communication and how it affects communication. The study will then define the difference between marketing and advertising, and illustrate the role language, foreign or non-foreign, plays in advertising and the techniques used in marketing to exploit language. The methodology section will outline the framework within which companies were selected and how words were defined as 'foreign' to an English-speaking audience. Finally, an analysis of data collected from social media publications and promotional websites of multiple Belgian businesses will be examined case per case to establish the purpose of French words or expressions in the context of the publication, and in relation to the three research questions: advertising, corporate identity, and (un)translability.