Handbook of Business Communication

Michael Betsch

19Language planning and linguistic purism in the business domain

1.Introduction

2.Theories of language planning

3.Case studies in puristic language planning

4.Evaluation

5.Conclusion

1Introduction

The subject of this chapter is language planning, with a focus on linguistic purism, especially in relation to business language. The focus is on policy at the macro level, that is, at the level of the state (or autonomous sub-state unit). Business language may be affected by language planning in several ways. The way businesses communicate with the public and (potential) customers – for example, via product labelling, advertising and shop signs – is often subject to language requirements, which are frequently justified by consumer rights ...