Acturally ,No one speak English here! On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 11:23 PM, Josney (English) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote:
> > Have you ever thought about the role that language plays in your > corporate culture, your family's culture, or even your regional culture? We > develop language shortcuts that are meaningful so that we don't have to keep > explaining certain things. We develop common understanding because of the > common language we share. Even though we may speak English with others, the > English we use depends on where we live and the culture in which we operate. > > > I remember when I was tutoring a person from Colombia several years ago I > had to explain why we use the words and phrases we do. Anyone who has ever > studied a language other than their native language has had to struggle with > the impossibility of translating idiomatic phrases. > > What is the language of your organization's culture? Many industries have a > myriad of acronyms that are completely foreign to outsiders. When I worked > in the aerospace industry we had countless acronyms and one of our trainers > made a project of having people in her classes add to her list of acronyms > we used so she would understand the comments in class. > > Is your language focused on your past or on your future? In order to effect > change in an organization it is important to have a clear picture of where > you are before you try to move in any direction from that. Part of that > understanding comes from listening and looking around you to determine the > language of your culture. What is important in your culture? You can tell > what's important by what people hold onto. What is open to change and what > must remain constant? > > As you begin to plan for changes, you may try to explain the new in terms > of the old, but find that the two are not compatible. You must recognize > that there may be limitations. Sometimes you have to rebuild your language > or even invent new terms. As the saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of > invention." We have all seen this in new product development. > > However, what about language in terms of your leadership? Does it feel too > "touchy/feely" to discuss methods of positive motivation? Does your culture > support discussing ideas in an open forum without fear of reprisal or raised > eyebrows? Can you have productive conflict where people hash out all sides > of an issue honestly and respectfully? Are you willing to let go of control > and instead facilitate others' success? > > The word "change" can be a negative word in almost any culture. The world > today is moving quickly and the only constant may be constant and more rapid > change. Building a culture that can withstand this change means that we must > have language that will accommodate the dialog of failure as well as the > dialog of success. They go together to create new visions. The language must > give people the means to embrace learning from the old while transitioning > to the new and unknown. Listen to the way language plays out in your culture > and you may find an opportunity to lead your organization to the future more > effectively. > > By Vicki Anderson > __. > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "English Learner's Cafe" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/english_learners?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
