Managing cultural and linguistic diversity in multiple organisational settings: editorial

• Published in: Journal of multilingual and multicultural development 2012-12, Vol.33 (7), p.629-641
• Main Authors: ten Thije, Jan D., Maier, Robert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: contrastive analysis; Cultural differences; Cultural diversity; imagology; interaction analysis; Intercultural communication; Intercultural influences; Interdisciplinary relations; Language acquisition; transfer analysis
• ISSN: 0143-4632; 1747-7557
• DOI: 10.1080/01434632.2012.713960

Intercultural communication is a fast growing interdisciplinary research field. It addresses the complicated problem of intercultural contact. Its interdisciplinary character leads to the four types of approaches which build on each other: (1) contrastive analysis, (2) imagology, (3) interaction analysis and (4) transfer analysis. In this special issue, PhD projects and Master Theses based on these types of analyses are presented in relation to each other. The studies are mostly exploratory because there are several methods and concepts that are readily applicable in this relatively new field. However, the studies show the relevance of each of these methods of analysis. The contrastive analysis supplies insights necessary for an interaction analysis since the latter detects the effects of cultural differences in the ongoing discourse. Moreover, the interaction analysis investigates structures that cannot be traced back to any of the cultures in contact because these structures emerge from the contact itself. The results of both contrast and interaction analysis are necessary to study how aspects of intercultural competence can be taught and learned, which is the focus of transfer analysis.