Achieving 'Unmarkedness' in Organisational Discourse: A Praxis Perspective on Ethnolinguistic Identity

Abstract

An ethnomethodological approach to ethnolinguistic identity is presented using the linguistic concept of 'markedness' as a heuristic innovation to explore the dynamics of ethnolinguistic minorities in work settings. A matrix is proposed that consists of a marked/unmarked boundary and a high/low power boundary. Four propositions relating to crossing the boundaries are advanced, and illustrative evidence supporting each proposition is developed in a discourse analysis of talk in a large hotel work site. The paper concludes that a more praxisoriented perspective on ethnolinguistic identity can enrich understanding of the three concepts embedded in that term ethnicity, language, and identity.