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Kōrero: Linguistics

Language in the workplace

Video file

Sociolinguist Allan Bell has studied the use of language in the workplace. In 1996 he created the Wellington Language in the Workplace Project. Bell's research has led to steps to improve workplace communication. One tool is Immigration New Zealand's Worktalk website, where people can test how well they communicate. This video, adapted from one on the site, shows a fictional exchange between a  New Zealand employer and an immigrant worker. 

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Immigration New Zealand

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Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Janet Holmes, Linguistics – Social dialects and sociolinguistics, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/video/43845/language-in-the-workplace (accessed 24 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Janet Holmes, i tāngia i te 16 December 2013.