Ideologies of English and Globalisation in Denmark

Today, the use of English is commonplace in Denmark. Many people encounter it on a daily basis; in their workplace, the local Netto, on the street, in kindergarten or school, on Facebook, TikTok or other social media, through podcasts, Netflix and other forms of entertainment. 

How does this continued contact with English impact Danish society? Will it lead to linguistic and cultural homogenisation (as in Americanisation), is it a basic requirement for being part of a global world, or is it an integrated part of new forms of language use and culture in Denmark?  

In this talk, I will illustrate how different social groups orient to such questions. Based on data from ethnographic focus groups, I’ll present preliminary results from a study on language ideologies about English in Denmark, and discuss what these differing (and at times also conflicting) ideologies can tell us about English and globalisation in Denmark in particular, and what they can tell us of sociolinguistic change in general.

The study presented is part of the DFF project, English and Globalisation in Denmark: A Changing Sociolinguistic Landscape.