Problem-solving discourse on an international construction site: Patterns and practices

Handford, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4224-3663 and Matous, Petr 2015. Problem-solving discourse on an international construction site: Patterns and practices. English for Specific Purposes 38 , pp. 85-98. 10.1016/j.esp.2014.12.002

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Abstract

This paper analyses the discursive realisation of on-site problem-solving encounters in a large international construction project in Hong Kong. Specifically, the analyses focus on professional English as a lingua franca interactions between the engineers from Japan who are full-time employees of the company heading the joint venture, and contracted Hong-Kongese foremen and engineers. A combination of methods and several data sources are used to interpret the interlocutors' communications and relationships, and show how certain items, for instance problem, issue and if, as well as evaluative items such as metaphors and idioms, index discursive practices and patterns during problem solving. These data sources include fully transcribed spoken interactions, interviews with the participants and expert informants, and researcher field notes. The results shed light on the key intertextual role the contract plays in the context of construction industry problem solving, the various bodies that are involved in addressing complex problems, and the importance of the foreman and on-site engineer relationship.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Additional Information:	Available online 9 January 2015
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0889-4906
Funders:	Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2022 06:50
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/87996

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