The effects of foreign language use in a corporate narrative: Comparing the effects of Dutch, English and French on Dutch readers.
Keywords
Loading...
Authors
Issue Date
2018-06-08
Language
en
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Research has shown that different languages have differing influences on attitudes and perception. Thus, language use in a narrative may affect the way a narrative is perceived and evaluated by the reader. This study aimed to shed light on the influence of foreign language use on narrative persuasion and different dimensions of narrative engagement, consisting of the following: emotional engagement (sympathy, empathy and enjoyment), identification, transportation and comprehensibility. The languages compared in this study were Dutch (L1), English (L2) and French (L3). A between-subject experiment was set up with 213 Dutch high school pupils, who read a narrative in Dutch, English or French. Results showed that language did not seem to influence sympathy and empathy, but did influence the other dimensions of narrative engagement. No difference was found between the Dutch and English versions. Furthermore, readers of the French narrative had the least positive attitude towards the company, with no differences between readers of the English and Dutch version. Readers of the Dutch narrative had the highest purchase intention, with no differences between readers of the French and English version. These results show that foreign languages in narratives seem to have different effects.
Description
Citation
Supervisor
Faculty
Faculteit der Letteren