Article
You Are What You Speak? Globalization, Multilingualism, Consumer Dispositions, and Consumption
Journal of Business Research
(2015)
Abstract
Language intricately interweaves with culture. Acquiring another language provides the tools for interpreting that culture’s values and rules guiding social engagement. Hundreds of millions of consumers are currently learning and using English as a second (or third, etc.) tongue. To what extent does this appropriation of English entail convergence towards the consumption values/behaviors of consumers living in the Anglo world? This international study examines the impact of language, specifically multilingualism, as a conveyor of culture and shaper of consumer behavior. For each language (vernacular, English, and up to two others) two components (media, interpersonal) are linked to ethnic identity, global acculturation, consumer dispositions (cosmopolitanism, consumer ethnocentrism, materialism), and food consumption.
Keywords
- Language,
- bilingualism,
- culture,
- ethnic identity,
- globalization,
- English
Disciplines
Publication Date
Spring 2015
Citation Information
Mark Cleveland, Michel Laroche and Nicolas Papadopoulos. "You Are What You Speak? Globalization, Multilingualism, Consumer Dispositions, and Consumption" Journal of Business Research Vol. 68 Iss. 3 (2015) p. 542 - 552 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mark_cleveland/33/