Corporate language: the significance and role of company-specific language use in business language teaching

Abstract

The paper explores the concept of corporate language and its role in business language education. After a brief overview of the segmentation and subcategories of economic languages, the study highlights that business language is a complex and somewhat elusive notion whose features can only be meaningfully described through the communication practices of individual institutions or companies. Each organization develops its own linguistic identity, reflecting its culture and contributing to brand distinction. The relatively new concepts of corporate wording and corporate language underscore the growing recognition that language use significantly shapes corporate image and differentiation. Drawing on examples from German, the paper illustrates how company-specific linguistic choices help distinguish a business, its products, and its services from competitors. Finally, the study presents pedagogical approaches encouraging students to explore corporate communication patterns through authentic materials. Results show that analyzing company websites and genre-specific texts fosters higher levels of engagement and active learning.