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Hultgren, Anna Kristina
(2012).
URL: http://fagbokforlaget.no/?isbn=080992271202
Abstract
This article attempts to shed light on a distinction which has been particularly prominent in the Danish debate on domain loss: ’English instead of Danish’ (language shift) versus ‘English in Danish’ (loan words). Data consists of naturally occurring spoken Danish scientific language recorded at bachelor level in chemistry, physics and computer science at the University of Copenhagen, and the analysis combines quantitative and qualitative sociolinguistic methods. Results suggest first of all that there does not appear to be a causal correlation between the use of English and the extent of loans from English into Danish. Secondly, the analysis raises questions about the possibility of upholding an operational distinction between ’English’ and ’Danish’ at individual word level. Finally, the results are discussed in light of the Danish domain loss debate.