Questions about Heller's article

[Noriko Akimoto Sugimori]

Dear all:

The following are some discussion questions about Heller (2003).

1. Have you spoken with operators at call centers who speak languages
other than English? Have you found tendencies similar to what Heller found
about French/English bilingual voice operators? Heller wrote, "While they
[bilingual voice operators] say that monolingual francophones, especially
those from Quebec, complain about their French, we noted a tendency to
standardize their performance when on the lines" (p.484). Do you have any
complaints about the language use of the operators? If so, in what ways?
How can concepts, such as "authenticity" and "legitimation," explain your
complaints?

2. Heller wrote," Whether students coming out of the region's immersion
schools can compete for the area's bilingual jobs, indeed whether or not
they want to, given the limited career opportunities attached to them,
remians to be seen" (p.484). What is your prediction for the future
direction?


If you have some questions or discussion topics on Heller's article,
please feel free to post them. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Noriko Sugimori