The Language of Organizations: The Case of the Navy,

Abstract

On the surface this is a paper about the Navy. More fundamentally, however, it is about language and the role it plays in generating and maintaining organization. The author explored some ways in which one particular organization (the U.S. Navy) uses language that is unique to that organization. There are words, symbols and modes of discourse that characterize this organization and which are unintelligible outside the organization. The thesis is that every organization, task/activity and social group has its own language (lexicon, sign system, mode of discourse). The facts of linguistic differentiation are apparent, but the determinants of, reasons for, and functions of this fact remain obscure.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1980
Accession Number
ADA148239

Entities

People

  • R. Evered

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Carriers
  • Birds
  • Boats
  • Department Of Defense
  • Dictionaries
  • Enlisted Personnel
  • Governments
  • Guided Missiles
  • Language
  • Military Organizations
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Personnel
  • Navy
  • New York
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Training

Readers

  • Computational Linguistics
  • Educational Psychology
  • Systems Analysis and Design