Creating Images through English on Yellow Pages Multilingual….pdfVIP

Creating Image s through English o n Yellow Pages : Multilingual Practices in Advertising in the Helsinki Regio n PÄTVI PAHTA AND IRMA TAAVITSAINEN 1. Introduction: English in Finland In recent years Finland , like the other Nordi c countries, has experienced an explosion in the use o f English in various domains o f public and private life. This trend has caught the attention o f linguists and laymen alike, an d has become a popular topic o f scholarly investigation in several language departments and the Research Institute for the Languages o f Finland,1 in addition to being a topic of lively public discussion . With increasing internationalisation, English has become an essential part of the professional life of a steadily growing number o f Finns in various fields, be it politics and government, science an d education , business, communication an d media , transportation, tourism , sports , culture or entertainment . Thos e Finns who are not actually involved in international affairs are also heavily subjected to English through the mass media , being thus passive consumers o f the language . According to the latest statistics available , 6 0 per cent o f all Finn s speak English (Les Européens et les Ungues 2001) . Th e percentag e is considerably higher amon g the younger generations . Th e numbe r o f learners o f English increased greatly with the introduction o f the comprehensive school system in the 1970s, as the entire ag e grou p began to