Cultural specificity of English-language corporate discourse (based on job interviews)

Amirabbas S. Cultural specificity of English-language corporate discourse (based on job interviews) : master’s thesis : 035 Philology / supervised by Iryna Alyeksyeyeva. Kyiv, 2025. 80 р.

This thesis explores how social norms are linguistically expressed and interpreted in job interviews conducted in American English, with a particular focus on verbal and pragmatic strategies that influence the perception of professionalism, politeness, and appropriateness. The research investigates both fictional representations and professional discourse to identify the language features that contribute to effective communication in high-stakes interview settings.
The theoretical framework is grounded in Politeness Theory (Brown & Levinson), Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions (limited to the U.S. context), and Speech Act Theory. These approaches inform the linguistic analysis of selected interview scenes from three U.S. films and television series—The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), The Intern (2015), and Suits (2011–2019). Through qualitative content and discourse analysis, the study examines how job applicants in these media texts use specific vocabulary choices, grammatical structures (such as modals and conditionals), and speech acts (such as requests, self-promotion, and refusals) to navigate power relations and social expectations.
In addition, the thesis draws on professional hiring guidelines and HR communication practices from U.S. sources to illustrate how linguistic strategies are expected to function in real-world interviews. Rather than conducting a direct comparison, the study uses these materials to contextualize and support the analysis of media examples.
The findings highlight effective language strategies in U.S. interviews, offering insights for job seekers and HR professionals while emphasizing pragmatics and cultural awareness in applied linguistics.