Making languages marketable: An analysis of a promotional brochure for prospective students in an Australian tertiary institution

Abstract

Abstract Given the implicit disincentive that the native knowledge of a global language poses to the learning of other languages, improvement in student recruitment in language studies is a key priority for educational institutions in English-speaking countries. This paper explores how a major Australian tertiary institution markets five European languages, by focusing on which characteristics of L2 learning are incorporated in the persuasive discourse of a university brochure and on how these are reflective, more or less deliberately, both of L2 motivation theories and of marketing strategies in higher education. It shows that the brochure creates future L2 visions for prospective students through the description of the cultural and instrumental benefits associated with L2 proficiency, and details how to turn this L2 vision into action, by providing a glimpse into L2 learning experiences and by presenting the University as a reputable and trustworthy institution. The study offers a multifaceted theoretical framework which can be utilised in future investigations on a bigger sample of universities and suggests that re-thinking marketing material for language learning in terms of the creation and operationalisation of future L2 Selves could be a fruitful avenue of research with significant implications for student recruitment.