More than “monkey see, monkey do”: Aspects of language use in engineering and manufacturing process web pages

This paper outlines an investigation into the early development of an intra-company system of process web pages. These are intended to form part of a complex self-access system that places the onus on engineers to record key design and manufacturing work. Implicit in the introduction of this system is the need for engineers to change well-ingrained work habits when communicating design aspects. Results of this mainly linguistic study show engineers´ continued reliance on formal and complex language, featuring a significant proportion of recycled words and high density of information. The investigation also reveals a tension, usually associated with engineering procedures, caused by the need to harness and control engineers´ language without stultifying their creativity in design work.