Introduction

Any sociolinguistic analysis of the needs of language learners will place socio-pragmatic skills high on the list. From a sociolinguistic perspective, learners need to be able to manage on-going, dynamic social interaction in a wide range of settings, and this entails the ability to accurately analyze the relative weight of different dimensions such as power, solidarity, formality and function (Holmes 2001). Long (this volume) argues for task as the fundamental unit of needs analysis, rather than linguistic units, notions or functions, on the basis that this provides a basis for coherent syllabus design. This paper makes a case for also paying attention to the social demands on workers, especially those in blue collar workplaces or small businesses. Any thorough needs analysis of the language demands on workers in their work contexts will identify the pervasiveness of small talk or social talk, and the crucial importance of managing this well for acceptance in the workplace.

Interpersonal interaction provides a range of challenges for anyone joining a new place of work and workplace small talk certainly represents one such challenge. Skilful management of small talk is extremely important in accounting for successful integration into the workplace, but it is an area that is often overlooked. This paper examines the challenges presented by social talk at work for two particular groups: newly immigrant workers for whom English is a second language, and workers with an intellectual disability. While the social situations of these two groups are in most respects very different, the kinds of difficulties they face in managing some aspects of social talk at work are surprisingly similar.