## METHODOLOGY

This is a multi-sited case study using quantitative and ethnographic methods for data collection in a service-oriented company which witnesses multilingual communication on a daily basis. Locations of different branches in a cosmopolitan city have been taken as diverse sites as opposed to different countries, which is common in studies pertaining to MNCs. This is because of the fact that the nature and requirement of the customers who walk into these locations show variations to a great extent.

## Research Setting and Sites

The research was conducted in four different branches of an optometrist company located within a 20- mile radius of the Colombo city. The research sites are: HO branch which is located in a highly commercialized locality; CC and WE branches, primary centers (centers that provide facilities and services to a specific customer base) and RC branch, a premier branch (which sells only branded products and premium items) located very close to the HO branch.

## Data Collection: Instruments, Methods and Procedure

Three sources were chosen for data collection, namely, observations, questionnaires, and interviews. A major portion of the data was acquired through field observations. Recorded observation of the research sites was completed over a period of several months. The practice of being an observant participant to observe an unfamiliar setting as an outsider (Brewer, 2000; Wei, 2008) was chosen to conduct the field observations. Field notes taken during the observations were elaborated into reports which encompassed all observations in the field including any conversations that happened on site and the researcher’s own reflections at the end of each observation. It was then fed into the qualitative data analysis software Atlas.ti (version 7) for codification. Upon completion of the observations, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed on-site among the staff members who deal with customers in various capacities. The aim of the questionnaire was to gather participants’ patterns of language learning and use at work and home. The respondents were asked to answer a Likert style question set regarding the presumed use of communication strategies based on Nakatani’s (2006) Oral Communication Strategy Inventory (OCSI) while talking to people of different language orientation. The questionnaire was distributed among the staff who communicated with customers during testing, sales or delivery in all four sites. Interviews were carried out with four selected participants. Since the aim of the research was to ascertain the significance of languages, participants with unique linguistic capacities were selected through purposive sampling. Based on the knowledge gained from observations and questionnaires, questions related to employees’ self-perception of their language skills, exposure to languages other than their first language, importance of language at work, and their implications on work performance were asked. Thematic analysis was carried out to investigate the language preferences of the participants. According to Braun and Clarke (2006), thematic analysis is a wise choice as it not only gives accessibility and flexibility but also teaches the researcher the mechanics of coding and analyzing qualitative data systematically. An inductive or bottom-up approach (Maquire & Delahunt, 2017) for open coding using constant comparing analysis (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2007) was used so as to avoid replication of codes. Recurring points were identified and coded appropriately, which led to the formation of sub themes.

## RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Participants’ use of strategies were categorized into direct, interactional and indirect strategies based on Dӧrnyei and Scott’s (1997) framework for communication strategies. In terms of direct strategies, frequent prevalence of code switching, which complies with Gumperz’s (1972, as cited in Wei, 2008) situational and metaphorical variations, was observed. A conversation among a staff member, a mother, a father and their young child stirred interest because both varieties of switching overlapped. The father used Tamil over the phone keekuthaa naan kathaikurathu? (Can you hear me?), while switching among all three languages to his wife. The staff member appeared to be mirroring the customer’s language choice, namely, Sinhala or English. In this communication episode, moving from one language to the other seemed to be based on the interlocutor and the information that is being shared in that context. In other words, switching of languages happen based the situation. However, the child was always spoken to in English, for which replies were always given in English except for