English in Advertisements:
Dutch Attitude, Comprehension, and
Preference
By J.A.M. van den Berg
Dr. R.G.J.L. Supheert
MA Thesis - Intercultural Communication
Utrecht University
2015
Information
Title: English in Advertisements: Dutch Attitude, Comprehension, and Preference
By: J.A.M. van den Berg
Student number: 3695247
Supervisor: Dr. R.G.J.L. Supheert
Second Supervisor: Dr. K.D.C.J. Sebregts
MA Thesis Intercultural Communication
Utrecht University
April 2015
Abstract
This study examines Dutch attitudes toward English, the comprehension of English, and
preferences for English in advertisements. In particular, it seeks to answer the question whether
international businesses should use standardized or adapted advertisement campaigns. With a
questionnaire administered to a sample of the Dutch population, the following question was
investigated: do Dutch consumers understand English in advertisements and is English in
advertisements well received? Results show that the Dutch have a neutral attitude toward the
use of English in advertisements. The results also show that a large number of participants
comprehend the English text in advertisements and that participants prefer standardized
advertisements over Dutch adaptations. The present study provides empirical support for the
practice of standardization instead of Dutch adaptation by international businesses that
advertise in the Netherlands.
Contents
1. Introduction
5
2. Literature Review
8

2.1 English in Product Advertisement: Standardization or Adaptation
8

2.2 English: Status and Proficiency
9
o
2.2.1 The Status of English
o 2.2.2 English Language Proficiency and Comprehension

2.3 Attitudes toward English
3. Hypotheses
9
11
12
14

3.1 Problem Statement
14

3.2 Hypotheses
14
4. Method
16

4.1 Participants
16

4.2 Materials
18

4.3 Instrumentation
18

4.4 Procedure and Statistical Analysis
19
5. Results

5.1 Attitude toward English in the Six Standardized Advertisements

5.2 English Proficiency and Comprehension in the Six Standardized

21
Advertisements
24
5.3 Preference for English (Standardized) or Dutch (Adapted) Advertisements
29
6. Discussion

6.1 Attitude toward English in the Six Standardized Advertisements

6.2 English Proficiency and Comprehension in the Six Standardized
Advertisements

21
31
31
32
6. 3 Preference for English (Standardized) or Dutch (Adapted) Advertisements 34
7. Conclusion
35

7.1 Summary of the Present Study
35

7.2 Limitations
37

7.3 Further Research
37
References
38
Appendices

Appendix A: Original Advertisements and Manipulated Versions
41

Appendix B: The Online Survey
46
1. Introduction
A recent Dutch advertisement for Boss Ma Vie perfume pictures a woman walking down the
street. Behind her rises the skyline of a big city. She looks confident. At hip level there is a
message: “Strong, Feminine, Independent”. The language choice is interesting since it is a
Dutch advertisement. It is one of the many Dutch campaigns that uses English in print
advertising. This connects to the ongoing global marketing debate on whether international
companies should standardize or adapt their advertising campaigns in countries which do not
have English as their native language.
Recent research has put the advantages and disadvantages of standardizing and adapting
advertising campaigns in perspective. In addition, these studies have explained several motives
behind the choice for one or the other by advertising agencies. The studies suggest that
advertisers might choose standardization to save money and to project a global image of the
brand, service or product (Gerritsen et al., 2010; Hornikx, van Meurs, & de Boer, 2010).
Furthermore, English is the language of one of the greatest global market leaders, the United
States, and advertisers believe that most people understand English as it is a global language
(Gerritsen, Korzilius, van Meurs, and Gijsbers, 2000; Kuppens, 2009). Yet, counter arguments
resound as well: Hornikx et al. (2010) argue that adjusting to the “needs and tastes of local
culture is a precondition for successful advertising” (p.171). Culturally adapted value appeals
may be more likely to persuade the consumer, although they might not be cost-effective.
The appeal of a certain language variety is also an important factor. A positive language
attitude may add to a positive experience of the advertisement’s text and the advertisement as
a whole and with it the product or service. This might result in an advertising success. On the
other hand, an unpopular language might trigger a negative attitude and, as a result, the
consumers might experience negative feelings, like irritation, toward the product or brand. This
might result in advertising failure (Hornikx et al., 2010; Kuppens, 2009). Therefore, global
businesses have to make important, careful decisions concerning language variety.
In addition to cultural values and attitudes toward a language, comprehension also plays
a role in choosing between adaptation or standardization strategy. Gerritsen et al. (2000) point
out that if companies and advertisers want to convey messages and brand impressions
successfully, consumers have to understand the text in advertisements. On the other hand, others
like Hornikx et al (2010) and Kuppens (2009) contradict this claim by saying that the language
or message does not have to be understood literally by the consumers. Although not understood,
a language might evoke positive associations, for instance stereotypes like elegance or
sophistication, which might be beneficial for the advertisement and the brand impression.
More and more advertising messages, slogans, and sometimes even contact details are
in English or in another non-native language of the Dutch consumer. In addition, Gerritsen et
al. (2007a) point to an increase in the use of English in advertisements. There is a growing body
of literature that recognises the importance of measuring comprehension and opinions of Dutch
consumers since there has been an increase. For instance, previous studies have reported that
English may not have an impact on the image and price of the product or service, but it does
affect text comprehension (Gerritsen et al. 2000; Gerritsen et al. 2007a; Gerritsen et al. 2010;
Nickerson, Gerritsen, & van Meurs, 2005). Other researchers have shown the different effects
of easy- and difficult-to-understand English in reference to comprehension and preference
(Hornikx et al. 2010).
Furthermore, several researchers have commented on the commercial use of English in
Europe and, notably, in non-English speaking countries. Among them are Gerritsen and
Nickerson (2007b) who tried to put the status of English in the Netherlands and the growth of
English in advertisements in perspective. Braj Kachru’s well-known 1985 model, which will
be discussed in more detail later, distinguishes three circles, according to which the Netherlands
is part of the expanding circle in which English is a foreign language. However, many
researchers, including Gerritsen and Nickerson (2007b) and Schneider (2011), have commented
that the model is outdated and that the three circles do not reflect the complexity of English
usage currently. Gerritsen and Nickerson (2007b) suggest that English in the Netherlands is on
the verge of becoming a second language, a language which is officially recognized and used
in business, government, and education. This would explain the growth of English in Dutch
everyday life and also in Dutch business and marketing. If the status of English is growing, the
option of standardization becomes more and more appealing. However, although the Dutch
score high on self-assessed comprehension (European Commission, 2012), not everyone might
be proficient enough to comprehend the English messages completely.
The debate continues about the best language choice strategy for Dutch
advertising. However, the studies on language choice, attitude, and comprehension mentioned
earlier are limited as they often focus on one theme, for instance on easy-to-understand English,
or on commercials, or on young educated women. Therefore, the aim of this study is to shed
more light on these debates through a renewed examination of comprehension, attitude, and
preference in Dutch advertising combining men and women, young and old. Moreover, it tries
to shed more light on the question whether the use of English in advertisements is an effective
choice: do consumers understand English and is it well received? Apparently, as the number of
advertisements using English increases, it seems that advertisers believe the Dutch are capable
of understanding English in advertisements. This study will test this claim. In addition, the
attitude toward English in advertisements will also be measured to see whether English works
in favour of the advertised product or service.
The research will be conducted in the form of a survey, with data being gathered via an
online questionnaire. The present study aims to offer insight into present day Dutch opinions
on the use of English in Dutch advertisements. Furthermore, it aims to find out to what extent
comprehension of and attitudes toward the use of English in advertisements have changed in
the Netherlands, contributing to the adaptation and standardization debate.
This paper has seven chapters, including this introductory chapter. Chapter two begins
by laying out the theoretical dimensions of the research and looks at earlier research and
theories. The third chapter outlines the hypotheses. The fourth chapter is concerned with the
methodology used for this study. Chapter five presents the findings of the research, focusing on
the correctness or incorrectness of the hypotheses. The sixth chapter discusses the results. The
final chapter, the conclusion, summarises the project and answers the main question of this
research. It also includes the limitations and a discussion of the implications of the findings to
future research into this area.
2. Literature Review
This section will discuss articles relevant to the standardization and adaptation debate. Theories
on the English status, comprehension of English in the Netherlands, and attitudes toward
English in advertising will create more insight on the topic. First, different views on the
standardization versus adaptation debate will be examined. Secondly, the status of English in
the Netherlands will be discussed. Then, a research report on how the Dutch assess themselves
on proficiency in English is followed by research on how well their comprehension of English
in advertisements actually is. Subsequently, previous research on English language attitude and
preference will be discussed. Finally, this analysis of the theory will form a basis from which
hypotheses can be formulated to construct research.
2.1 English in Product Advertisement: Standardization or Adaptation
According to Gerritsen et al. (2000) and Gerritsen et al. (2010) many advertising campaigns in
the Netherlands are partly or completely in English: “often such campaigns are part of global
advertising, in which the same campaign – or part of campaign – is used worldwide” (Gerritsen
et al., 2000, p.17). Global marketing, or standardization of an advertisement, has several
advantages. It saves translation and registration costs, it needs no adaptation into a local
advertisement version and therefore no extra creative local ideas, and it contributes to one
global brand image (Gerritsen et al. 2000; Gerritsen et al. 2010; Hornikx et al. 2010). Especially
when countries, like the Netherlands, score high on English proficiency, marketing experts
believe this strategy is advantageous. Moreover, as Gerritsen et al. (2010) point out, there are
three additional motivations to use English advertising standardizations. First of all, there are
linguistic motivations, for instance when “the product is originally from the US or UK and there
is no (appropriate) word to describe its characteristics in the target language” (Gerritsen et al.,
2010, p.352). Moreover, to avoid the choice of formal or informal second person pronoun in
the target language, you can be used. Secondly, there is a generally held view that “English is
a global language that is understood by everyone,” especially by the youth and the bettereducated in Europe (Gerritsen et al., 2010, p.352). Lastly, the product image might be enhanced
by English, as English might be associated with an avant-garde, cosmopolitan, and stylish way
of life (Gerritsen et al. 2010).
Nevertheless, some marketing experts recommend localized campaigns with adapted
advertisements for several reasons. For instance, adaptation is necessary when the host country
is too different from the advertising home country: “only when there is a degree of perceived
similarity of market characteristics” is a standardized advertising strategy likely to be
implemented (Samiee, Jeong, Pae, & Tai, 2003, p.617). Secondly, cultural dimensions, like
those of Hofstede (n.d.), in which certain cultural values are relatively important or unimportant
could be a deciding factor: “ads that appeal to important cultural values should be more
persuasive than ads that appeal to relatively unimportant cultural values” (Hornikx et al., 2010,
p.171). Furthermore, “some government regulations make it difficult to create and use universal
campaigns and language diversity necessitates the use of local communication expertise in each
market” (Kanso & Kitchen, 2004, n.p.). In summary, the following factors should be considered
when deciding to standardize or adapt an advertisement: local market cultural characteristics,
cultural value differences/similarities of the country in which the campaign advertisement will
be released, comprehension of a standard variety (such as English), and attitudes toward the
standardized norm. Hornikx et al. (2010) argue that preference for English standardized
advertisements varies per country.
To gain better insight into this matter and especially whether the Netherlands is a
country that might embrace standardization, the status of English, comprehension of English,
and attitude toward English in the Netherlands will be discussed below.
2.2 English: Status and Proficiency
A 16th century English teacher and linguist, Richard Mulcaster, said that “The English tongue
is of small reache, stretching no further than this island of ours, nay not there over all”
(Jesperson, 1945, p.232). In the 21st century, on the contrary, English has become an
international language and a language millions of people over the world use daily. There are,
however, considerable differences in the use of English and its status.
2.2.1 The Status of English
Braj Kachru created a model in which he explains the different statuses of English, each with
its own characteristics (see figure 1).
Figure 1. Kachru’s circles model (York St. John University, 2015)
First of all, the Inner Circle consists of native speakers of English. These countries use English
as a native language (ENL) and have their own standards and codifications of English and
provide a norm for others. Then there is the Outer Circle, which consist of former colonies of
the United Kingdom, and later also colonies of the United States, and several other countries in
which English is used as a second language (ESL). In these countries, English is officially
recognized and used in business, government, and education (Melchers & Shaw, 2011). Lastly,
the Expanding Circle uses English as a foreign language (EFL) and has speakers who use
English to communicate with foreigners, “rather than in their own schools, government bodies
and so on [. . .] They are often communicating with other non-native users in what are called
English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) situations” in which English takes on a role of an international
language of communication (Melchers & Shaw, 2011, p.8).
Schneider (2011) argues Kachru’s model and the classification schemes are problematic
“in that they abstract from complex realities, and perhaps may be a bit dated by now and fail to
reflect the vigorous spread of English and changes of its status in many regions over the last
few decades” (p.32). Some countries seem to be on the boundaries of the circles; they might
once have started in one circle but are moving into another circle. The Netherlands might be an
example of this. According to Kachru’s model, the Netherlands belongs to the Expanding Circle
and uses English as a foreign language. Gerritsen and Nickerson (2007b) have conducted
research on the status of English in the Netherlands and asked whether the Netherlands indeed
belongs to the Expanding Circle or has moved into the Outer Circle. They predict “that English
in the Netherlands will attain the status of an EL2” (p.111). They ground their theory on several
ESL characteristics. First of all, English has to be a major language. Indeed, English in the
Netherlands has an important place besides Dutch. English is compulsory in most schools, there
is governmental funding for it, and also in business English plays a major role. Secondly,
English should be “enshrined in the language policies of the country” (Gerritsen & Nickerson,
2007b, p.114). In the Netherlands, English language policies can both be found on a national
level as well as on a business level. A third characteristic is the development of language norms
for English, in which respect Gerritsen and Nickerson (2007b) point out that “development of
syntactical and lexical norms in Dutch-English (is in) its infancy” (p.212). Whether these
characteristics place the Netherlands in the Outer Circle or not, they confirm the impression
that English generally plays a major part in Dutch culture as the Dutch are daily confronted
with English.
2.2.2 English Language Proficiency and Comprehension
Although English is not an official language, it would seem the Dutch come into enough contact
with English to gain a certain level of proficiency. At least, this is what the Dutch believe
themselves according to the Special Eurobarometer 386 report. A survey was coordinated by
the European Commission “with the overall objectives of understanding European citizens’
experiences and perceptions of multilingualism [. . .] the level of understanding and use of other
languages, […] (and) attitudes towards learning or improving language skills” among other
objectives (2012, p.2). Analysed data have been published in the Special Eurobarometer 386.
Results show that English is among the five most spoken foreign languages in the EU and is
spoken in 19 of 25 non-native English member states. 67% of Europeans believe English is
useful to them and 25% believe they understand English speech and text (European
Commission, 2012). What should be kept in mind is that the results are based on respondents’
self-assessment and were not tested on correctness.
Furthermore, inhabitants of the survey participating countries were asked to
indicate which language(s) they speak well enough to be able to have a conversation (European
Commission, 2012, p.21). Results of the Dutch are shown in figure 2.
Figure 2. Ability to Hold a Conversation in a
Language which is not Your Mother Tongue.
The figure shows that 90% of the Dutch believe themselves to be able to hold a conversation in
English. Furthermore, “57% of the Dutch understand English well enough to follow the news
on the radio and 56% of the Dutch understand English well enough to read newspaper or
magazine articles” (European Commission, 2012, pp.31-33). Research by Gerritsen et al.
(2000) and Nickerson et al. (2005) show corresponding findings. They indicate that their
subjects estimated their comprehension and their translation abilities rather highly.
If the Dutch believe themselves to be capable of understanding English, advertisers
might assume the Dutch can comprehend English advertising messages. Still, as was mentioned
earlier, the Special Eurobarometer 386 is based on self-assessment. Therefore, several
researchers have tested the actual Dutch comprehension of English in advertisements and
commercials. In her 1996 research Gerritsen noticed that 73% of those claiming to be capable
of translating English in the advertisements could indeed do so correctly (Gerritsen et al., 2000).
Research conducted by Gerritsen et al. (2010) shows 66% of the Dutch respondents could
comprehend the meaning of the English phrases in advertisements. The respondents of
Nickerson et al. (2005) rated their ability to understand and translate English as high. Of these
respondents, 80% were indeed able to understand and translate. In addition, young people were
found to show a better understanding of English than the older generation (Gerritsen, M.,
Gijsbers, I., Korzilius, H., and van Meurs, F., 1999; Gerritsen et al., 2000).
Others argue that language in an advertisement is rather a symbol that activates
stereotypes, feelings, and attitudes. The language or message does not have to be literally
understood as long as it affects the consumer: regardless of whether English is understood,
English might be well appreciated due to positive associations it evokes. On the other hand,
when people do not comprehend the meaning of an advertising message this might also frustrate
or irritate them, which may trigger depreciation of the advertisement as a result (Hornikx et al.,
2010; Kuppens, 2009).
2.3 Attitudes toward English
People prefer a certain language variety over the other in particular circumstances, for instance
during business meetings or when they see product advertisements. These preferences are
important for business strategies among other strategies. For instance, if people have positive
associations with one language and negative associations with the other, the preferred language
could be picked. The preferred language contributes to more successful marketing as people
are feeling positive toward the language choice in the advertisement.
English has the external values of being a historical and now global dominant language.
Therefore, many might approve of and prefer English over Dutch, for instance in advertising.
Whether this is actually the case will be discussed on the basis of the following studies which
have focussed on Dutch attitudes toward English as a language in advertising.
Earlier research conducted by Gerritsen et al. (2000) focussed on Dutch attitudes toward
several English only advertisements. They concluded that the Dutch attitude was not very
positive. Yet, in later research (Nickerson et al., 2005) respondents were quite neutral towards
English in advertisements in comparison to Dutch in advertisements. In a study conducted by
Hornikx et al. (2010) Dutch participants preferred easy-to-understand English over difficult-tounderstand English slogans. More specifically, “English was preferred to Dutch when it was
easy to understand; when it was difficult to understand, English was appreciated as much as the
Dutch equivalent” (Hornikx et al., 2010, p.169). Nickerson et al. (2005) and Hornikx et al.
(2010) both conclude that Dutch attitudes are rather neutral toward English. If it is easy to
understand English, some might even prefer it over Dutch in advertisements. In addition, data
showed young people to be more positive and accepting towards English than older people
(Gerrtisen et al., 1999; Gerrtisen et al., 2000; Van der Vegt, 2014).
Petrevu (2009) points out that advertising agencies should take into consideration
gender based themes, messages, and visuals that appeal to specific males or females in
advertisements. He cautions:
There are differences in how men and women behave, process information, and render
judgment. These differences emerge from a host of biological and cultural factors and
are further reinforced through the socialization process. While the effect sizes of the
gender differences are somewhat modest, they are large enough to warrant the attention
of advertisers. (pp. 8-9)
Petrevu focuses on the advertisement in all its aspects. Earlier studies focussing on the
evaluation of English in product print advertisements in the Netherlands show no significant
gender differences (Gerritsen et al., 2000).
3. Hypotheses
3.1 Problem Statement
As stated in the previous chapter, earlier studies conducted research on adaptation and
standardization strategy, Dutch attitudes toward English, and comprehension of English in
Dutch advertisements. Nevertheless, these studies on language choice, attitude, and
comprehension are limited, focussing on one of these topic or on particular target groups. The
current research will be a present-day version of these research projects and may add new
insights on Dutch language attitudes, comprehension, and preferences. The Dutch are
confronted with advertisements daily and for these advertisements to work, advertisers have to
consider which advertisement version, standardized English or adapted Dutch, pleases and
positively affects the consumer most. This paper might contribute to marketing strategies
concerning Dutch advertisements.
3.2 Hypotheses
In response to the literature review the following hypotheses will be tested. The hypotheses are
divided into three categories: attitude, comprehension, and preference.
Attitude
According to a study in 2000, the Dutch are not positive towards English. However, other
studies from 2005 and 2010 indicate respondents being more neutral toward English in
advertisements. This suggests that the Dutch are adjusting their attitude toward the English
language and will be neutral toward the advertisements in the survey (H1):
H1: Respondents have a neutral attitude toward English in the six advertisements.
Moreover, research from 2000 indicates that younger people are more positive toward English
than older people, but that there are no significant gender differences (H2-3):
H2: Young people are more positive toward English in advertisements than the older
generation.
H3: There are no significant gender differences between gender evaluations of the use of
English in advertisements.
Comprehension
Since earlier studies indicate full comprehension of the English text in advertisements is not a
given, this research will test whether the assumption that the Dutch have a high understanding
of English is correct (H 4-6):
H4: Participants believe themselves to be highly proficient in English.
H5: Participants believe themselves able to comprehend the advertisements completely.
H6: A high percentage1 of the participants are able to give an accurate indication of the meaning
of the English text in the survey advertisements.
In addition, earlier research from 2000 implies younger people show better understanding of
English than the older generation. This research will test whether this is still the case (H7):
H7: Younger people have a higher comprehension of the English text in advertisements than
the older generation.
Preference
Research from 2010 indicates that English is preferred to Dutch when it is easy to understand.
Otherwise, difficult-to-understand English is equally appreciated as the Dutch equivalent. Since
the English in the advertisements in this research is easy-to-understand English, this claim will
be tested (H8).
H8: Standardized English advertisements are preferred over the Dutch adaptations.
1
80% or more according to the latest research (Nickerson et al. 2005)
4. Method
This chapter provides a detailed overview of the way in which the research in this study was
conducted. The present research is based on that of Nickerson et al. (2005) and Hornikx et al.
(2010), in which comprehension, attitudes, and preference were tested by using advertisements.
This research will test whether earlier findings are still correct. Although Nickerson et al.’s and
Hornikx’s et al’s design was copied, materials could not be copied and were therefore chosen
and manipulated by the author. First the participants will be discussed, followed by materials
and instrumentation, and lastly the procedure and statistical analysis.
4.1 Participants
This study was carried out in the Netherlands. Participants were Dutch students, family, friends,
and acquaintances of the author all over the Netherlands. An overview of the participants (in
frequency and percentages) is given in table 4.1 and a scatterplot map of the participants’ place
of residence is shown in figure 4.1. Of the study population, 60 out of 82 subjects fully
completed the questionnaire. As a result, number of responses (N) per question may deviate
from one other. Table 4.1 shows a cross table of the gender and age distribution in frequency
and percentages. The participants were aged between 18 and 66 (M=28). Age has been divided
into two categories: young (18 to 30 years old) and old (31 to 66 years old). Most of the research
projects focussed on the younger generation or had small age groups. Therefore, the author
created her own young and old categories. Vertically, the table shows the frequency of males
and females in the two age categories. Horizontally, the table shows the frequency of young
and old males or females. The percentages should only be read horizontally. The table shows,
for instance, that 62.5% of the participating males were young. In addition, 10 out of 60
participants were young and male.
Table 4.1. Participant Table Gender X Age (N=60)
Age
Gender
Male
Count
% within gender
Female
Count
% within gender
Total
Young
Old
% within age
% within age
total
10
6
16
62.5%
37.5%
100%
25
19
44
56.8%
43.2%
100%
35
25
60
58.3%
41.7%
100%
Gender was unevenly distributed. Of the 60 individuals 44 were female and 16 were male. 35
of the participants were young and 25 were old. In addition, the participants had various
educational backgrounds, ranging from lower secondary professional education to a university
degree.
Figure 4.1 shows the distribution of the participants over the Netherlands: the places of
birth are shown in pink and the places of residence in orange.
Figure 4.1. Scatterplot of Residence in the Netherlands (N=60)
As can be seen from the scatterplot map in figure 4.1, there is no equal distribution of
participants over the Netherlands. The Northern parts of the Netherlands are underrepresented
and the provinces Utrecht and Noord-Brabant are represented in high numbers.
2. Materials
Six advertisements were selected for this study. All of them were entirely in English. This was
verified by the Dutch Van Dale dictionary. These advertisements were chosen because they
were easy to manipulate into Dutch. See Appendix A for the original advertisements, the
manipulated English standardizations, and the manipulated Dutch adaptations. In addition, the
advertisements were chosen as they were diverse and thought to appeal to both men and women,
young and old. The chosen advertisements in the survey were all standardized English
advertisements. For instance, the Nike “just do it” and the Tele 2 “we love cheap”
advertisements are used in this way in Dutch advertising for these particular campaigns. The
Toyota advertisement is originally Singaporean and has been manipulated to a simple
standardized English advertisement with no particular (country) details. The chosen Heineken
advertisement is also a standardized version, although Heineken also often uses Dutch
advertisements for their campaign. Even though Levi’s had Dutch adapted advertisements in,
for instance the early 1980’s, now their advertisements are standardized (Geheugen van
Nederland, n.d.). A standardized Calvin Klein advertisement was also used. All standardized
advertisements were manipulated to a Dutch adaptation. A translation and back-translation
method was used to ensure as close a match as possible.
3. Instrumentation
The questionnaire was in Dutch to facilitate understanding. See Appendix B for the full version
of the online survey. The questionnaire was divided into four parts, each with an introduction
or instructions, covering 1) attitude, 2) comprehension, 3) preference, and 4) general participant
information.
In the attitude section of the questionnaire, respondents were shown the six
advertisements and asked to indicate on a five-point scale (1= strongly disagree – 5 = strongly
agree) to what extent they agreed that the use of English in the advertisement was functional,
sympathetic, poetic, pleasant/easy going (four positive adjectives), superfluous, irritating,
affected, and arrogant (four negative adjectives). These adjectives are based on earlier research
by Gerritsen et al. (2000), who point out “these adjectives [. . .] are often used in discussions
on the use of English in Dutch texts” (p.23).
In the comprehensibility section of the questionnaire, respondents were shown the six
advertisements and asked to fill in on a five-point Likert scale to indicate how well they
understood the English, whether they would be able to translate the English, and whether they
understood the message the advertiser wants to convey. The respondents were then asked to
interpret the English slogan and to provide a translation for the six slogan phrases (table 4.3).
They were asked not to use a dictionary to keep the data clean. Both literal translations and
rough translations that reflected the essence of the English text were considered correct, taking
a flexible approach. For instance, a translation of “Freshness has a name” into Dutch “een frisse
smaak heeft een naam” was considered correct, yet Dutch ‘koudheid heeft een naam’ was
considered incorrect.
Table 4.3 Brands and their Six Slogans
Brand
Original English slogan
Tele 2
We love cheap
Toyota
Distinguish Yourself
Calvin Klein
One moment can change everything
Heineken
Freshness has a name
Nike
Just do it
Levi
Let your body do the talking
The comprehension section was followed by the preference section. For each pair of
advertisements, the English version or the equivalent Dutch version, the respondents were asked
to choose the advertisement they preferred. Although they could see a possible translation of
the English texts in the adapted Dutch version, participants could not return to the translation
questions to adjust or to correct their answer(s). The last part of the questionnaire contained
general questions on age, gender, level of education, place of birth and residence.
4. Procedure and Statistical Analysis
The survey’s design was based on Stone’s (1993) and Dörnyei’s (2007) step by step guide to
design a questionnaire in combination with the particular themed questionnaire design of
Nickerson et al. (2005) and Hornikx et al. (2010). Both Stone and Dörnyei suggest using closed
questions. Dörnyei (2007) points out that closed questions provide closed-ended items and no
free writing: “the selected response options can, then, easily be numerically coded and entered
into a computer database” (p.105). Therefore, the questionnaire contained the following closedended item formats: Likert scales, numerical rating scales, and multiple-choice items. Still,
open-ended questions were also necessary to obtain data on comprehension. Therefore, the
following questions were used: specific open questions, such as clarification questions, and
short answer questions, like translation questions.
After the first draft, the questionnaire was pre-tested to find flaws. The draft was
circulated to a small group of friends who commented on the draft. Spelling mistakes were
corrected, questions were rephrased, and the preference section was added. Afterwards, the
form was re-drafted to a pre-final. Then a pilot was performed to evaluate the responses and to
evaluate the validity and reliability of the questionnaire.
The questionnaire was administered to friends and family via e-mail and social media.
They were asked to fill in the questionnaire and to spread it to others so a snowball effect would
occur. The questionnaire was published and distributed on February 19th 2015 and closed on
March 5th 2015.
The appreciation of and attitude toward English in the advertisements were calculated
per advertisement. An independent samples t-test was performed to measure differences
between the age groups and between the genders. Comprehension of the slogan was measured
by mean, frequency, and percentages calculations. A cross table and the chi-square test were
used for H7. To measure the preferences, frequencies and percentages were calculated.
It should be noted that Likert scales like the ones in the present study’s online survey
are labelled ordinal but in the present study’s statistical analysis they were used as ratio-scales.
The decision to do this was based on Gerritsen et al.’s methodology to measure attitudes and
comprehension in her own studies by using these ordinal scales as ratio-scales.
5. Results
This chapter presents the results of the analysed survey data and is divided into three sections.
First, data on attitude will be analysed to measure participants’ attitudes toward the use of
English in the advertisements. The second section will analyse comprehension to measure how
well Dutch participants understand English in the standardized advertisements. Lastly,
participants’ choices for an English version or a Dutch version of the same advertisement will
be analysed to measure preference. In each section the relevant hypotheses will be introduced,
followed by the results and observations. Afterwards, each hypothesis will be accepted 2 or
rejected. It should be noted that the total number of respondents (N) varied per answer. The first
questions, for instance, brought in more data than later questions due to dropping out. Another
aspect to keep in mind is that with a small sample size caution must be applied as the findings
might not be generalizable.
5.1 Attitude toward English in the Six Standardized Advertisements
Using the answers of the first section of the survey, data on attitude toward English have been
analysed. The present research hypothesized that respondents would have a neutral attitude
toward English in the six advertisements (H1). Table 5.1 presents the average attitude toward
the use of English in the six advertisements. The coding was such that the higher the score the
more positive the attitude: 1 indicates a negative attitude, 2 is rather negative, 3 is neutral, 4 is
rather positive, and 5 is a positive attitude. N indicates the number of respondents who filled in
the attitude questions.
Table 5.1: Average Attitude toward English in the Six Advertisements
2
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
Tele 2
80
3.29
.861
Toyota
71
2.94
.949
CK
66
3.50
.841
Heineken
65
3.26
.905
Nike
62
3.56
.823
Levi
62
3.14
.991
If it is significant and when it is true in at least 4 out of 6 cases (Dörnyei, 2007)
In round figures, table 5.1 shows that the respondents were neutral toward the use of English in
4 out of 6 advertisements and in 2 out of 6 respondents were even rather positive. It can thus be
suggested that H1 is confirmed for this sample.
The second hypothesis on attitude states that young people are more positive toward
English in advertisements than the older generation (H2). An independent samples t-test was
conducted for all six advertisements to test whether the difference in attitudes between the
younger and the older group was significant. Table 5.2 shows a summary of the statistics for
the outcome of attitude differences between the young generation and the older generation. The
coding was such that the higher the score the more positive the attitude.
Table 5.2: Independent Samples t-test of Attitude and Age
Mean
Std. Deviation
Tele 2
Young
3.63
.668
Old
3.01
1.088
Toyota
Young
3.08
.950
Old
2.75
1.008
CK
Young
3.51
.768
Old
3.48
1.026
Heineken
Young
3.21
.856
Old
3.34
1.073
Nike
Young
3.76
.448
Old
3.30
1.150
Levi
Young
3.30
.889
Old
2.92
1.151
* P< .05
** P< .013
Effect size = eta squared
3
99% reliability
(N=60)
Df
t
Sig.
Effect size
57
2.73
.008 **
0.115
57
1.265
.211
57
.121
.899
57
-.508
.614
27.834
1.889
.069
57
1.429
.159
As can be seen from the table above, English is valued more positively by the younger than by
the older generation in 5 out of 6 advertisements. Only the English in the Heineken
advertisement is valued more positively by the older generation than by the younger. Overall,
however, this cannot be statistically shown. There was a significant difference of scores in the
Tele 2 advertisement between the younger (M=3.63, SD=.66) and the older generation
(M=3.01, SD=1.08), t(57) = 2.73, P<.01 and the magnitude of the difference in the means is
large (eta squared = 0.115) with age explaining the variance in attitude between the generations.
Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between the young and the older generation
with reference to the Toyota, CK, Heineken, Nike, and Levi advertisements. In addition, the six
advertisements combined did not reveal a significant difference between the age groups either.
Therefore, H2 is accepted for the sample but is rejected for the whole population because there
is not enough significant proof that the younger generation have a more positive attitude than
the older generation.
The same independent samples t-test was conducted to test the third hypothesis which
states that there are no significant differences between gender evaluations of the use of English
in the advertisements (H3). Summarised score results of differences between males and females
are presented in table 5.3. Again, 1 indicates a negative attitude and 5 indicates a positive
attitude toward English in the advertisement.
Table 5.3: Independent Samples t-test of Attitude and Gender (N=60)
Mean
Std. Deviation
Tele 2
Male
3.54
.784
Female
3.32
.953
Toyota
Male
3.29
.869
Female
2.82
.996
CK
Male
3.45
.957
Female
3.52
.852
Df
t
Sig.
57
.829
.410
57
1.668
.101
57
-.302
.764
Effect Size
Heineken
Male
3.41
.827
Female
3.21
.987
Nike
Male
3.74
.603
Female
3.51
.902
Levi
Male
3.21
1.114
Female
3.12
.971
57
.710
.481
57
.949
.347
57
.317
.752
* P< .05
** P< .01
Effect size = eta squared
Although there are small differences between male and female respondents in attitude, table 5.3
indicates that for none of the six advertisements these differences in attitude were significant.
H3 is accepted as gender does not seem to influence the attitude toward English in the
advertisements.
5.2 Comprehension of English in the Six Standardized Advertisements
The next section of the survey was concerned with the comprehension of English text, in
particular the slogan, in the advertisements. Therefore, data concerning comprehension was
analysed. First self-assessed comprehension was analysed so it could be compared with the
actual comprehension, which was also analysed. Participants had to self-assess their proficiency
in English and to self-assess their ability to understand the six advertisements. This research
hypothesized that participants believe themselves to be highly proficient in English (H4). The
upper part of table 5.4 shows the average of the proclaimed proficiency per skill and the bottom
part of the table shows the average of the skills combined. The coding was such that the higher
the score the more proficient in English. 1 indicates a very low proficiency in English, 2 a low
proficiency, 3 is average, 4 indicates proficient, and 5 a high proficiency in English.
Table 5.4: Average Proficiency in 5 Skills (N=60)
Mean
Std Deviation
Speaking
3.63
.823
Listening
4.25
.816
Reading
4.08
.907
Grammar
3.13
1.096
Spelling
3.27
1.103
Skills combined
3.67
.800
As is shown in table 5.4, the participants’ mean skill ratings are above the ‘average’ (3) level.
This means that participants rated themselves average to proficient. In round figures, grammar
and spelling (2 out of 5) were rated neutral. Participants rated themselves as proficient in 3 out
of 5 skills, including the skill reading which is most important in this particular case of
comprehending advertisements. The participants’ self-assessed proficiency is rated above
average, or in other words, rated as proficient. Participants did not rate their proficiency in
English as highly proficient and so H4 is rejected for this sample.
A related hypothesis is H5 which states that participants believe themselves able to
comprehend the advertisements completely. To test this, respondents had to (completely) agree
or disagree with the following claims: 1) the English is easy to understand, 2) I could translate
the English, and 3) I understand the advertisers’ message. These statements were combined,
producing a self-assessed comprehension mean score per advertisement. Table 5.5 gives an
overview of these scores in which 1 indicates a self-assessment of not comprehending the
English text and 5 completely comprehending the English text.
Table 5.5: Average Self-assed Comprehension of the Six Advertisements
Mean
Std. Deviation
Tele 2
4.69
.586
Toyota
3.95
1.327
CK
4.61
.648
Heineken
4.60
.627
Nike
4.53
.668
Levi
4.44
.744
(N=62)
It is apparent from this table that a large number of participants believe themselves to be able
to understand English in the advertisements. Participants had considerably more trouble
understanding the Toyota advertisement than the other commercials, which all scored above 4.
In round figures, 6 out of 6 score above average. In 4 out of 6 advertisements participants
believed they could comprehend the English completely. These outcomes indicate that H5 is
confirmed.
The previous analysis does not show whether it is correct to assume the respondents’
proficiency is indeed as high as they themselves believe it to be. Therefore, actual
comprehension was also tested to find out whether a high percentage (of 80% or more) of the
participants are able to give an accurate indication of the meaning of the six advertisements
(H6). Translations were judged on correctness. Table 5.6 shows the outcomes of correct or
incorrect translations of the six slogans in percentages.
Table 5.6: Correct and Incorrect Translations of the English in the Six Advertisements
Tele 2
(N=61)
Toyota
(N=61
CK
(N=62)
Heineken
(N=62)
Nike
(N=61)
Levi
(N=61)
Correct
95.1
68.9
91.9
90.3
96.7
82.0
Incorrect
4.9
31.1
8.1
9.7
3.3
18.0
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
Total
As table 5.6 indicates, a high percentage, the majority, of the participants were able to give
correct translations of the English texts. Toyota has a lower percentage of correct translations
than the other advertisements. Results showed that the Toyota slogan generated 10 different,
incorrect translations. These results indicate the participants experienced the slogan as difficultto-understand English. Nevertheless, 5 out of 6 advertisements score higher than 80% and even
4 out of 6 score higher than 90%. Noticeably, several participants did not only literally
translated the slogan, but also indicated the wordplay in the Tele2 advertisement. Several
provided answers like “directe vertaling: We houden van goedkoop. Woordspeling met
sheep/cheap is niet direct te vertalen” which means: literal translation is we love cheap, yet
there is a pun with sheep and cheap which cannot be translated into Dutch. This insight also
indicates high comprehension. Therefore, H6 is considered confirmed.
To see whether there is a significant difference between the age groups related to the
tested comprehension, the following hypothesis was formulated: younger people have a higher
comprehension of English in advertisements than the older generation (H7). A cross table and
the chi-square-test were used. The scores (in frequency) can be found in table 5.7.1 – 5.7.6. A
cross table of the combined comprehension of the six advertisements and the two generations
scores can be found in table 5.7.7.
Table 5.7.1: Tele 2: Age X Correct Translation and the Chi-Square Test
(N=60)
Translation Tele2
Age
Correct
incorrect
Total
Young
35
0
35
Old
22
3
25
Chi-Sq.4
Total
57
3
60
.067
* P< .05
** P< .01
Table 5.7.2: Toyota: Age X Correct Translation and the Chi-Square Test
(N=60)
Translation Toyota
Age
Correct
Incorrect
Total
Young
30
4
35
Old
12
13
25
Chi-Sq.
Total
42
17
60
.001**
* P< .05
** P< .01
Table 5.7.3: CK: Age X Correct Translation and the Chi-Square Test
(N=60)
Translation CK
Age
Correct
Incorrect
Total
Young
34
1
35
Old
22
3
25
Chi-Sq.
Total
56
4
60
.298
* P< .05
** P< .01
4
When P<0.05 there is a significant relation between the variables.
Table 5.7.4: Heineken: Age X Correct Translation and the Chi-Square Test
(N=60)
Translation Heineken
Age
Correct
Incorrect
Total
Young
33
2
35
Old
22
3
25
Chi-Sq.
Total
55
5
60
.640
* P< .05
** P< .01
Table 5.7.5: Nike: Age X Correct Translation and the Chi-Square Test
(N=60)
Translation Nike
Age
Correct
Incorrect
Total
Young
35
0
35
Old
23
2
25
Chi-Sq.
Total
58
2
60
.169
* P< .05
** P< .01
Table 5.7.6: Levi: Age X Correct Translation and the Chi-Square Test
(N=60)
Translation Levi
Age
* P< .05
** P< .01
Correct
Incorrect
Total
Young
31
4
35
Old
18
7
25
Chi-Sq.
Total
49
11
60
.174
Table 5.7.7: Combined Six Advertisements: Age X Correct Translation and the Chi-Square Test
(N=60)
Translation (mean combined)
Age
* P< .05
** P< .01
Correct
Incorrect
Total
Young
35
0
35
Old
22
3
25
Chi-Sq.
Total
57
3
60
.013*
5
Tables 5.7.1 through 5.7.6 show that the younger generation had more correct translations than
the older generation in 6 out of 6 advertisements. 2 out of 6 times, the younger generation had
no incorrect translation of the English slogan at all. There was only one advertisement, Toyota,
which showed a significant relation between the two variables of age and comprehension: a 2
x 2 Chi-square analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between age and
correctness of the sampled participants, 𝜒 2 (2, 59) = 11.37, p=.001. For this advertisement, the
number of incorrect answers by the older generation was higher than the number of correct
answers. Nevertheless, table 5.7.7 shows that there is a significant connection between the two
variables of age and comprehension when the six advertisements were combined: a 2 x 2 Chisquare analysis revealed that there was a significant relationship between age and correctness
of the 6 slogans’ translation combined, 𝜒 2 (4, 59) = 12.70, p=.013. H7 is accepted as age does
seem to influence the comprehension toward English in these advertisements.
5.3 Preference for English (Standardized) or Dutch (Adapted) Advertisements
In the third section of the survey, respondents were asked to indicate which version of the
advertisement they preferred: the English (standard) version or the Dutch (adapted) version. It
was hypothesized that the English advertisements would be preferred over the Dutch
adaptations (H8). Table 5.8 shows the results on preference for the 6 advertisements in
frequency and percentages.
5
Significant connection between age and translation comprehension with 95% reliability
Table 5.8: Participant’s preference Standardisation (ST) versus Adaptation (AD)
Tele 2
Toyota
CK
Heineken
(N=62)
Nike
Levi
53
85.5%
27
43.5%
41
66.1%
39
62.9%
45
72.6%
45
72.6%
AD
Dutch
9
14.5%
35
56.5%
21
33.9%
23
37.1%
17
27.4%
17
27.4%
Total
62
100%
62
100%
62
100%
62
100%
62
100%
62
100%
ST
English
As can be seen in table 5.8, in 5 out of 6 advertisements the English version was preferred over
the Dutch adapted version with 60 % or more of the participants choosing English. Only the
Dutch Toyota advertisement was preferred over the English version by 56.5%. The majority of
the participants preferred English and therefore H8 is confirmed.
For a quick overview, a summary of the results and the confirmation of the hypotheses is given
in table 5.9. Due to a small sample, there are two columns: one focussing on the survey’s
participants (sample) and one for possible (population) generalizations if there were significant
results.
Table 5.9: Summary of Hypotheses Results: Confirmed, Accepted or Rejected
Sample
Population
H1
Confirmed (with 4 out of 6)
Significance cannot be measured
H2
Confirmed (with 5 out of 6)
Rejected, 1/6 significant, not sufficient data.
H3
Confirmed (with 6 out of 6)
Accepted, 6/6 shows no significance
H4
Rejected (with 0 out of 6)
Significance cannot be measured
H5
Confirmed (with 4 out of 6)
Significance cannot be measured
H6
Confirmed (with 5 out of 6)
Significance cannot be measured
H7
Confirmed (with 6 out of 6)
Accepted, 1/1 significant
! Individual cases: 1/6 significant, not sufficient data.
H8
Confirmed (with 5 out of 6)
Significance cannot be measured
6. Discussion
This chapter will discuss the results in light of the theory reviewed in chapter 2. It will elaborate
on whether the results agree with the theory and earlier research and will try to give an
explanation for deviating or unexpected results. This will be done for each hypothesis. Most of
the hypotheses were confirmed and findings of this study complement those of earlier studies.
What should be noted is that not all of the findings can be generalized to the whole population.
Like the previous chapter, this chapter will indicate when generalization is possible (when
results are significant) or when the results are only a reflection of the sample. The latter results
should therefore be interpreted with caution.
6.1 Attitude toward English in the Six Standardized Advertisements
The results in the previous chapter indicate that in this study respondents were neutral toward
the use of English in the advertisements. In 4 out of 6 advertisements respondents were neutral
towards the use of English. For 2 out of 6 advertisements, respondents had a positive attitude
toward the use of English. The hypothesis that respondents’ attitudes toward the use of English
in the six advertisement are neutral (H1) is therefore confirmed for this sample. This finding is
in line with earlier research by Nickerson et al. from 2005, but it conflicts with Gerritsen et al.’s
research from 2000. The respondents were not the same as Nickerson et al.’s and Gerritsen et
al.’s respondents, which may have led to these different results. Another explanation could be
that this change of a negative attitude into a neutral attitude is caused by the growth of status of
the English language in the Netherlands. Gerritsen and Nickerson (2007b) predicted that
English would grow in importance in Dutch daily life as it is on its way to attaining ESL status.
The present research suggests that attitudes are changing over time: from rather negative in 200
to neutral in 2005 and 2015.
Respondents were rather negative about the use of English in one advertisement in
particular: Toyota. This is in line with Hornikx et al.’s research from 2010 that easy-tounderstand English is preferred, and thus more positively valued, over difficult-to-understand
English. Although the six advertisements did not contain complex constructions of English,
some words might be unfamiliar to some and familiar to others. For instance, the younger
generation might be more up-to-date with the modern day English sports’ vocabulary and could
therefore be more familiar with words which Nike might use in their campaigns. In the present
research, a large number of respondents had difficulty with the word “distinguish” (see results
under the heading Comprehension and Slogan). The unfamiliarity with this word might trigger
negative attitudes toward it. This agrees with Hornikx et al.’s (2005) and Kuppens’s (2009)
findings on the relation of miscomprehension, frustration, and depreciation of an English text.
Furthermore, H2 in this paper hypothesized that young people are more positive about
the use of English in advertisements than the older generation. In 5 out of 6 advertisements
English was valued more positively by the younger than by the older generation and therefore
the hypothesis is confirmed for the sample. This outcome is in agreement with Gerritsen et al.’s
(2000) research that showed young people to be more positive toward English than older
people. Contrary to expectations, this study did not find significant differences between the age
groups and what they thought of the use of English. Because there are no significant results,
this hypothesis should be rejected for the population. Only one significant difference was
measured in which the younger generation was more positive toward English than the older
generation. Therefore, the hypothesis should be rejected due to insufficient data. Additional
research with a greater number of participants is needed.
Based on the research by Gerritsen et al. (2000) on male and female attitudes toward
English, it was expected that there would be no significant differences between the genders in
their opinions of the English text in the advertisements (H3). The results in this research
complement those of Gerritsen et al.’s (2000) study as they indicate that gender indeed does not
seem to influence the attitude toward English in advertisements considerably. The differences
were not significant in all six advertisements. Therefore, the hypothesis is confirmed. Although,
as Petrevu (2001) points out, there are certain themes, visuals, and messages that might appeal
more to one gender than the other, language alone does not seem to affect differences
significantly. The present study only focussed on English text. Further research on English in
combination with visuals will need to be undertaken to find out more about significant
differences between the two genders and their attitudes toward language and the advertisement
as a whole.
6.2 English Proficiency and Comprehension in the Six Standardized Advertisements
The results of this study show that respondents believed themselves to be proficient in English.
Writing skills were rated as average and speaking, listening, and reading were rated as
proficient. Therefore, the hypothesis that participants believe themselves to be highly proficient
in English (H4) is rejected for this sample. These results are in disagreement with earlier
research. Gerritsen et al. (2000) and Nickerson et al. (2005) indicate that the Dutch report a
high self-competence. In the present study, the high and low educational levels are not equally
distributed. There were more highly educated than lower educated participants. Still, selfassessed proficiency was not very high. This might be explained by the highly educated
respondents not overestimating their skills, in other words, modesty (see also further
explanation under the heading Comprehension and Self-assessment). Anew, it should be noted
that the study’s respondents were not the same as Nickerson et al.’s and Gerritsen et al.’s
respondents, which may have led to these different results.
The present research hypothesized that participants believe themselves able to
comprehend the advertisements completely (H5). The results show that of 4 out of 6
advertisements participants indicated they thought they were able to comprehend the English
text completely. 2 out of 6 advertisements show less confidence as participants believed they
could comprehend the advertisement’s text and message. These findings indicate that H5 is
confirmed for this sample. This is in accordance with Gerritsen et al.’s (2000) and Nickerson et
al.’s (2005) indication of a high-self-assessment. This result and its deviation from H4 results,
which show not a high but a modest proficient self-assessment, may be explained by the fact
that the participants had slogans, something concrete, to test their comprehension of English
texts. In other words, participants did not have to estimate their overall proficiency, but they
could actually test their comprehension on a given text. Modesty would be unlikely as the
participant would know whether he or she does or does not understand a text like for instance
“just do it” (Nike).
Despite respondents’ self-assessed high proficiency, earlier research by Gerritsen et al.
(2000) questioned this self-assessed high proficiency. On the other hand, Nickerson et al. (2005)
found that 80% of the Dutch participants were able to understand and translate the English text
correctly. Results of this study are in line with Nickerson’s findings as 5 out of 6 advertisements
scored higher than 80% correct translations. Moreover, 4 out of 6 advertisements scored higher
than 90% of the participants giving correct translations. Therefore, H6 is confirmed; a high
percentage of participants is indeed able to give an accurate translation of English in the
advertisements. Gerritsen et al. (2000) and Nickerson et al. (2005) used highly educated
participants and the majority of the present study’s participants are also highly educated. It
suggests that the present study’s participants were more proficient in English than those of
Gerritsen and Nickerson. In addition, these results may indicate that proficiency has increased
since 2000.
Surprisingly, the Toyota advertisement was found to be more difficult to translate
correctly than the other five advertisements as it scored only 68.9% correct translations. It
seemed participants had trouble finding the correct translation of the words Distinguish
Yourself. The advertising agency, therefore, fails to convey the brand’s message to almost a
third of the sample. It might be wise, in this case, to consider using an adapted version so their
slogan will be understood by a larger number of people.
Furthermore, H7 in this paper hypothesized that younger people have a higher
comprehension of the English texts in the advertisements than the older generation. Meeting
expectations, this study did find significant differences between age groups and their
comprehension. Results of this study show that in 6 out of 6 advertisements the younger
generation produced a greater number of correct translations. These results agree with those of
Gerritsen et al. (2000), which showed that young people have a better understanding of English
slogans than the older generation.
6.3 Preference for English (Standardized) or Dutch (Adapted) Advertisements
The results in the previous chapter indicate that in this study respondents preferred English over
Dutch advertisements. In 5 out of 6 advertisements the standardized English version was
preferred. The hypothesis which states that standardized advertisements are preferred to Dutch
adaptations (H8) is therefore confirmed for this sample. This finding is in line with earlier
research by Hornikx et al. (2005), which shows that easy-to-understand English is preferred
over difficult-to-understand English. The advertisement for Toyota was difficult to understand
as this advertisement scored lowest when participants had to rate their ability to understand the
English and only 68.9% was indeed able to translate the slogan. This explains why the other
five standardized advertisements, which were well comprehended and translated and therefore
easy-to-understand English, were preferred over the Dutch versions in contrast to the
standardized Toyota one which was not preferred over the Dutch one.
7. Conclusion
This chapter offers a summary of the findings of this study and will answer the main question.
Several limitations of this study will be discussed and the chapter will conclude with
suggestions for further research.
7.1 Summary of the Present Study
This present study contributes to the debate on standardization or adaptation of advertisements
in the Netherlands by researching Dutch attitudes towards English, Dutch comprehension of
standardized advertisements, and Dutch preferences for standardized advertisements or adapted
Dutch versions. The present study tries to answer the following question: is the use of English
an effective choice: do consumers understand English and is it well received? To answer this
question, an online survey was used. First the participants were asked to give their opinion on
the use of English in six advertisements to measure attitude. Then, they were asked to indicate
whether they thought they could understand the English in the same six advertisements and to
provide a translation to measure comprehension. The last section of the survey compared the
six English standardized advertisements to equivalent Dutch adapted versions and the
participants were asked to choose either the Dutch or the English version to measure preference.
The current study has confirmed most findings of earlier research by Gerritsen et al.
(1999), Gerritsen et al. (2000), and Nickerson et al. (2005) concerning attitudes toward the use
of English in advertisements. Dutch consumers do not particularly seem to have a positive
attitude toward English in advertisements. Their attitude is rather neutral. In addition, the young
generation in the sample were more positive toward English in the advertisements than the older
generation, yet this could not be generalized to the whole population as the sample was too
small to find significant evidence. Still, it is in line with Gerritsen et al.’s findings from 1999
and 2000. Furthermore, as expected, this study did not show any significant differences between
males and females and their evaluation of the use of English in the advertisements.
Furthermore, the participants seem to comprehend the English in the advertisements.
There is a positive relation between self-assessment of comprehension and tested
comprehension. An unexpected finding was that this study’s participants did not indicate to be
highly proficient in English. However, when asked to indicate their ability to understand the
English slogan in the advertisements, they were more certain of their proficiency. Results
showed that most participants indicated they could completely comprehend the English slogans.
When this self-assessed proficiency was tested, results confirmed findings by Nickerson et al.
(2005). Participants in this study even exceeded expectations as 90% of the participants
provided correct translations for 4 advertisements. When age differences were considered, this
study confirmed Gerritsen et al.’s (1999) and Gerritsen et al.’s (2000) findings as younger
people understood English better than the older generation.
In addition, the participants preferred the English advertisements over the Dutch
equivalents, but with one exception. The Toyota Dutch adaptation was preferred over the
English version. This could be explained by the difficulty level of the English used in the Toyota
advertisement as a large number of participants did not comprehend its slogan. This is in line
with Hornikx et al.’s research from 2010 that English is preferred over Dutch in advertisements
when it was easy to understand.
The present research provides empirical support for the practice of English
standardization instead of Dutch adaptation by international businesses that advertise in the
Netherlands. The participants’ attitude toward the use of English was neutral, yet this research
suggest attitudes have changed over time from rather negative (2000) to neutral (2005) and in
this research to neutral but also in two cases positive (2015). Future research might focus on
possible progress toward positive attitudes toward the use of English, keeping in mind the
change of status of English in the Netherlands. In addition, positive feelings toward the English
language may lead to consumers buying products that are advertised in English. This way,
standardization does not only save money but also might improve sales. Still, more research
needs to be conducted to find out whether there is a positive relation between attitude and
consumptive behaviour.
In conclusion, the findings of the present study support an English
standardization strategy. What should be kept in mind, though, is that there are more factors
that play a role in choosing a standardized campaign or an adapted campaign besides attitudes
toward a language, the comprehension of a language, and the preference of the consumer. For
instance, cost effectiveness or cultural values were not discussed and taken into account in this
study. This study only focussed on language use, in particular English in Dutch advertisements.
Limitations of this research may inspire future research.
7.2 Limitations
Several limitations of this study need to be stressed. First of all, the time available for this
project was limited. This affected the research and the data collection as the online survey was
available for only 2 weeks. Moreover, as there was not a large amount of time to recruit
participants, the total number of respondents is rather low and there are no proportional
representations of males/females, young/old respondents, high/low educational levels, and
places of residence. This made the statistical procedure more difficult and the chance of
significance smaller. Lastly, the monitoring possibilities were also limited. Although the survey
gave explicit instructions not to use any (online) dictionaries so as not to affect the outcomes,
this was not verifiable. In addition, although participants were explicitly instructed not to take
visuals and brands into consideration when assessing advertisements and answering the
questions, they may have been affected by visuals or by personal preferences for brands.
7.3 Further Research
A recommendation for further research would be to use more participants. More time is also
needed to find respondents. This way, further research might find significant differences which
can be generalised. In addition, this research focussed on the Dutch. Another suggestion would
be to compare non-native English speaking countries. Further research might also focus more
on details in groupings, for instance advanced research on gender differences and their attitudes,
preference, and comprehension. Lastly, it would be interesting to compare experiences of
individuals within the same kind of research, giving it more depth to answers. After one of the
participants filled in the survey, he told the author that he started thinking about standardization
and adaptation and explained why he had chosen certain answers. A mixed method of
quantitative and qualitative research might, therefore, give more insight into this subject.
References
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
European Commission. (2012). Special Eurobarometer 386: Europeans and their Languages
Report. Retrieved
from
http://www.google.nl/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source
=web&cd=1&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fec.europa.eu%2Fpublic_opini
on%2Farchives%2Febs%2Febs_386_en.pdf&ei=OybaVN3oH47jO7nfgeAB&usg=AF
QjCNEBNvusNJPaciLRaBDnzf2ne_0OQw&bvm=bv.85464276,d.ZWU
Geheugen
van
Nederland.
(n.d.).
Eis
origineel
draag
Levi’s.
Retrieved
from
http://www.geheugenvannederland.nl/?/nl/items/RA01:30051001536512
Gerritsen, M. (1996). Philips nodigt je uit – Engelstalige advertenties blijken zelfs voor
hoogopgeleide Nederlanders te moeilijk. Communicatie, 2(9), 26.
Gerritsen, M., Gijsbers, I., Korzilius, H., & van Meurs, F. (1999). Engels in Nederlanse TvReclame (2); Hoe denken consumenten erover en wat begrijpen ze ervan? Onze Taal, 1,
68(1), 18-20.
Gerritsen, M., Korzilius, H., van Meurs, F., & Gijsbers, I. (2000). English in Dutch
Commercials: Not Understood and Not Appreciated. Journal of Advertising Research,
40(4), 17-36.
Gerritsen, M., Nickerson, C., van den Brandt, C., Crijns, R., Dominguez, N., van Meurs, F.,
et al. (2007a). English in Print Advertising in Germany, Spain and the Netherlands:
Frequency of Occurence, Comprehensibility and the Effect on Corporate Image. In G.
G. a. C. Ilie (Ed.), The role of English in institutional and business settings. Berlin: Peter
Lang, 79-98.
Gerritsen, M., & Nickerson, C. (2007b). Fact or Fallacy? English as an L2 in the Dutch Business
Context. In C. Candlin and M. Gotti (Eds.) Intercultural Aspects of Specialized
Communication. Bern: International Academic Publishers.
Gerritsen, M., Nickerson, C. van Hooft, A., van Meurs, F., Korzilius, H., Nederstigt, U., et al.
(2010). English in Product Advertisements in Non-English- Speaking Countries in
Western Europe: Product Image and Comprehension of the Text. Journal of Global
Marketing, 23(4), 349-365.
Hofstede,
G.
(n.d.).
Dimensions
of
National
Cultures.
Retrieved
from
http://www.geerthofstede.nl/dimensions-of-national-cultures
Hornix, J., van Meurs, F., & de Boer, A. (2010). English or a Local Language in Advertising?
The Appreciation of Easy and Difficult English Slogans in the Netherlands. Journal of
Buiness Communication, 47(2), 169-188.
Jesperson, O. (1945). Growth and Structure of the English Language, 9th edition. Oxford:
Blackwell.
Kanso, A. & Kitchen, P.J. (2004) Marketing consumer services internationally: Localisation
and standardisation revisited, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 22(2), 201-215.
Kuppens, A.H. (2009) English in Advertising: Generic Intertextuality in a Globalizing Media
Environment. Applied Linguistics, 31(1), 115-135.
Melcher, G. & Shaw, P. (2011) World Englishes, 2nd edition. Abingdon: Hodder Education.
Nickerson, C, Gerritsen, M. & van Meurs, F. (2005). Raising student awareness of the use of
English for specific business purposes in the European context: A staff-student project.
English for Specific Purposes, 24, 333-345.
Putrevu, S. (2001). Exploring the Origins and Information Processing Differences Between
Men and Women: Implications for Advertisers. Academy of Marketing Science
Review, 10.
Samiee, S., Jeong, I., Pae, J.H., & Tai, S. (2003). Advertising Standardization in Multinational
Corporation: The Subsidiary Perspective. Journal of Business Research, 56, 613-626.
Schneider, E.W. (2011). English Around the World: An Introduction. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
Stone, D.H. (1993). Design a Questionnaire. British Medical Journal, 307 (1), 264-1266.
Van Bezooijen, R. (2002). Aesthetic Evaluation of Dutch: Comparisons across Dialects,
Accents, and Languages. In D. Long & D.R. Preston (Eds.) Handbook of Perceptual
Dialectology,
Volume
2.
Retrieved
from
https://books.google.nl/books?id
=DNdXI1UD4DQC&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=Imposed+Norm+Hypothesis&source=
bl&ots=sE7QfFXgxS&sig=VHSaKruClTwUlEjDtNsHXzl8iqI&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=RYX
aVIufKIXEPa23gJgK&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Imposed%20Norm%20
Hypothesis&f=false
Van der Vegt, W. (2014) Attitudes towards English Loanwords in Dutch News Broadcasts:
The Influence of Gender and Age. Leiden: Leiden University.
York St. John University. (2015) Kachru’s model of World Englishes. World Englishes.
Retrieved from http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/changing-englishes/changing-englishes/unit2-using-english/world-englishes.aspx
Appendix A: Original Advertisements and Manipulated Versions
Original Tele 2:
Manipulated English standardized version:
Manipulated Dutch adapted version:
Original Toyota:
Manipulated English standardized version:
Manipulated Dutch adapted version:
43
Original Calvin Klein:
Original Heineken:
Manipulated Dutch adapted version:
Manipulated Dutch adapted version:
44
Original Nike:
Manipulated Dutch adapted version:
45
Original Levi:
Manipulated Dutch adapted version:
46
Appendix B: The Online Survey
Pagina: 1
Het gebruik van Engels in Nederlandse
advertenties
Beste deelnemer,
Ten eerste hartelijk bedankt voor het meedoen aan deze vragenlijst. Het doel van het
onderzoek waaraan u meedoet is erachter komen wat Nederlanders vinden van het gebruik
van het Engels in Nederlandse advertenties. Daarnaast wordt er onderzocht in hoeverre de
boodschap van de adverteerder door de lezer begrepen wordt.
De vragenlijst bestaat uit 32 vragen en duurt ongeveer 10 minuten. Uw antwoorden en
gegevens worden vertrouwelijk en anoniem behandeld en zullen voor universitair onderzoek
verwerkt worden. Als u interesse heeft in de uitkomsten van het onderzoek kunt u dit
aangeven aan het einde van de vragenlijst.
Pagina: 2
Het gebruik van Engels in Nederlandse
advertenties
Specifieke instructies:
U krijgt dadelijk verschillende advertenties te zien. Het gaat hierbij niet om het merk, product,
de afbeeldingen of de lay-out, hier hoeft u niet op te letten. Het gaat erom dat u let op het
taalgebruik in de advertentie, in dit geval Nederlands en Engels. U krijgt hierover enkele
specifieke en wat algemene vragen waarop u eerlijk antwoord kunt geven. Er zijn geen goede
en geen slechte antwoorden hierbij. Het is niet de bedoeling dat u een online vertaaldienst of
woordenboek gebruikt. Dit kan de resultaten van het onderzoek beïnvloeden.
47
Pagina: 3
1.
Geef voor het gebruik van het Engels in de advertentie aan wat u ervan vind.
Geef per begrip aan in hoeverre u het ermee eens bent dat het Engels zo op u overkomt:
Helemaal mee oneens
Functioneel
Sympathiek
Poëtisch
Aangenaam
Overbodig
Irritant
onnatuurlijk
Arrogant
Helemaal mee eens
48
Pagina: 4
2.
Geef voor het gebruik van het Engels in de advertentie aan wat u ervan vind.
Geef per begrip aan in hoeverre u het ermee eens bent dat het Engels zo op u overkomt:
Helemaal mee oneens
Functioneel
Sympathiek
Poëtisch
Aangenaam
Overbodig
irritant
onnatuurlijk
Arrogant
Helemaal mee eens
49
Pagina: 5
3.
Geef voor het gebruik van het Engels in de advertentie aan wat u ervan vind.
Geef per begrip aan in hoeverre u het ermee eens bent dat het Engels zo op u overkomt:
Helemaal mee oneens
Functioneel
Sympathiek
Poëtisch
Aangenaam
Overbodig
Irritant
onnatuurlijk
Arrogant
Helemaal mee eens
50
Pagina: 6
4.
Geef voor het gebruik van het Engels in de advertentie aan wat u ervan vind.
Geef per begrip aan in hoeverre u het ermee eens bent dat het Engels zo op u overkomt:
Helemaal mee oneens
Functioneel
Sympathiek
Poëtisch
Aangenaam
Overbodig
Irritant
onnatuurlijk
Arrogant
Helemaal mee eens
51
Pagina: 7
5.
Geef voor het gebruik van het Engels in de advertentie aan wat u ervan vind.
Geef per begrip aan in hoeverre u het ermee eens bent dat het Engels zo op u overkomt:
Helemaal mee oneens
Functioneel
Sympathiek
Poëtisch
Aangenaam
Overbodig
Irritant
onnatuurlijk
Arrogant
Helemaal mee eens
52
Pagina: 8
6.
Geef voor het gebruik van het Engels in de advertentie aan wat u ervan vind.
Geef per begrip aan in hoeverre u het ermee eens bent dat het Engels zo op u overkomt:
Helemaal mee oneens
Functioneel
Sympathiek
Poëtisch
Aangenaam
Overbodig
Irritant
onnatuurlijk
Arrogant
Helemaal mee eens
53
Pagina: 9
In deel 2 van de enquête krijgt u een paar stellingen en wordt u gevraagd om de slogans
van de advertenties te vertalen. Doet u dit a.u.b. zonder woordenboek of online
vertaaldienst. Ga uit van uw eerste indruk of idee en schrijf dat op als vertaling.
7.
Geeft u aan op een schaal van 1= helemaal mee oneens tot 5= helemaal mee eens in
hoeverre u het met de volgende stellingen eens bent:
Helemaal mee oneens
Ik vind het Engels in de advertenties
moeilijk te begrijpen.
Ik zou de Engelse tekst kunnen vertalen
naar het Nederlands
Ik begrijp de boodschap van de
adverteerder.
8.
Geef een vertaling van de volgende Engelse zin: We Love Cheap. *
Helemaal mee eens
54
9.
Geeft u aan op een schaal van 1= helemaal mee oneens tot 5= helemaal mee eens in
hoeverre u het met de volgende stellingen eens bent:
Helemaal mee oneens
Ik vind het Engels in de advertenties
moeilijk te begrijpen.
Ik zou de Engelse tekst kunnen vertalen
naar het Nederlands
Ik begrijp de boodschap van de
adverteerder.
10.
Geef een vertaling van de volgende Engelse zin: Distinguish Yourself. *
Helemaal mee eens
55
11.
Geeft u aan op een schaal van 1= helemaal mee oneens tot 5= helemaal mee eens in
hoeverre u het met de volgende stellingen eens bent:
Helemaal mee oneens
Helemaal mee eens
Ik vind het Engels in de advertenties
moeilijk te begrijpen.
Ik zou de Engelse tekst kunnen vertalen
naar het Nederlands
Ik begrijp de boodschap van de
adverteerder.
12.
Geef een vertaling van de volgende Engelse zin: Just one moment can change everything
*
56
Pagina: 10
13.
Geeft u aan op een schaal van 1= helemaal mee oneens tot 5= helemaal mee eens in
hoeverre u het met de volgende stellingen eens bent:
Helemaal mee oneens
Ik vind het Engels in de advertenties
moeilijk te begrijpen.
Ik zou de Engelse tekst kunnen vertalen
naar het Nederlands
Ik begrijp de boodschap van de
adverteerder.
14.
Geef een vertaling van de volgende Engelse zin: Freshness has a name. *
Helemaal mee eens
57
15.
Geeft u aan op een schaal van 1= helemaal mee oneens tot 5= helemaal mee eens in
hoeverre u het met de volgende stellingen eens bent:
Helemaal mee oneens
Ik vind het Engels in de advertenties
moeilijk te begrijpen.
Ik zou de Engelse tekst kunnen vertalen
naar het Nederlands
Ik begrijp de boodschap van de
adverteerder.
16.
Geef een vertaling van de volgende Engelse zin: Just do it. *
Helemaal mee eens
58
17.
Geeft u aan op een schaal van 1= helemaal mee oneens tot 5= helemaal mee eens in
hoeverre u het met de volgende stellingen eens bent:
Helemaal mee oneens
Helemaal mee eens
Ik vind het Engels in de advertenties
moeilijk te begrijpen.
Ik zou de Engelse tekst kunnen vertalen
naar het Nederlands
Ik begrijp de boodschap van de
adverteerder.
18.
Geef een vertaling van de volgende Engelse zin: Let your body do the talking. *
59
Pagina: 11
In Deel 3 moet u kiezen welke advertentie uw voorkeur heeft: de Engelse variant of de
Nederlandse variant.
19.
Welke van de 2 advertenties spreekt u het meeste aan *
20.
Welke van de 2 advertenties spreekt u het meeste aan? *
60
21.
Welke van de 2 advertenties spreekt u het meeste aan? *
22.
Welke van de 2 advertenties spreekt u het meeste aan? *
61
23.
Welke van de 2 advertenties spreekt u het meeste aan? *
24.
Welke van de 2 advertenties spreekt u het meeste aan? *
62
Pagina: 12
Tot slot volgen nog een paar algemene vragen.
25.
Wat is uw geslacht? *
Man
Vrouw
26.
Wat is uw leeftijd? *
27.
In welke provincie bent u geboren?
Friesland
Groningen
Drenthe
Overijssel
Gelderland
Utrecht
Noord-Holland
Zuid-Holland
Zeeland
Noord-Brabant
Limburg
Geen van bovenstaande
63
28.
In welke provincie woont u? *
Friesland
Groningen
Drenthe
Overijssel
Gelderland
Utrecht
Noord-Holland
Zuid-Holland
Zeeland
Noord-Brabant
Limburg
Geen van bovenstaande
29.
Wat is uw maximaal behaalde opleidingsniveau? *
VMBO
HAVO
VWO
MBO
HBO
WO
30.
Hoe vaak komt u in contact met Engels in advertenties en reclames?
Nooit
Zelden
Soms
Vaak
Zeer vaak
64
31.
Komt u naast het gebruik van magazines, internet, televisie en radio verder nog in
aanraking met de Engelse taal in uw dagelijks leven, bijvoorbeeld op uw werk, op
school, tijdens het beoefenen van uw hobby of bij familie en vrienden? En zo ja, waar?
Ja
Nee
32.
Als u moet aangeven op een schaal van 0 = laag tot 5 = hoog hoe goed u zelf bent in de
Engelse taal, hoe scoort u dan op de volgende punten?
0
5
Spreekvaardigheid
Luistervaardigheid
Lezen
Grammatica
Spelling
Pagina: 13
Dit is het einde van de vragenlijst.
Hartelijk bedankt voor uw deelname. Mocht u nog vragen hebben of contact op willen nemen,
dan kan dat op het volgende e-mailadres: j.a.m.vandenberg@students.uu.nl. Ook als u op de
hoogte gehouden wilt worden van de resultaten kunt u met dit adres contact opnemen.
65
Faculteit Geesteswetenschappen
Versie september 2014
VERKLARING KENNISNEMING REGELS M.B.T. PLAGIAAT
Fraude en plagiaat
Wetenschappelijke integriteit vormt de basis van het academisch bedrijf. De Universiteit Utrecht
vat iedere vorm van wetenschappelijke misleiding daarom op als een zeer ernstig vergrijp. De
Universiteit Utrecht verwacht dat elke student de normen en waarden inzake wetenschappelijke
integriteit kent en in acht neemt.
De belangrijkste vormen van misleiding die deze integriteit aantasten zijn fraude en plagiaat.
Plagiaat is het overnemen van andermans werk zonder behoorlijke verwijzing en is een vorm van
fraude. Hieronder volgt nadere uitleg wat er onder fraude en plagiaat wordt verstaan en een aantal
concrete voorbeelden daarvan. Let wel: dit is geen uitputtende lijst!
Bij constatering van fraude of plagiaat kan de examencommissie van de opleiding sancties
opleggen. De sterkste sanctie die de examencommissie kan opleggen is het indienen van een
verzoek aan het College van Bestuur om een student van de opleiding te laten verwijderen.
Plagiaat
Plagiaat is het overnemen van stukken, gedachten, redeneringen van anderen en deze laten
doorgaan voor eigen werk. Je moet altijd nauwkeurig aangeven aan wie ideeën en inzichten zijn
ontleend, en voortdurend bedacht zijn op het verschil tussen citeren, parafraseren en plagiëren.
Niet alleen bij het gebruik van gedrukte bronnen, maar zeker ook bij het gebruik van informatie die
van het internet wordt gehaald, dien je zorgvuldig te werk te gaan bij het vermelden van de
informatiebronnen.
De volgende zaken worden in elk geval als plagiaat aangemerkt:
 het knippen en plakken van tekst van digitale bronnen zoals encyclopedieën of digitale
tijdschriften zonder aanhalingstekens en verwijzing;
 het knippen en plakken van teksten van het internet zonder aanhalingstekens en
verwijzing;
 het overnemen van gedrukt materiaal zoals boeken, tijdschriften of encyclopedieën zonder
aanhalingstekens en verwijzing;
 het opnemen van een vertaling van bovengenoemde teksten zonder aanhalingstekens en
verwijzing;
 het parafraseren van bovengenoemde teksten zonder (deugdelijke) verwijzing: parafrasen
moeten als zodanig gemarkeerd zijn (door de tekst uitdrukkelijk te verbinden met de
oorspronkelijke auteur in tekst of noot), zodat niet de indruk wordt gewekt dat het gaat om
eigen gedachtengoed van de student;
 het overnemen van beeld-, geluids- of testmateriaal van anderen zonder verwijzing en
zodoende laten doorgaan voor eigen werk;
 het zonder bronvermelding opnieuw inleveren van eerder door de student gemaakt eigen
werk en dit laten doorgaan voor in het kader van de cursus vervaardigd oorspronkelijk
werk, tenzij dit in de cursus of door de docent uitdrukkelijk is toegestaan;
 het overnemen van werk van andere studenten en dit laten doorgaan voor eigen werk.
Indien dit gebeurt met toestemming van de andere student is de laatste medeplichtig aan
plagiaat;
 ook wanneer in een gezamenlijk werkstuk door een van de auteurs plagiaat wordt
gepleegd, zijn de andere auteurs medeplichtig aan plagiaat, indien zij hadden kunnen of
moeten weten dat de ander plagiaat pleegde;
 het indienen van werkstukken die verworven zijn van een commerciële instelling (zoals een
internetsite met uittreksels of papers) of die al dan niet tegen betaling door iemand anders
zijn geschreven.
De plagiaatregels gelden ook voor concepten van papers of (hoofdstukken van) scripties die voor
feedback aan een docent worden toegezonden, voorzover de mogelijkheid voor het insturen van
concepten en het krijgen van feedback in de cursushandleiding of scriptieregeling is vermeld.
In de Onderwijs- en Examenregeling (artikel 5.15) is vastgelegd wat de formele gang van zaken is
als er een vermoeden van fraude/plagiaat is, en welke sancties er opgelegd kunnen worden.
66
Onwetendheid is geen excuus. Je bent verantwoordelijk voor je eigen gedrag. De Universiteit
Utrecht gaat ervan uit dat je weet wat fraude en plagiaat zijn. Van haar kant zorgt de Universiteit
Utrecht ervoor dat je zo vroeg mogelijk in je opleiding de principes van wetenschapsbeoefening
bijgebracht krijgt en op de hoogte wordt gebracht van wat de instelling als fraude en plagiaat
beschouwt, zodat je weet aan welke normen je je moeten houden.
Hierbij verklaar ik bovenstaande tekst gelezen en begrepen te hebben.
Naam:
Joyce van den Berg
Studentnummer:
3695247
Datum en handtekening:
09-05-2015
Dit formulier lever je bij je begeleider in als je start met je bacheloreindwerkstuk of je master
scriptie.
Het niet indienen of ondertekenen van het formulier betekent overigens niet dat er geen sancties
kunnen worden genomen als blijkt dat er sprake is van plagiaat in het werkstuk.