From form to function: Mobile language resources in the Vietnamese customs setting

English language for Customs is considered crucial for working in an international airport; however, few if any empirical studies have investigated the language repertoires of customs officers in such a multilingual and multicultural, but security-sensitive, context. This paper drew on Blommaert’s sociolinguistics of globalization and Hymes’s Ethnography of Communication to examine naturally occurring interactions in English between Vietnamese customs officers and foreign travelers. We explore typical communicative practices in customs and the factors influencing the interactants participating in these practices. Examining interactions in detail provides insights into the communicative resources that customs officers utilize to accomplish order and security in the airport, currently experiencing escalating numbers of international travelers. Findings highlight the functional deployment of English as the airport lingua franca and non-verbal resources to accomplish meaning, notably around the smooth and efficient security processing of travelers. The paper concludes with implications for English for Specific Purposes curriculum design and materials development in the important but previously neglected area of customs communication.