Review of developments in research into english as a lingua franca volume 44 issue 3 jennifer jenkins, alessia cogo, martin dewey. English as a lingua franca and some implications for english teachers penny ur 2009 initial concepts and assumptions probably between two and three billion people speak english. Research into english as a lingua franca has been slower to take off, despite pioneering work by a. Two case companies english as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. Learning english as a lingua franca elf involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by nonnative speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be. Lingua franca has been used throughout human history and was used for commercial, religious, and diplomatic purposes. A lingua franca or working language, bridge language, vehicular language is a language systematically used for communication, possibly among people who do not share a common language. May 02, 2018 english as a lingua franca deepens diversity, colbert says, because as more people from more nations especially emerging economies speak and write a common language, it creates the opportunity for a more diverse group of nations and individuals to engage in a globalized discourse about the many issues impacting us all, for example global warming, conflict, and population growth. Request pdf english as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. However, the influence of the two economic powers has recently been shaken by the banking crisis and the consequent economic downturn. British linguist jennifer jenkins points out that elf is not a new phenomenon. This article reflects on the continued momentum of the debate regarding english as a lingua franca elf with a. Two case companies, english for specific purposes on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for scholarly research with thousands of academic publications available at your fingertips. English as a lingua franca elf is a functional term referring to the use of english as a common language by speakers of different first languages.
Second language acquisition, world englishes, and english as a lingua franca elf article pdf available in world englishes 371. Two case companies the article is based on findings from research into communication and language use in two international. Therefore, parents always place english a high place. Two case companies, english for specific purposes, in special issue. Since roughly only one out of every four users of english in the world is a native speaker of the language crystal 2003. English as a lingua franca in intercultural communication 185 these situations english is used as a lingua franca, with speakers who intend to comprehend each other as precisely as possible. English as a lingua franca deepens diversity, colbert says, because as more people from more nations especially emerging economies speak and write a common. The term lingua franca was first coined in the beginning of the 17th century by the italians. Pdf second language acquisition, world englishes, and. Generally, a lingua franca is a third language that is distinct from a native or mother language. English as a lingua franca pros and cons essay example. I identify three core positions running through van parijs text. Jan 11, 2016 before the second world war, many among the asian, african and south american countries were ruled by the british or the french.
English as a lingua franca international business contexts, 244, c. English as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. Two case companies, english for specific purposes on deepdyve, the largest online rental service for. Elf is also defined functionally by its use in intercultural communication rather than formally by its reference to nativespeaker norms whereas english as a second or foreign language aims at meeting native speaker norms and gives prominence to. However, knowledge about the specific features of this kind of corporate communication, in lingua franca english in particular, is scarce see however nickerson, 2000. According to merriamwebster 2014, lingua franca is defined as a common language spoken among peoples with different native. The evolution of english as the business lingua franca core. The naturalness of english as a european lingua franca. Examples of a particular approach to elf research are provided in the form of two case studies focussing on different aspects of elf interactions. Published on january 11, 2016 january 11, 2016 15 likes 0 comments.
In practice this is more true of europe than asia, and more true in urban areas than in rural areas. Leena louhialasalminen, mirjaliisa charles, anne kankaanranta. English as a lingua franca elf is the use of the english language as a common means of communication for speakers of different first languages. English for specific purposes english as a lingua franca. Pdf the evolution of english as the business lingua franca. According to the survey we described above louhialasalminen, 2002a, around a quarter of all company internal communication takes place via email in the case companies. English as a lingua franca and some implications for english teachers penny ur 2009 initial concepts and assumptions probably between two and three billion people speak. This article explores the role of english and other languages as. The of english as a lingua franca top 1% university. These may be defined according to kachrus three circles. So english as a lingua franca is a name given to the language in its worldwide function.
Frankish language language used as a means of communication between populations speaking vernaculars that are not mutually intelligible. Elf interaction can include native english speakers, but in most cases, it is a contact language between people who share neither a common native tongue. The evolution of english as the business lingua franca. English as a business lingua franca in a german multinational. Englishasalinguafranca barbaraseidlhofer in recent years, the term english as a lingua franca elf has emerged as a way of referring to communication in english between speakers with different. House 2002, not much is known about the exact function. What is meant by the term lingua franca in short, a lingua franca is a contact language used among people who do not share a. The of english as a lingua franca university of southampton. Review of developments in research into english as a lingua. According to the survey we described above louhialasalminen, 2002a, around a quarter of all companyinternal communication takes place via email in the case companies. An increasing number of global firms adopt a primary language for business operationsusually english. It is undeniably the only global lingua franca used in a wide variety of international domains, including international.
If english is the new lingua franca, is diversity promoted. Mohammad latif chaudhary are from college of electronic technology, bani walid, libya. First of all let us consider what a lingua franca is. Will english as a lingua franca impact on native english. Research on lingua franca english lfe not only affirms this questioning, but reveals what multilingual communities have known all along. The practice can surface dormant hostilities around culture and. One major reason van parijs gives for accelerating the spread of english runs as follows. Scholars such as nickerson 2002 and bargielachiappini 2005 have contributed a great deal in this line of research by examining the effect of english as business or corporate english as business lingua franca iberica 26 20. At its simplest, elf is a way of referring to communication in english between speakers who have different first languages. Two case companies the article is based on findings from research into communication and language use in two. A lingua franca or working language, bridge language, vehicular language is a language systematically used for communication, possibly among.
How to teach english as a lingua franca elf british council. The chapter suggests a different way of conceptualizing the language in european contexts and provides an updated overview of empirical research into its lingua franca use. Katy simpson davies and laura patsko will deliver a british council seminar in glasgow on 26 november 20 on teaching pronunciation and listening in an elf context english as a lingua franca. Lingua franca english that is predominantly used by nonnative.
To be publicly discussed, by due permission of the faculty of arts at the university of helsinkiin lecture room 12, university main building, on the 16. Raising awareness of english as a lingua franca elf you could introduce the concept of elf to your students by using statistics, like these from the british council, as a starting point to. How to teach english as a lingua franca elf british. The abbreviation elf stands for english as a lingua franca. Englishasalinguafranca barbaraseidlhofer in recent years, the term english as a lingua franca elf has emerged as a way of referring to communication in english between speakers with. The second drawback of english being the international lingua franca is that the dominance of the english language proposes a threat to our own language. In this paper, we will report on a case study of internal communication associated with two corporate mergers in scandinavia. House 2002, not much is known about the exact function and meaning of the individual discourse markers in the l2 speakers speech, when they do use them. English is and will be the lingua franca of europe in spite of brexit. The practice can surface dormant hostilities around culture and geography, reports tsedal neeley.
Ej697849 english as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. At that time, it represented a conglomeration of mostly italian, with a smattering of french, portuguese, spanish, turkish, greek, and arabic, and was used primarily as the language of commerce. Aug 20, 2010 it has also been suggested that chinese may become the future lingua franca of business, thanks to chinas evergrowing presence in the international business world. Prior studies examining english as a business lingua franca has been a focus in europe for the past two decades. This article will provide an overview of current research focussing on the use of english as a lingua franca in international business contexts.
Language wars divide global companies harvard business. The concept of belf originates from two large research projects conducted at. Although there are certainly other options available, an english lingua franca seems like the reasonable choice for two primary reasons. Research article full text access english as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. Review of developments in research into english as a. English as lingua franca company, culture, communication. Company language rakuten offers an important case study in how to change the mindset from resting on traditional corporate structures and procedures toward establishing new policies and approaches, not to mention new languages. Taking hong kong as an example, english is set to be the second language here, abilities of english usually come first than chinese. A questionnaire was sent to representatives of each case company, focusing on language use, communication practices, and cultural views. Lingua franca english, multilingual communities, and. The difference is that in the days when elf was known as efl english as a foreign language, they would most likely not have had the insouciance and selfconfidence that come with the. It recommends that every european citizen should master two. The merging companies investigated are from finland and sweden, having finnish and swedish as their respective native languages but using english as a lingua franca.
The use of english as a lingua franca elf, a shared language, by speakers with different mother. English, she says, has served as a lingua franca in the past, and continues to do so nowadays, in many of the countries that were colonized by the british from the late sixteenth century on often known collectively as the outer circle following kachru 1985, such as india and singapore. English is and will be the lingua franca of europe in. Scholars such as nickerson 2002 and bargielachiappini 2005 have. Before entering into the discussion about the present and the prospective status of english as the global lingua franca, it seems appropriate to determine what, in fact, the global lingua franca is. English as a lingua franca in international business contexts.
Could the lingua franca approach to learning break japans. Jan 01, 2005 english as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. Negotiating the local in english as a lingua franca volume 26 a. Bulletin of the transilvania university of bra sov series iv. Aug 17, 2014 learning english as a lingua franca elf involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by nonnative speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native. View english as a lingua franca research papers on academia. Teachers are helping students to use english as a lingua franca. What are the consequences of english as a lingua franca. English today is used far more by its nonnative speakers than native speakers. Read english as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. The term was first used during the middle ages to describe a french and italianbased jargon, or pidgin, that was developed by.
English as the lingua franca for business communicaid. The aim of this critical note is to challenge each of these positions. In the words of the linguist nicholas ostler, a lingua franca is a language that you learn because you need, because you. The article is based on findings from research into communication and language use in two international corporations, both formed as a result of a merger between a swedish and a finnish company. Before entering into the discussion about the present.
Two case companies the article is based on findings from research into communication. Apart from the fact that english l2 speakers in english as a lingua franca elf interaction make little use of discourse markers cf. Kankaanranta, english as a lingua franca in nordic corporate mergers. This, however, implies that elf should be taught to ensure better understanding both in nonnative.
The merging companies investigated are from finland and sweden, having finnish and swedish as their respective native lan guages but using. Perspectives on business english as a lingua franca in. Aug 01, 2017 a lingua franca is the term used to describe a language systematically used to enable effective communication between people with different native languages. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to. English to lingua franca status should be welcomed. Pdf download for english as a business lingua franca in a german. Currently business englishs position as a lingua franca is upheld by the economic might of the united states and britain. Rakuten offers an important case study in how to change the mindset from resting on traditional corporate structures and procedures toward establishing new policies and approaches, not to. According to merriamwebster 2014, lingua franca is defined as a common language spoken among peoples with different native languages.
English used as a lingua franca elf by nonnative speakers contains a huge amount of variation and usually differs quite considerably from english as a native language enl, either as a consequence of imperfect learning, or because elf speakers choose to disregard forms they consider to be communicatively redundant, and instead seek to enhance communicative. Considerations on english as a global lingua franca. Article information, pdf download for the evolution of english as the. Such a categorisation is based upon the twofold function of linguistic signs.
English as a lingua franca a native culturefree code. Using some of the results of the questionnaire as a starting. English operates as a lingua franca at a number of different levels, including local, national, regional and international. English as a lingua franca research papers academia.
1122 821 462 1018 184 29 15 820 121 780 929 161 1381 866 360 1263 1198 483 1046 580 23 1475 9 416 202 1046 19 172 1127 871 426 79 1271 466 538 936 69 937 672