Communicative Effectiveness in BELF (English as a Business Lingua Franca) Meetings: ‘Explaining’ as a Pragmatic Strategy

2021 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 623-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAGDISH KAUR ◽  
SEVAL BIRLIK
Keyword(s):  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Communicative Effectiveness

The interpreters’ point of view on ELF at the European Commission: “A completely uneven playing field”

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-215
Author(s):  
Cristina Scardulla
Keyword(s):  
European Commission ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Successful Communication ◽  
European Institutions ◽  
Promising Solution ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Communicative Effectiveness

AbstractThe use of English as a Lingua Franca is a promising solution to the overcoming of language barriers in a wide variety of contexts and, despite being formally governed by the principle of multilingualism, the European institutions are no exception. This paper aims at shedding light on the perception on the use of ELF within the European Commission, by presenting the results of a questionnaire carried out within the framework of a broader PhD project. The target population is that of interpreters working for the European Commission. The analysis focuses on two specific questions, which address interpreters in their role as communication experts, inviting them to momentarily set aside their opinion on the relationship between ELF and interpretation and rather assess ELF in terms of “communicative effectiveness,” considered as an essential component to a successful communication. Results confirm previous ITELF (Interpreting, Translation and English as a Lingua Franca) studies, in that interpreters believe that ELF tends to decrease the level of communicative effectiveness and that, based on their direct experience, less than half of the speakers in these meetings succeed at expressing themselves effectively when using ELF. Most importantly, they elaborate on what this loss of effectiveness entails in terms of communication quality, interlocutors’ participation rights and multilingualism.

scholarly journals “Nativeness” and Intelligibility: Impacts of Intercultural Experience Through English as a Lingua Franca on Chinese Speakers’ Language Attitudes

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Wang ◽  
Jennifer Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Chinese Speakers ◽  
Intercultural Experience ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Communicative Effectiveness

AbstractThis paper investigates the impacts of intercultural experience through English as a lingua franca (ELF) on language attitudes, with the focus on Chinese Speakers’ narratives of ELF experience in relation to their views of Englishes. The data retrieved through 769 questionnaires and 35 interviews with Chinese users of English revealed the impacts in four aspects. First, the lack of ELF experience helps to maintain the assumption that conformity to native English is necessary for interactants to understand each other. Second, ELF experience triggers the question about the exclusive connection between nativeness and intelligibility. Third, it raises challenges to the exclusive relevance of native English for successful intercultural communication. Fourth, it helps to develop an awareness of intercultural communication strategies as important for communicative effectiveness in the context of the diversity of English. Attitudes revealed in the four aspects all point to a concern with the issue what is intelligible English. This paper thus discusses intelligibility in relation to (non-) nativeness and the role of intercultural experience in making sense of the issue of intelligibility, which leads to the exploration of pedagogical implications of this study.

Pragmatic versus Morphological/Syntactic Criteria for Language Referrals

1980 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Damico ◽  
John W. Oller
Keyword(s):  
Grade Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Verb Agreement ◽  
Remedial Programs ◽  
Service Training ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Communicative Effectiveness

Two methods of identifying language disordered children are examined. Traditional approaches require attention to relatively superficial morphological and surface syntactic criteria, such as, noun-verb agreement, tense marking, pluralization. More recently, however, language testers and others have turned to pragmatic criteria focussing on deeper aspects of meaning and communicative effectiveness, such as, general fluency, topic maintenance, specificity of referring terms. In this study, 54 regular K-5 teachers in two Albuquerque schools serving 1212 children were assigned on a roughly matched basis to one of two groups. Group S received in-service training using traditional surface criteria for referrals, while Group P received similar in-service training with pragmatic criteria. All referrals from both groups were reevaluated by a panel of judges following the state determined procedures for assignment to remedial programs. Teachers who were taught to use pragmatic criteria in identifying language disordered children identified significantly more children and were more often correct in their identification than teachers taught to use syntactic criteria. Both groups identified significantly fewer children as the grade level increased.

The Language of Global Success

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsedal Neeley
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Global Organizations ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Language ◽  
Language Strategies ◽  
Native Tongue

For nearly three decades, English has been the lingua franca of cross-border business, yet studies on global language strategies have been scarce. Providing a rare behind-the-scenes look at the high-tech giant Rakuten in the five years following its English mandate, this book explores how language shapes the ways in which employees in global organizations communicate and negotiate linguistic and cultural differences. Drawing on 650 interviews conducted across Rakuten's locations around the world, the book argues that an organization's lingua franca is the catalyst by which all employees become some kind of “expat”—detached from their native tongue or culture. Demonstrating that language can serve as the conduit for an unfamiliar culture, often in unexpected ways, the book uncovers how all organizations might integrate language effectively to tap into the promise of globalization.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document