S046 1/2 | English As A Lingua Franca As A Multidimensional Resource In Professional Communication

S046 1/2 | English as a lingua franca as a multidimensional resource in professional communication

August 19, 2021 08:30 AM - August 19, 2022 12:00 Noon(Europe/Amsterdam)

20210819T0830 20210819T1200 Europe/Amsterdam S046 1/2 | English as a lingua franca as a multidimensional resource in professional communication Globalization has strongly impacted professional communication. In this regard, English as a lingua franca (ELF) constitutes an essential resource in the multilingual repertoires of various professionals. It can be considered an asset that enables intercultural contact - and, on the best case scenario, intercultural understanding. Still, this common resource can also pose several difficulties arising from practitioners' different competences or intercultural misunderstandings at a conceptual level. Also, the contexts of use may be challenging for workers who may be forced to step out of their comfort zones and develop new repertoires, including drawing upon multimodal resources in meaning-making. This symposium aims at investigating both how English used as a lingua franca contributes to successful communication in various professional contexts and how it challenges interactants' emerging common ground. Therefore, we welcome contributions featuring empirical or theoretical studies and methodological accounts that shed light on the use of English as a lingua franca in professional communication and contribute to our understanding of English in its various manifestations in the era of globalization. We particularly welcome novel approaches to the study of English as a lingua franca at work. For a detailed program, click here Room 1 AILA 2021 aila2021@gcb.nl

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Globalization has strongly impacted professional communication. In this regard, English as a lingua franca (ELF) constitutes an essential resource in the multilingual repertoires of various professionals. It can be considered an asset that enables intercultural contact - and, on the best case scenario, intercultural understanding. Still, this common resource can also pose several difficulties arising from practitioners' different competences or intercultural misunderstandings at a conceptual level. Also, the contexts of use may be challenging for workers who may be forced to step out of their comfort zones and develop new repertoires, including drawing upon multimodal resources in meaning-making. This symposium aims at investigating both how English used as a lingua franca contributes to successful communication in various professional contexts and how it challenges interactants' emerging common ground. Therefore, we welcome contributions featuring empirical or theoretical studies and methodological accounts that shed light on the use of English as a lingua franca in professional communication and contribute to our understanding of English in its various manifestations in the era of globalization. We particularly welcome novel approaches to the study of English as a lingua franca at work. For a detailed program, click here

In academic terms: English as the Lingua FrancaView Abstract

Featured 08:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Europe/Amsterdam) 2021/08/19 06:30:00 UTC - 2022/08/19 10:00:00 UTC

The shape and position of English are changing fast in academia. ELF is a complex form of language contact, viewed from three key perspectives: the cognitive, the micro-social, and the macro-social. It is argued that academics use their varying repertoires of English skilfully in co-constructing meanings and academic knowledge.

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Interculturality in simulated online (B)ELF interactionsView Abstract Watch Recording 0

Standard 08:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Europe/Amsterdam) 2021/08/19 06:30:00 UTC - 2022/08/19 10:00:00 UTC

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This paper investigates how 'interculturality' is reflected upon by University students involved in the online simulation game Megacities, which was played in English as a lingua franca. Unversity students participated in the game in the summer term of 2021 and their Zoom interactions were recorded for analysis. Results show that students display their own understandings of 'interculturality'. One of the main findings is that 'national cultures' seem to provide a strong background against which students evaluate their own and others' performances in the game. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of (B)ELF user's values and perceptions.

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Conceptualizations of English as a lingua franca in a globalizing start-up company: tensions between authenticity, formality and practicalityView Abstract Watch Recording 0

StandardAILA Symposium 08:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Europe/Amsterdam) 2021/08/19 06:30:00 UTC - 2022/08/19 10:00:00 UTC

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This paper investigates the uses and conceptualizations of English as a lingua franca in a globalizing start-up company. By following a key participant’s work practices on site and online, this paper shows tensions that emerge between authenticity, formality and practicality in the use of English in professional contexts.

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Does ‘okay’ mean different things in lectures by professors of English as lingua franca and natives?View Abstract Watch Recording 0

StandardAILA Symposium 08:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Europe/Amsterdam) 2021/08/19 06:30:00 UTC - 2022/08/19 10:00:00 UTC

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This study aims to contribute to our understanding of academic lectures delivered in the context of English as lingua franca through an investigation of one of the most frequently used discourse markers – okay, in English mediated academic lectures delivered by native Chinese professors, compared with those of their native English counterparts.

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Modifiers in English-medium master’s thesis defenses in Taiwan universitiesView Abstract

Standard 08:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Europe/Amsterdam) 2021/08/19 06:30:00 UTC - 2022/08/19 10:00:00 UTC

This study analyzes modifiers in seven English-medium Master’s thesis defenses from four Taiwan universities. Modifiers are frequently used to co-structure institutionally accredited defense discourses and secure original contributions to disciplinary knowledge. Disparities can be attributed to the influence of institutional duties, dynamic roles, and communicative aims in distinct interaction patterns.

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A Comparison of Metadiscourse Markers in Scientific Research Abstracts: An Interlanguage StudyView Abstract Watch Recording 0

StandardAILA Symposium 08:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Europe/Amsterdam) 2021/08/19 06:30:00 UTC - 2022/08/19 10:00:00 UTC

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Scientific abstracts written by Japanese EFL science majors were compared with the abstracts appeared in published research articles, and we found that EFL students used metadiscourse markers to connect concrete ideas more often and that they were hesitant to use metadiscourse markers to connect abstract ideas.

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English as lingua franca: a brief report on the education of communication professionals in a Brazilian UniversityView Abstract Watch Recording 0

StandardAILA Symposium 08:30 AM - 12:00 Noon (Europe/Amsterdam) 2021/08/19 06:30:00 UTC - 2022/08/19 10:00:00 UTC

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Brazilians studying content-based English. Objectives: (1) illustrate tasks in EFL/ELF, and (2) point to challenges in professional/intercultural communication. Data suggest EFL/ELF helps learners realize the need to study topics in their overall education. Participants seem to notice that knowledge of content plays unique role in competencies in EFL/ELF.

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