Norwegian Business Professionals´ Need for and Use of English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) in Multinational Corporations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/hjlcb.v59i1.117020Keywords:
ELF; BELF; communication accommodation; corporate language; business discourse; communication in international businessAbstract
English is now the corporate language of many multinational corporations (MNCs) worldwide. However, when English is used as a shared language resource, a lingua franca, its use may be both fluid and local, and the characteristics of its local use should then be explored. This article therefore investigates English used as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) in MNCs in Norway through task-based interviews with Norwegian business professionals about their need for and use of BELF. The findings indicate that business professionals need to use it frequently, and for both routine and more complex tasks, like demanding business meetings. While getting the job done was paramount to all, several associated NS-like ‘correct’ usage with ‘professionalism.’ Their BELF use was characterized by local, ‘company speak’, translingual practices and the accommodation of both non-native (NNS) and native (NS) speakers of English, and the ways in which the latter were accommodated displayed a more positive attitude to these interlocutors than has been found in similar studies. This article argues that English used as a corporate language is a complex phenomenon requiring business professionals to have a wide set of communication resources and the ability to use the language flexibly.
References
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Canagarajah, Suresh 2018: The unit and focus of analysis in lingua franca English interactions: In search of a method. In International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 21(7), 805-824.
Charles, Mirjaliisa 2007: Language Matters in Global Communication: Article Based on ORA Lecture October 2006. In Journal of Business Communication 44, 260-282.
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Cogo, Alessia 2016: “They all Take the Risk and Make the Effort”: Intercultural Accommodation and Multilingualism in a BELF Community of Practice. In Lopriore, Lucilla/ Grazzi, Enrico (eds.), Intercultural Communication: New Perspectives from ELF. Roma: Roma TrE-Press, 365-383.
Cogo, Alessia 2012: ELF and super-diversity: A case study of ELF multilingual practices from a business context. In Journal of English as a Lingua Franca 1-2, 287-313.
Cogo, Alessia 2009: Accommodating Difference in ELF Conversations: A Study of Pragmatic Strategies. In Mauranen, Anna/ Ranta, Elina (eds.), English as a Lingua Franca: Studies and Findings. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 254-273.
EF Epi – English Proficiency Index [online]. https://www.ef.no/epi/ (Accessed 19 February 2018).
Ehrenreich, Susanne 2010: English as a Business Lingua Franca in a German Multinational Corporation. In Journal of Business Communication 47, 408-431.
Eisenhardt, Kathleen/Graebner, Melissa 2007: Theory Building from Cases: Opportunities and Challenges. In The Academy of Management Journal 50(1), 25-32.
Fredriksson, Riika/Barner-Rasmussen, Wilhelm/Piekkari, Rebecca 2006: The Multinational Corporation as a Multilingual Organization: The notion of a common corporate language. In Corporate Communications: An International Journal 11 (4), 406-423.
García, Ofelia/Wei, Li 2014: Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gerritsen, Marinel/ Nickerson, Cathrine 2009: BELF: Business English as a Lingua Franca. In Bargiela-Chiappini, Francesca (ed.), The Handbook of Business Discourse. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 180-192.
Giles, Howard/Coupland, Nikolas 1991: Language: Contexts and Consequences. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Graddol, David 2006: English Next. British Council.
Harzing, Anne-Wil/Pudelko, Markus 2013: Language competencies, policies and practices in multinational corporations: A comprehensive review and comparison of Anglophone, Asian, Continental and Nordic MNCs. In Journal of World Business 48, 87-97.
Hellekjær, Glenn Ole/Fairway, Tone 2015: The Mismatch between the Unmet Need and Supply of Occupational English Skills: An Investigation of Higher Educated Government Staff in Norway. In The International Journal of Higher Education Research 70(6), 1033-1050.
Hellekjær, Glenn Ole 2012: A Survey of English Use and Needs in Norwegian Export Firms. In Hermes – Journal of Language and Communication in Business 28, 7-18.
Hellum, Bjørg/Dypedahl, Magne 1998: Business communication and cultural awareness in Norwegian companies. Halden: Østfold distriktshøgskole.
Jenkins, Jennifer/ Cogo, Alessia/ Dewey, Martin 2011: Review of developments in research into English as a Lingua Franca. In Language Teaching 44(3), 281-315.
Kankaanranta, Anne/Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2018a: ELF in the Domain of Business – BELF: What does the B stand for? In Jenkins, Jennifer/ Dewey, Martin (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 309-320.
Kankaanranta, Anne/Karhunen, Päivi/Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2018b: “English as corporate language” in the multilingual reality of multinational companies. In Multilingua 37(4), 331-351.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Karhunen, Päivi 2015: English in Multinational Companies: Implications for Teaching “English” at an International Business School. In Journal of English as a Lingua Franca 4(1), 125-148.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2013: “What Language Does Global Business Speak?”: The Concept and Development of BELF. In Ibérica 26, 17-34.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2010a: ’English? Oh, it’s just work!’: A Study of BELF users’ perceptions. In English for Specific Purposes 29, 204-209.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Planken, Brigitte 2010b: BELF Competence as Business Knowledge of Internationally Operating Business Professionals. In Journal of Business Communication 47, 380-407.
Karhunen, Päivi/ Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Piekkari, Rebecca 2018: Let’s Talk about Language: A Review of Language-Sensitive Research in International Management. In Journal of Management Studies 55(6), 980-1013.
Kassis Henderson, Jane/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2011: Does Language Affect Trust in Global Professional Contexts? Perceptions of International Business Professionals. In Rhetoric, Professional Communication and Globalization 2(1), 15-33.
Kassis Henderson, Jane 2005: Language Diversity in International Management Teams. In International Studies of Management and Organisations 35(1), 66-82.
Komori-Glatz, Miya 2018: Conceptualising English as a Business Lingua Franca. In European Journal of International Management 12(1-2), 44-61.
Kvale, Steinar/Brinkmann, Svend 2009: Interviews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing (2nded). Los Angeles, London, New Dehli, Singapore: SAGE.
Lie, Ulf/ Skjoldmo, Sissel 1982: Behov for fremmedspråkkompetanse i næringslivet. Bergen: Universitetet i Bergen/Hordaland Lektorlag.
Logemann, Minna/ Piekkari, Rebecca 2015: Localize or local lies? The Power of language and translation in the multinational corporation. In Critical Perspectives on International Business 11(1), 30-53.
Long, Michael H. (ed.) 2005: Second Language Needs Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Kankaanranta, Anne 2012: Language as an Issue in International Communication: English or Local Language? If English, what English? In Public Relations Review 38, 262-269.
Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Charles, Mirjaliisa/ Kankaanranta, Anne 2005: English as a Lingua Franca in Nordic corporate mergers: Two case companies. In English for Specific Purposes 24, 401-21.
Marschan-Piekkari, Rebecca/ Welch, Cathrine/ Penttinen, Heli/ Tahvanainen, Marja 2004: Interviewing in the Multinational Corporation: Challenges of the Organizational Context. In Marschan-Piekkari, Rebecca/ Welch, Cathrine (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Methods for International Business. London: Edward Elgar, 244-263.
Mauranen, Anna 2018: Conceptualising ELF. In Jenkins, Jennifer/ Dewey, Martin (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 5-24.
Meierkord, Christiane 2002: ‘Language stripped bare’ or ‘linguistic masala’? Culture in lingua franca communication. In Knapp, Karlfried/ Meierkord, Christiane (eds.), Lingua Franca Communication. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 109-134.
Neeley, Tsedal B. 2013: Language Matters: Status Loss and Achieved Status Distinctions in Global Organizations. In Organization Science 24(2), 476-497.
Nickerson, Cathrine 2015: The Death of the Non-native Speaker? English as a Lingua Franca in Business Communication: A Research Agenda. In Language Teaching 48(3), 390-404.
Piekkari, Rebecca/ Welch, Denice E./ Welch, Lawrence S. 2014: Language in International Business: The Multilingual Reality of Global Business Expansion. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
Piekkari, Rebecca/Vaara, Eero/Tienari, Janne/Säntti, Risto 2005: Integration or Disintegration? Human Resources Implications of a Common Corporate Language Decision in a Cross-border Merger. In International Journal of Human Resource Management 16(3), 330-344.
Planken, Brigitte 2005: Managing rapport in lingua franca sales negotiations: A comparison of professional and aspiring negotiators. In English for Specific Purposes 24, 381-400.
Rogerson-Revell, Pamela 2010: “Can You Spell That for Us Non-native Speakers?” Accommodation Strategies in International Business Meetings”. In Journal of Business Communication 47, 432-454.
Rogerson-Revell, Pamela 2008: Participation and Performance in International Business Meetings. In English for Specific Purposes 27, 338-360.
Rogerson-Revell, Pamela 2007: Using English for International Business: A European Case Study. In English for Specific Purposes 26, 103-120.
Spencer-Oatey, Helen/ Jiang, Wenying 2003: Explaining cross-cultural pragmatic findings: moving from politeness maxims to sociopragmatic interactional principles (SIPs). In Journal of Pragmatics 35, 1633-1650.
Sweeney, Emma/ Hua, Zhu 2010: Accommodating toward your Audience: Do Native Speakers of English Know How to Accommodate Their Communication Strategies toward Nonnative Speakers of English? In Journal of Business Communication 47(4), 477-504.
Tenzer, Helene/ Terjesen, Siri/ Harzing, Anne-Wil 2017: Language in International Business: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. In Management International Review 57, 815-854.
Welch, Denice/ Welch, Lawrence/ Piekkari, Rebecca 2005: Speaking in Tongues – The Importance of Language in International Management Processes. In International Studies of Management and Organizations 35(1), 10-27.
Bishop, Pam 2010: Multi-Site Case Study. In Mills, Albert. J./Durepos, Gabrielle/Wiebe, Elden (eds.), Encyclopedia of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications Inc., 588-590.
Bjørge, Anne Kari/Whittaker, Sunniva 2015: Language Management in a Multinational Workforce: The Knowledge Worker Perspective. In Hermes – Journal of Language and Communication in Business 54, 137-160.
Blommaert, Jan 2010: The Sociolinguistics of Globalization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Canagarajah, Suresh 2018: The unit and focus of analysis in lingua franca English interactions: In search of a method. In International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism 21(7), 805-824.
Charles, Mirjaliisa 2007: Language Matters in Global Communication: Article Based on ORA Lecture October 2006. In Journal of Business Communication 44, 260-282.
Charles, Mirjaliisa/Marschan-Piekkari, Rebecca 2002: Language Training for Enhanced Horizontal Communication: Challenge for MNCs. In Business Communication Quarterly 65(2), 9-29.
Cogo, Alessia 2016: “They all Take the Risk and Make the Effort”: Intercultural Accommodation and Multilingualism in a BELF Community of Practice. In Lopriore, Lucilla/ Grazzi, Enrico (eds.), Intercultural Communication: New Perspectives from ELF. Roma: Roma TrE-Press, 365-383.
Cogo, Alessia 2012: ELF and super-diversity: A case study of ELF multilingual practices from a business context. In Journal of English as a Lingua Franca 1-2, 287-313.
Cogo, Alessia 2009: Accommodating Difference in ELF Conversations: A Study of Pragmatic Strategies. In Mauranen, Anna/ Ranta, Elina (eds.), English as a Lingua Franca: Studies and Findings. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 254-273.
EF Epi – English Proficiency Index [online]. https://www.ef.no/epi/ (Accessed 19 February 2018).
Ehrenreich, Susanne 2010: English as a Business Lingua Franca in a German Multinational Corporation. In Journal of Business Communication 47, 408-431.
Eisenhardt, Kathleen/Graebner, Melissa 2007: Theory Building from Cases: Opportunities and Challenges. In The Academy of Management Journal 50(1), 25-32.
Fredriksson, Riika/Barner-Rasmussen, Wilhelm/Piekkari, Rebecca 2006: The Multinational Corporation as a Multilingual Organization: The notion of a common corporate language. In Corporate Communications: An International Journal 11 (4), 406-423.
García, Ofelia/Wei, Li 2014: Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gerritsen, Marinel/ Nickerson, Cathrine 2009: BELF: Business English as a Lingua Franca. In Bargiela-Chiappini, Francesca (ed.), The Handbook of Business Discourse. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 180-192.
Giles, Howard/Coupland, Nikolas 1991: Language: Contexts and Consequences. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Graddol, David 2006: English Next. British Council.
Harzing, Anne-Wil/Pudelko, Markus 2013: Language competencies, policies and practices in multinational corporations: A comprehensive review and comparison of Anglophone, Asian, Continental and Nordic MNCs. In Journal of World Business 48, 87-97.
Hellekjær, Glenn Ole/Fairway, Tone 2015: The Mismatch between the Unmet Need and Supply of Occupational English Skills: An Investigation of Higher Educated Government Staff in Norway. In The International Journal of Higher Education Research 70(6), 1033-1050.
Hellekjær, Glenn Ole 2012: A Survey of English Use and Needs in Norwegian Export Firms. In Hermes – Journal of Language and Communication in Business 28, 7-18.
Hellum, Bjørg/Dypedahl, Magne 1998: Business communication and cultural awareness in Norwegian companies. Halden: Østfold distriktshøgskole.
Jenkins, Jennifer/ Cogo, Alessia/ Dewey, Martin 2011: Review of developments in research into English as a Lingua Franca. In Language Teaching 44(3), 281-315.
Kankaanranta, Anne/Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2018a: ELF in the Domain of Business – BELF: What does the B stand for? In Jenkins, Jennifer/ Dewey, Martin (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 309-320.
Kankaanranta, Anne/Karhunen, Päivi/Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2018b: “English as corporate language” in the multilingual reality of multinational companies. In Multilingua 37(4), 331-351.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Karhunen, Päivi 2015: English in Multinational Companies: Implications for Teaching “English” at an International Business School. In Journal of English as a Lingua Franca 4(1), 125-148.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2013: “What Language Does Global Business Speak?”: The Concept and Development of BELF. In Ibérica 26, 17-34.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2010a: ’English? Oh, it’s just work!’: A Study of BELF users’ perceptions. In English for Specific Purposes 29, 204-209.
Kankaanranta, Anne/ Planken, Brigitte 2010b: BELF Competence as Business Knowledge of Internationally Operating Business Professionals. In Journal of Business Communication 47, 380-407.
Karhunen, Päivi/ Kankaanranta, Anne/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Piekkari, Rebecca 2018: Let’s Talk about Language: A Review of Language-Sensitive Research in International Management. In Journal of Management Studies 55(6), 980-1013.
Kassis Henderson, Jane/ Louhiala-Salminen, Leena 2011: Does Language Affect Trust in Global Professional Contexts? Perceptions of International Business Professionals. In Rhetoric, Professional Communication and Globalization 2(1), 15-33.
Kassis Henderson, Jane 2005: Language Diversity in International Management Teams. In International Studies of Management and Organisations 35(1), 66-82.
Komori-Glatz, Miya 2018: Conceptualising English as a Business Lingua Franca. In European Journal of International Management 12(1-2), 44-61.
Kvale, Steinar/Brinkmann, Svend 2009: Interviews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing (2nded). Los Angeles, London, New Dehli, Singapore: SAGE.
Lie, Ulf/ Skjoldmo, Sissel 1982: Behov for fremmedspråkkompetanse i næringslivet. Bergen: Universitetet i Bergen/Hordaland Lektorlag.
Logemann, Minna/ Piekkari, Rebecca 2015: Localize or local lies? The Power of language and translation in the multinational corporation. In Critical Perspectives on International Business 11(1), 30-53.
Long, Michael H. (ed.) 2005: Second Language Needs Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Kankaanranta, Anne 2012: Language as an Issue in International Communication: English or Local Language? If English, what English? In Public Relations Review 38, 262-269.
Louhiala-Salminen, Leena/ Charles, Mirjaliisa/ Kankaanranta, Anne 2005: English as a Lingua Franca in Nordic corporate mergers: Two case companies. In English for Specific Purposes 24, 401-21.
Marschan-Piekkari, Rebecca/ Welch, Cathrine/ Penttinen, Heli/ Tahvanainen, Marja 2004: Interviewing in the Multinational Corporation: Challenges of the Organizational Context. In Marschan-Piekkari, Rebecca/ Welch, Cathrine (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research. Methods for International Business. London: Edward Elgar, 244-263.
Mauranen, Anna 2018: Conceptualising ELF. In Jenkins, Jennifer/ Dewey, Martin (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of English as a Lingua Franca. Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 5-24.
Meierkord, Christiane 2002: ‘Language stripped bare’ or ‘linguistic masala’? Culture in lingua franca communication. In Knapp, Karlfried/ Meierkord, Christiane (eds.), Lingua Franca Communication. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 109-134.
Neeley, Tsedal B. 2013: Language Matters: Status Loss and Achieved Status Distinctions in Global Organizations. In Organization Science 24(2), 476-497.
Nickerson, Cathrine 2015: The Death of the Non-native Speaker? English as a Lingua Franca in Business Communication: A Research Agenda. In Language Teaching 48(3), 390-404.
Piekkari, Rebecca/ Welch, Denice E./ Welch, Lawrence S. 2014: Language in International Business: The Multilingual Reality of Global Business Expansion. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
Piekkari, Rebecca/Vaara, Eero/Tienari, Janne/Säntti, Risto 2005: Integration or Disintegration? Human Resources Implications of a Common Corporate Language Decision in a Cross-border Merger. In International Journal of Human Resource Management 16(3), 330-344.
Planken, Brigitte 2005: Managing rapport in lingua franca sales negotiations: A comparison of professional and aspiring negotiators. In English for Specific Purposes 24, 381-400.
Rogerson-Revell, Pamela 2010: “Can You Spell That for Us Non-native Speakers?” Accommodation Strategies in International Business Meetings”. In Journal of Business Communication 47, 432-454.
Rogerson-Revell, Pamela 2008: Participation and Performance in International Business Meetings. In English for Specific Purposes 27, 338-360.
Rogerson-Revell, Pamela 2007: Using English for International Business: A European Case Study. In English for Specific Purposes 26, 103-120.
Spencer-Oatey, Helen/ Jiang, Wenying 2003: Explaining cross-cultural pragmatic findings: moving from politeness maxims to sociopragmatic interactional principles (SIPs). In Journal of Pragmatics 35, 1633-1650.
Sweeney, Emma/ Hua, Zhu 2010: Accommodating toward your Audience: Do Native Speakers of English Know How to Accommodate Their Communication Strategies toward Nonnative Speakers of English? In Journal of Business Communication 47(4), 477-504.
Tenzer, Helene/ Terjesen, Siri/ Harzing, Anne-Wil 2017: Language in International Business: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. In Management International Review 57, 815-854.
Welch, Denice/ Welch, Lawrence/ Piekkari, Rebecca 2005: Speaking in Tongues – The Importance of Language in International Management Processes. In International Studies of Management and Organizations 35(1), 10-27.
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Published
2019-11-03
How to Cite
Nielsen, T. H. (2019). Norwegian Business Professionals´ Need for and Use of English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) in Multinational Corporations. HERMES - Journal of Language and Communication in Business, 59(1), 109–122. https://doi.org/10.7146/hjlcb.v59i1.117020
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