You, Too, Will Speak English Soon: The Pros and Cons of English as a Business Lingua Franca

Heiko Wiggers

doi:10.30560/ilr.v1n1p80

Abstract

This paper discusses the increasing use of English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF). In particular, this paper examines case studies from several companies located in diverse countries (Japan, Germany, and Finland), where English has been implemented as an internal lingua franca. The case studies show that most employees at these companies adjusted to BELF in a very pragmatic manner, while others considered the employment of BELF to be an intrusive course of action. This paper also investigates how BELF is viewed by native speakers of English and argues that attitudes towards foreign language learning by native speakers of English may constitute an impediment to efficient communication between speakers of different native languages and backgrounds. Finally, this papers shows that the acceptance of BELF, at least to a certain degree, is dependent on attitudes towards the global spread of English.

Highlights

I: Oettinger’s BlunderThe Verein Deutsche Sprache (German Language Society), founded in 1997, is an association whose primary goal is “to preserve and promote the German language as an independent cultural entity”. (Note 1) One of its main objectives is to stem the increasingly strong influx of English or pseudo-English vocabulary words and other features of English into the German language
This paper discussed the implementation of English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) by various businesses across different countries
This paper noted that many employees make use of BELF in a very pragmatic manner and consider its impact as mostly non-invasive, this was not corroborated by all case studies (e.g. Rakuten, University of Hamburg)

Summary

Introduction

I: Oettinger’s BlunderThe Verein Deutsche Sprache (German Language Society), founded in 1997, is an association whose primary goal is “to preserve and promote the German language as an independent cultural entity”. (Note 1) One of its main objectives is to stem the increasingly strong influx of English or pseudo-English vocabulary words and other features of English into the German language ( known as “Denglisch”, i.e. a blend of the words Deutsch and Englisch). In a highly publicized event, the society bestows an award upon a public figure or public organization in Germany for “ noteworthy blunders in dealing with the German language.”. In 2006 this dubious honor was conferred on Günther Oettinger, governor (Ministerpräsident) of the federal state of BadenWürtemberg. More than ten years later Oettinger’s vision has not (yet) become a reality in German-speaking countries. His “blunder”, though, demonstrates how important and in demand the English language has become in the last decades. Lohmann (2010) adds that not understanding each other’s languages can be one of the most significant obstacles in bilateral trade relationships:

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