Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

Conceptual Transition from English as a Foreign Language to BELF

Year 2019, Volume: 34 Issue: 1, 54 - 70, 31.01.2019
https://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2018043463

Abstract

Business
professionals, who use English language in their daily interactions at global
corporate companies in Turkey, have been educated within the paradigm of
teaching and learning of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). However, as most
of their interactions in business world take place with speakers of other
languages in multilingual/cultural settings, these professionals’ use of
English language as Lingua Franca (ELF) may commence to function in different
domains with different purposes and communicative outcomes within the paradigm
of BELF. However, to our best knowledge, how business professionals in Turkey
use and conceptualize English language in their daily business domains and how
they position themselves as users of English and BELF have not been investigated.
With this aim in mind, we conducted a research with 19 business professionals
working at global companies in Istanbul. The data was collected through a survey
administered with 19 business professionals and semi- structured interviews
with five informants working in top positions at those companies which serve
global customers. The findings of the study revealed that business
professionals in Turkey are in a state of flux between the two paradigms – i.e.,
EFL and ELF toward the construction of BELF because EFL and ELF co-exist in
their minds.

References

  • Akar, D. (2002). The macro contextual factors shaping business discourse: The Turkish case. IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 40(4). doi:10.1515/iral.2002.015
  • Bayyurt & Sifakis 2013. Delineating the ELF-Aware Classroom: Policies, Pedagogies, Practices. Colloquium 1. September 4th, Wednesday, The Sixth International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca. Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy. 4-7 September 2013.
  • Bayyurt, Y., & Sifakis, N. C. (2015). ELF-aware in-service teacher education: A transformative perspective. International Perspectives on English as a Lingua Franca, 117-135. Doi: 10.1057/9781137398093_7
  • Bayyurt, Y., & Sifakis, N. (2017). Foundations of an EIL-aware teacher education. In A. Matsuda (Ed.), Preparing Teachers to Teach English as an International Language (pp. 3-18). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • Charles, M. (2007). Language matters in global communication: Article based on ORA lecture, October 2006. Journal of Business Communication, 44(3), 260-282. doi:10.1177/0021943607302477
  • Coşkun, A. (2013). Native speakers as teachers in Turkey: Non-native pre-service English teachers’ reactions to a nation-wide project. The Qualitative Report, 18(57), 1-21. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR18/coskun57.pdf
  • Doğancay-Aktuna, S., & Kiziltepe, Z. (2005). English in Turkey. World Englishes, 24(2), 253-265. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971x.2005.00408.x
  • Ehrenreich, S. (2010). English as a business lingua franca in a German multinational corporation: Meeting the challenge. Journal of Business Communication, 47(4), 408-431. doi:10.1177/0021943610377303
  • Ehrenreich, S. (2012). English as a lingua franca today: Evolving perspectives. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 1(1). doi:10.1515/jelf-2012-0010
  • Haznedar, B. (2012). Perspectives on pre-service education lf English language teachers in Turkish primary schools. In Y. Bayyurt & Y. Bektaş-Çetinkaya (Eds.), Perspectives on Teaching and Learning English in Turkey (pp. 39-57). Berlin & New York: Peter Lang.
  • İnal, D., & Özdemir, E. (2015). Re/considering the English language teacher education programs in Turkey from an ELF standpoint: What do the academia, pre-service and in-service teachers think?. In Y. Bayyurt & S. Akcan (Eds.), Current Perspectives on Pedagogy for English as a Lingua Franca (pp. 135–152). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
  • İnceçay, G., & Akyel, A. S. (2014). Turkish EFL teachers’ perceptions of English as a lingua franca. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 5(1). doi:10.17569/tojqi.84118
  • Jenkins, J., Cogo, A., & Dewey, M. (2011). Review of developments in research into English as a Lingua Franca. Language Teaching, 44 (3), 281-315. doi:10.1017/S0261444811000115
  • Kaçar, I. G., & Bayyurt, Y. (2018). ELF-aware pre-service teacher education to promote glocal interactions: A case study in Turkey. In A. Selvi & N. Rudolph (Eds.), Conceptual Shifts and Contextualized Practices in Education for Glocal Interaction (pp. 77-103). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
  • Kachru, B. B. (1992). The other tongue: English across cultures. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
  • Kankaanranta, A., & Louhiala-Salminen, L. (2010). “English? – Oh, it’s just work!”: A study of BELF users’ perceptions. English for Specific Purposes, 29(3), 204-209. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2009.06.004
  • Kankaanranta, A., & Louhiala-Salminen, L. (2013). “What language does global business speak?” - The concept and development of BELF. Ibérica, 26, 17-34.
  • Kankaanranta, A., & Planken, B. (2010). Belf competence as business knowledge of internationally operating business professionals. Journal of Business Communication, 47(4), 380-407. doi:10.1177/0021943610377301
  • Kankaanranta, A., Louhiala-Salminen, L., & Karhunen, P. (2015). English in multinational companies: Implications for teaching “English” at an international business school. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 4(1). doi:10.1515/jelf-2015-0010
  • Karakaya, N. & Hatipoğlu, Ç. (2017). Attitudes of EFL teachers in Turkey context towards teaching English varieties in their lessons. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies in the World, 7(3), 41-48.
  • Kaypak, E., & Ortaçtepe, D. (2014). Language learner beliefs and study abroad: A study on English as a lingua franca (ELF). System, 42, 355-367. doi:10.1016/j.system.2014.01.005
  • Kemaloglu-Er, E., & Bayyurt, Y. (2016). ELF-aware teacher education with pre-service teachers: A transformative and technology enhanced case from Turkey. In N. Tsantila, J. Mandalios & M. Ilkos (Eds.), ELF: Pedagogical and interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 261-267). Athens: Deree – The American College of Greece.
  • Kırkgoz, Y. (2005). English Language Teaching in Turkey: Challenges for the 21st Century. In G. Braine (Ed.), Teaching English to the world: History, curriculum, and practice (pp. 159-175). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Kırkgoz, Y. (2007). English Language Teaching in Turkey. RELC Journal, 38(2), 216-228. doi:10.1177/0033688207079696
  • Kırkgöz, Y. (2017). English Education Policy in Turkey. Language Policy English Language Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa, 235-256. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46778-8_14
  • Louhiala-Salminen, L.(2002). The fly’s perspective: Discourse in the daily routine of a business manager. English for Specific Purposes, 21, 211-231. Doi:10.1016/S0889-4906(00)00036-3
  • Louhiala-Salminen, L., Charles, M., & Kankaanranta, A. (2005). English as a lingua franca in Nordic corporate mergers: Two case companies. English for Specific Purposes, 24(4), 401-421. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2005.02.003
  • Nickerson, C. (2005). English as a lingua franca in international business contexts. English for Specific Purposes, 24(4), 367-380. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2005.02.001
  • Öztürk, H., Çeçen, S. & Altınmakas, D. (2009). How do non-native pre-service English language teachers perceive ELF? A qualitative study. Journal of English as an International Language, 5, 137-146
  • Pullin, P. (2015). Culture, curriculum design, syllabus and course development in the light of BELF. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 4(1). doi:10.1515/jelf-2015-0006
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2001). Closing a conceptual gap: The case for a description of English as a lingua franca. International Journal of Applied Linguistics,11(2), 133-158. doi:10.1111/1473-4192.00011
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2004). 10. Research Perspectives On Teaching English As A Lingua Franca. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24. doi:10.1017/s0267190504000145
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2009). Common ground and different realities: World Englishes and English as a lingua franca. World Englishes, 28(2), 236-245. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971x.2009.01592.x
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a lingua franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Seidlhofer, B., & Widdowson, H. G. (2009). Accommodation and the idiom principle in English as a Lingua Franca. In K. Murata & J. Jenkins (Eds.), Global Englishes in Asian contexts: Current and future debates (pp. 26-39). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Selvi, A. F. (2011). World Englishes in the Turkish sociolinguistic context. World Englishes, 30(2), 182-199. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971x.2011.01705.x
  • Sifakis, N. C., & Bayyurt, Y. (2015). Insights from ELF and WE in teacher training in Greece and Turkey. World Englishes, 34(3), 471-484. doi:10.1111/weng.12150
  • Smith, L. E., & Nelson, C. L. (2006). World Englishes and issues of intelligibility. In Kachru, B. B., Kachru, Y., & Nelson, C. L. (Eds.), The Handbook of World Englishes (pp. 428–45). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Yabancı Dil Olarak İngilizce'den Ortak Dil Olarak İş İngilizce'sine Kavramsal Geçiş

Year 2019, Volume: 34 Issue: 1, 54 - 70, 31.01.2019
https://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2018043463

Abstract

Türkiye'deki
uluslararası kurumsal şirketlerde İngilizceyi günlük etkileşimlerinde kullanan
iş insanları Yabancı Dil olarak İngilizceyi (YDİ) öğrenme ve öğretme yaklaşımı
çerçevesinde eğitilmişlerdir. Ama iş dünyasındaki etkileşimlerinin çoğunluğu
çok dilli/ kültürlü ortamda diğer dillerin konuşanlarıyla gerçekleştiği için bu
iş insanlarının Ortak Dil olarak İngilizce (ODİ) kullanması Ortak Dil olarak İş
İngilizcesi (ODİİ) yaklaşımı içinde farklı alanlarda, farklı amaçlarla ve
iletişimsel sonuçlarıyla çalışmaya başlar. Bununla beraber Türkiye'deki iş
insanlarının günlük iş ortamlarında İngilizceyi nasıl kullandığı ve
kavramsallaştırdıkları ve kendilerini İngilizce ve (ODİİ) kullanıcıları olarak
nasıl konumlandırdıkları henüz sistematik olarak araştırılmamıştır. Bu amaçla
İstanbul’daki uluslararası şirketlerde çalışan 19 iş insanı ile bir araştırma
yürüttük. Araştırma verileri 19 iş insanına özgeçmiş anketi verilerek ve
küresel müşterilere hizmet eden şirketlerde en iyi pozisyonlarda çalışan 5
katılımcı ile yarı-yapılandırılmış görüşmeler yapılarak toplanmıştır.
Çalışmanın sonuçları Türkiye'deki iş insanlarının algılarında YDİ ve ODİ'nin
bir arada var olduğu için iki yaklaşımın yani YDİ ve ODİ'den ODİİ'ye doğru
yorumlama arasında etkileşim içinde oldukları ortaya koymuştur.

References

  • Akar, D. (2002). The macro contextual factors shaping business discourse: The Turkish case. IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 40(4). doi:10.1515/iral.2002.015
  • Bayyurt & Sifakis 2013. Delineating the ELF-Aware Classroom: Policies, Pedagogies, Practices. Colloquium 1. September 4th, Wednesday, The Sixth International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca. Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy. 4-7 September 2013.
  • Bayyurt, Y., & Sifakis, N. C. (2015). ELF-aware in-service teacher education: A transformative perspective. International Perspectives on English as a Lingua Franca, 117-135. Doi: 10.1057/9781137398093_7
  • Bayyurt, Y., & Sifakis, N. (2017). Foundations of an EIL-aware teacher education. In A. Matsuda (Ed.), Preparing Teachers to Teach English as an International Language (pp. 3-18). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
  • Charles, M. (2007). Language matters in global communication: Article based on ORA lecture, October 2006. Journal of Business Communication, 44(3), 260-282. doi:10.1177/0021943607302477
  • Coşkun, A. (2013). Native speakers as teachers in Turkey: Non-native pre-service English teachers’ reactions to a nation-wide project. The Qualitative Report, 18(57), 1-21. Retrieved from http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR18/coskun57.pdf
  • Doğancay-Aktuna, S., & Kiziltepe, Z. (2005). English in Turkey. World Englishes, 24(2), 253-265. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971x.2005.00408.x
  • Ehrenreich, S. (2010). English as a business lingua franca in a German multinational corporation: Meeting the challenge. Journal of Business Communication, 47(4), 408-431. doi:10.1177/0021943610377303
  • Ehrenreich, S. (2012). English as a lingua franca today: Evolving perspectives. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 1(1). doi:10.1515/jelf-2012-0010
  • Haznedar, B. (2012). Perspectives on pre-service education lf English language teachers in Turkish primary schools. In Y. Bayyurt & Y. Bektaş-Çetinkaya (Eds.), Perspectives on Teaching and Learning English in Turkey (pp. 39-57). Berlin & New York: Peter Lang.
  • İnal, D., & Özdemir, E. (2015). Re/considering the English language teacher education programs in Turkey from an ELF standpoint: What do the academia, pre-service and in-service teachers think?. In Y. Bayyurt & S. Akcan (Eds.), Current Perspectives on Pedagogy for English as a Lingua Franca (pp. 135–152). Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton.
  • İnceçay, G., & Akyel, A. S. (2014). Turkish EFL teachers’ perceptions of English as a lingua franca. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 5(1). doi:10.17569/tojqi.84118
  • Jenkins, J., Cogo, A., & Dewey, M. (2011). Review of developments in research into English as a Lingua Franca. Language Teaching, 44 (3), 281-315. doi:10.1017/S0261444811000115
  • Kaçar, I. G., & Bayyurt, Y. (2018). ELF-aware pre-service teacher education to promote glocal interactions: A case study in Turkey. In A. Selvi & N. Rudolph (Eds.), Conceptual Shifts and Contextualized Practices in Education for Glocal Interaction (pp. 77-103). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
  • Kachru, B. B. (1992). The other tongue: English across cultures. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
  • Kankaanranta, A., & Louhiala-Salminen, L. (2010). “English? – Oh, it’s just work!”: A study of BELF users’ perceptions. English for Specific Purposes, 29(3), 204-209. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2009.06.004
  • Kankaanranta, A., & Louhiala-Salminen, L. (2013). “What language does global business speak?” - The concept and development of BELF. Ibérica, 26, 17-34.
  • Kankaanranta, A., & Planken, B. (2010). Belf competence as business knowledge of internationally operating business professionals. Journal of Business Communication, 47(4), 380-407. doi:10.1177/0021943610377301
  • Kankaanranta, A., Louhiala-Salminen, L., & Karhunen, P. (2015). English in multinational companies: Implications for teaching “English” at an international business school. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 4(1). doi:10.1515/jelf-2015-0010
  • Karakaya, N. & Hatipoğlu, Ç. (2017). Attitudes of EFL teachers in Turkey context towards teaching English varieties in their lessons. Journal of Educational and Instructional Studies in the World, 7(3), 41-48.
  • Kaypak, E., & Ortaçtepe, D. (2014). Language learner beliefs and study abroad: A study on English as a lingua franca (ELF). System, 42, 355-367. doi:10.1016/j.system.2014.01.005
  • Kemaloglu-Er, E., & Bayyurt, Y. (2016). ELF-aware teacher education with pre-service teachers: A transformative and technology enhanced case from Turkey. In N. Tsantila, J. Mandalios & M. Ilkos (Eds.), ELF: Pedagogical and interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 261-267). Athens: Deree – The American College of Greece.
  • Kırkgoz, Y. (2005). English Language Teaching in Turkey: Challenges for the 21st Century. In G. Braine (Ed.), Teaching English to the world: History, curriculum, and practice (pp. 159-175). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Kırkgoz, Y. (2007). English Language Teaching in Turkey. RELC Journal, 38(2), 216-228. doi:10.1177/0033688207079696
  • Kırkgöz, Y. (2017). English Education Policy in Turkey. Language Policy English Language Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa, 235-256. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46778-8_14
  • Louhiala-Salminen, L.(2002). The fly’s perspective: Discourse in the daily routine of a business manager. English for Specific Purposes, 21, 211-231. Doi:10.1016/S0889-4906(00)00036-3
  • Louhiala-Salminen, L., Charles, M., & Kankaanranta, A. (2005). English as a lingua franca in Nordic corporate mergers: Two case companies. English for Specific Purposes, 24(4), 401-421. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2005.02.003
  • Nickerson, C. (2005). English as a lingua franca in international business contexts. English for Specific Purposes, 24(4), 367-380. doi:10.1016/j.esp.2005.02.001
  • Öztürk, H., Çeçen, S. & Altınmakas, D. (2009). How do non-native pre-service English language teachers perceive ELF? A qualitative study. Journal of English as an International Language, 5, 137-146
  • Pullin, P. (2015). Culture, curriculum design, syllabus and course development in the light of BELF. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 4(1). doi:10.1515/jelf-2015-0006
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2001). Closing a conceptual gap: The case for a description of English as a lingua franca. International Journal of Applied Linguistics,11(2), 133-158. doi:10.1111/1473-4192.00011
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2004). 10. Research Perspectives On Teaching English As A Lingua Franca. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24. doi:10.1017/s0267190504000145
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2009). Common ground and different realities: World Englishes and English as a lingua franca. World Englishes, 28(2), 236-245. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971x.2009.01592.x
  • Seidlhofer, B. (2011). Understanding English as a lingua franca. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Seidlhofer, B., & Widdowson, H. G. (2009). Accommodation and the idiom principle in English as a Lingua Franca. In K. Murata & J. Jenkins (Eds.), Global Englishes in Asian contexts: Current and future debates (pp. 26-39). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Selvi, A. F. (2011). World Englishes in the Turkish sociolinguistic context. World Englishes, 30(2), 182-199. doi:10.1111/j.1467-971x.2011.01705.x
  • Sifakis, N. C., & Bayyurt, Y. (2015). Insights from ELF and WE in teacher training in Greece and Turkey. World Englishes, 34(3), 471-484. doi:10.1111/weng.12150
  • Smith, L. E., & Nelson, C. L. (2006). World Englishes and issues of intelligibility. In Kachru, B. B., Kachru, Y., & Nelson, C. L. (Eds.), The Handbook of World Englishes (pp. 428–45). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
There are 39 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Makaleler
Authors

Derya Altınmakas This is me 0000-0002-2333-2257

Sevdeğer Çeçen This is me 0000-0001-5442-8801

Hande Serdar Tülüce 0000-0003-1461-2158

Şebnem Yalçın 0000-0003-2143-8055

Publication Date January 31, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2019 Volume: 34 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Altınmakas, D., Çeçen, S., Serdar Tülüce, H., Yalçın, Ş. (2019). Conceptual Transition from English as a Foreign Language to BELF. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 34(1), 54-70. https://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2018043463