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.

scholarly journals The use of Polish and Czech as a lingua receptiva in comparison with English as a lingua franca – some remarks on multilingual modes of communication with reference to CSS and ICC

Neofilolog ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 237-257
Author(s):  
Magdalena Steciąg ◽  
Urszula Majdańska-Wachowicz
Keyword(s):  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Listening Skills ◽  
Intercultural Communicative Competence ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Negotiation Strategies ◽  
Language Choices ◽  
The Mean

The present study aims to investigate the use of Polish and Czech as a lingua receptiva (LaRa) in comparison with English as a lingua franca (ELF) between Polish and Czech students when making semi-spontaneous dialogues. With this aim in mind, the notion of intelligibility together with communication strategies (CSs) and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) are discussed. The study is inspired by Bulatović’s et al. (2019) who investigated the effectiveness of LaRa and ELF between Croatians and Slovenes. The study investigated listening skills and showed that the mean of intelligibility was high irrespective of the mode. The study in question aims to expand prior research with reference to spoken interactions between Polish and Czech speakers. In particular, it examines the role of communication strategies and intercultural communicative competence in achieving intelligibility in two multilingual modes. The results of the study show that the level of intelligibility is high irrespective of the mode. In LaRa and ELF sessions intelligibility and negotiation strategies are determined by careful language choices, certain communication strategies, and intercultural communicative competence (intercultural attitude towards the partner and modes of communication).

Interpreting in Tanzania from the perspective of Tanzanian interpreters

Babel ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizaveta Getta
Keyword(s):  
National Identity ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
The Other ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The World ◽  
Official Languages ◽  
The One

Abstract The study overviews the role of interpreting services in Tanzania, presenting mainly the experience of practicing freelance interpreters. The two official languages of Tanzania – English and Swahili – have separate roles in the country. Although most Tanzanians accept English as a necessary medium of intercultural communication, Swahili is perceived as an important part of Tanzanian national identity. It is the country’s lingua franca. On the one hand, Tanzania aims to preserve communication in Swahili; on the other hand, there is an inevitable need for intercultural communication with the rest of the world that grows especially in the context of globalization. The paper focuses on the role, status, education, working languages, conditions of Tanzanian interpreters, and the requirements of local and international clients. The study also creates a broader context that mentions crucial historical moments that have influenced the country’s current character of intercultural communication.

A comparison of spoken and signed lingua franca communication: the case of English as a lingua franca (ELF) and International Sign (IS)

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-208
Author(s):  
Lisa Bierbaumer
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
The Other ◽  
Communication Process ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
Interaction Processes ◽  
Specific Sign

Abstract This article explores similarities between English as a lingua franca (ELF) and International Sign (IS), two lingua franca phenomena which in the last decades have been subject to increasing, albeit independent, linguistic research. In contrast to spoken intercultural communication, in which English often represents a shared resource that speakers from different linguacultural backgrounds draw on, in the visual-gestural modality no specific sign language has yet gained such global reach. Instead, in many international contexts IS is used: a lingua franca that can be more or less conventionalized and that is not based on one particular sign language. IS use depends on the communicative situation, in which signers flexibly and creatively use different signs from natural sign languages as well as iconic elements and gestures. Despite overt formal differences between ELF and IS, when focusing on the actual communication process, rather than the forms that result from it, the two lingua franca phenomena share many similarities. In fact, both ELF and IS are variable communicative means that get situationally adapted by speakers and signers on the basis of different resources they have at their disposal. Similar discussions about the difficulty of conceptualizing ELF and IS, about the role of multilingual resources, and about interaction processes at play can thus be found in both ELF and IS literature. This insight opens up new possibilities for researchers in the two fields to mutually benefit from the study of lingua franca communication in the other modality, which prompts the need for a cross-modal collaboration between ELF and IS researchers.

scholarly journals A Preliminary Exploration of Teachers’ Attitudes towards Intercultural Communication through ELF

EL LE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Maria De Bartolo
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Communication Research ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Teachers Attitudes ◽  
Initial Results

The present paper draws attention to the intercultural nature of English used as a lingua franca in flexible, dynamic and evolving communicative settings and consequently, to the need for language teachers to become aware of the multifaceted English world, where goals and purposes for using English are constantly challenged and re-created. Drawing on the connection between Intercultural communication research and ELF findings, the paper aims to provide empirically-grounded suggestions for language teachers in the hope to stimulate reflections on the role of intercultural aspects in classroom approaches and therefore, encourage to incorporate ELF-oriented pedagogies in well-established teaching practices. In light of a theoretical background, an exploration of language teachers’ attitudes towards ELF and intercultural issues will be conducted and the initial results of a preliminary study presented. Finally, implications for language teaching will be offered.

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.

An assessment of language attitudes as a mediator in the stereotypes–L2 motivation linkage

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Nikitina ◽  
Fumitaka Furuoka
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Attitudes ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Statistical Procedure ◽  
Motivational Factor ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
L2 Motivation ◽  
Context Of Learning

AbstractApplied linguists and language educators have long acknowledged the prominent role that language attitudes play in the process of selecting and learning an additional language. The current study examines a mediating role of language attitudes in the Stereotypes–L2 motivation linkage in the context of learning a foreign language, an area which remains comparatively underexplored. It provides a detailed description of – and rationale for – applying a statistical procedure based on the Baron–Kenny method, which is rarely used in applied linguistics research. The findings indicate that stereotypes and language attitudes had a positive impact on L2 motivation when the former two variables were examined separately in two different analyses. However, when all the three variables were analysed together, language attitudes were found to remain a motivational factor while the stereotypes ceased to be such. This suggests that stereotypes had an indirect effect on L2 motivation through language attitudes. Hence, language attitudes were a mediating variable in the Stereotypes–L2 motivation linkage assessed by the Baron–Kenny method. These findings have some pedagogical implications.

scholarly journals It takes two to tango: the interplay between decision logics, communication strategies and social media engagement in start-ups

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Rudeloff ◽  
Stefanie Pakura ◽  
Fabian Eggers ◽  
Thomas Niemand
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Fuzzy Set ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Communication Models ◽  
Social Media Engagement ◽  
Start Ups

AbstractThis manuscript analyzes start-ups’ usage of different communication strategies (information, response, involvement), their underlying decision logics (effectuation, causation, strategy absence) and respective social media success. A multitude of studies have been published on the decision logics of entrepreneurs as well as on different communication strategies. Decision logics and according strategies and actions are closely connected. Still, research on the interplay between the two areas is largely missing. This applies in particular to the effect of different decision logics and communication models on social media success. Through a combination of case studies with fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis this exploratory study demonstrates that different combinations of causal and absence of strategy decision logics can be equally successful when it comes to social media engagement, whereas effectuation is detrimental for success. Furthermore, we find that two-way-communication is essential to create engagement, while information strategy alone cannot lead to social media success. This study provides new insights into the role of decision logics and connects effectuation theory with the communication literature, a field that has been dominated by causal approaches.

scholarly journals The Impact of Communication Information on the Perceived Threat of COVID-19 and Stockpiling Intention

2021 ◽  
pp. 183933492110286
Author(s):  
Marilyn Giroux ◽  
Jooyoung Park ◽  
Jae-Eun Kim ◽  
Yung Kyun Choi ◽  
Jacob C. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Negative Information ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Behavior Study ◽  
Direct Explanation ◽  
Accuracy Study ◽  
Childhood Socioeconomic Status ◽  
The Impact

This article investigates the role of diverse nudging communication strategies on perceived threat and stockpiling intention. Across three studies, the authors examined the various effects of “nudging” on consumer behavior. Study 1 demonstrates that a commonly used picture has a stronger impact on perceived threat than a less frequently exposed picture regardless of its accuracy. Study 2 shows that the perceived threat of COVID-19, in terms of severe health consequences, is lower when using an indirect (vs. direct) explanation of the virus, as well as when reducing the amount of information about the virus. Study 3 investigates the impact of salient negative information and childhood socioeconomic status (SES). Findings reveal that negative information about deaths associated with the virus increases the level of perceived threat and stockpiling intention, especially among people of low childhood SES.

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