Conceptual Transition from English as a Foreign Language to BELF

Year 2019, Volume: 34 Issue: 1, 54 - 70, 31.01.2019

Derya Altınmakas Sevdeğer Çeçen Hande Serdar Tülüce , Şebnem Yalçın

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.

Keywords

BELF, ELF, EFL, business professionals

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

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.

Keywords

Yabancı dil olarak İngilizce (YDİ), Ortak dil olarak İngilizce (ODİ), Ortak dil olarak iş İngilizcesi (ODİİ), iş insanları

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