The International Aspect: Language, Learning and

Teaching Györgyi Dudás and Zsuzsanna Soproni

Iatefl Conference,Eger, Hungary 2012

IE or LF?We are cancel the card.

It don’t depend on the field.

They need to be persuade the customer.

I can suggest you a cheap accomodation.

We can make a consense.

I think on the front page should be a picture who – which only makes people to spend money to the charity. (Seidlhofer, 2000)

Let’s resume our ideas. (Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998)

Lingua Franca or Pidgin English – a definition and characteristics

• What it is: a dynamically evolving language used by native and non-native speakers of English for effective international business communication, which is functional, neutral and cultureless

• What it is not: Tarzan English, Newspeak, Ericsson English, Policespeak, Airspeak, Common European Language, Cantonese-Chinese business-pidgin

Statistics340-450 million L1

240-350 million L2

? FL

Chrystal, 1997, pp. 60-61.

International Business Communication

Earlier Research

• In-service and pre-service professionals

• Genre-analysis

• Native English speakers/teachers and non-native English speakers/teachers

The IBS ContextNationality Ss % Nationality Ss %Iranian 19 2,02% Norwegian 17 1,81%

Cameroonian 19 2,02% Russian 27 2,87%

Kazakhstani 29 3,08% Romanian 26 2,76%

Chinese 40 4,25% Serbian 16 1,70%

Hungarian 569 60,47% Slovakian 19 2,02%

Moldovian 33 3,51% Turkish 51 5,42%

German 18 1,91% Ukrainian 16 1,70%Nigerian 25 2,66% Vietnamese 17 1,81%

Total 941 100,00%Active Ss on English medium courses

SampleN=152

Students' contact hours in English

Exempt 16%

4 hours, 34 %

8 hours, 22 %

6 hours, 24 %

Tool34 item self-report questionnaire with

Likert type statementsE.g.I am satisfied with the progress I have made

in English since September. (SUCCESS)Studying with international students has

contributed greatly to my development in English. (INTL)

Findings

• Language• Learning• Teaching

LanguageSuccess in language learning is

accompanied by code-switching.Corr=0,49; p<0,01

Successful learners tend to do and notice code-switching more.Meanhisuc= 3,91 t(128) = -5,051Meanlosuc = 3,33 p<0,01

LanguageMore motivated learners

communicate more in English.Meanhimotiv= 4,53 t(141) = -3,310Meanlomotiv = 4,0 p=0,03

Successful learners prefer to communicate with peers who have a higher command of English.

Meanhisuc= 0,78 t(122) = -2,739Meanlosuc = 0,56 p<0,01

Language

More motivated learners appreciate IBS English modules more.

Successful learners communicate more in English.

Meanhisuc= 4,49 t(126) = -2,385Meanlosuc = 4,08 p < 0,05

‘I prefer to communicate with students whose

level of English is … mine.’

higher than

about the same as

lower than

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

20122010

Learning

More motivated learners benefit more from the international environment.

Meanhimotiv= 3,8 t (142)=-2,176Meanlomotiv = 3,51 p=0,03

‘Learning is the same everywhere in the world.’

21%

32%

30%

10%6%

Strongly disagree Disagree Partly agree Agree Strongly agree

2010

‘Learning is the same everywhere in the world.’

Strongly dis-agree20%

Dis-agree28%

Partly agree20%

Agree20%

Strongly agree13%

2012

Learning‘Learning is the same everywhere

in the world.’The higher the competence, the

larger extent students disagree.

MeanE= 3,73Mean4 = 3,58 p=0,27Mean6= 2,97 p=0,18Mean8= 2,65

The fact that there are students whose mother tongue is different from mine

motivates me to learn foreign languages.

Strongly disagree3%

Dis-agree

7%

Partly agree25%

Agree41%

Strongly

agree23%

Teaching‘IBS teachers adapt to the needs

of students coming from different cultures.’

05

101520253035404550

Strongly disagree Disagree Partly agree Agree Strongly agree

2010

2012

Babcock, R. D., & Du-Babcock, B. (2001). Language-based communication zones in international business communication. Journal of Business Communication, 38(4).

Bhatia, V. K. (1993). Analysing genre: Language use in professional settings. London: Longman.Chrystal, D. (1997). English as a global language. Cambridge University Press.Dudley-Evans, T., & St John, M.J. (1998). Developments in ESP. A multi-disciplinary approach.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Gimenez, J. (2006). Embedded business emails: Meeting new demands in international business

communication. English for Specific Purposes, 25.Gupta, A. F. (2006). Standard English in the world. In R. Rubdy and M. Saraceni (Eds.), English in the

world: Global rules, global roles. London: Continuum.Hutchinson, T. & Waters, A. (1987). English for specific purposes: A learner-centred approach.

Cambridge: CUP.Kachru, B.B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: the English language in the

outer circle. In R. Quirk & H. G. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the world. CUP.Nickerson, C. (2005). English as a lingua franca in international business contexts. English for

Specific Purposes, 24.Olagboyega, K. W. (2007). Varieties of modern English language. Akita University.Rogerson-Revell, P. (2007). Using English for international business: a European case study. English

for Specific Purposes, 26.Seidlhofer, B. (2000). Mind the gap: English as a mother tongue vs. English as a lingua franca.

VIEWS, 9(1).Sharifian, F. (2009). English as an international language: Perspectives and pedagogical issues.

Bristol: Multilingual Matters.Spichtinger, D. (2000). EIL: a global, a European and an Austrian perspective. VIEWS, 10(1).Widdowson, H.G. (1997). EIL, ESL, EFL: Global issues and local interests. World Englishes, 16(1).Widdowson, H. G. (2003). Defining issues in language teaching. Oxford: OUP.Widdowson, H.G. (2004). Text, context, pretext. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

References

Thank you for your attention.

gydudas@ibs-b.huzssoproni@ibs-b.hu