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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 449

Part of Session 179: Mutual intelligibility of closely related languages in a multilingual Europe (Other abstracts in this session)

Comparing effectiveness of ELF, L1-L2 interaction and receptive multilingualism in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)

Authors: Hendriks, Berna; van Mulken, Margot
Submitted by: Hendriks, Berna (Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands, The)

The continuing globalisation of markets has led to a rapid increase in the use of English as the Lingua Franca (ELF) of international communication. ELF research has demonstrated that although the use of ELF may facilitate communication in multilingual settings, it can at the same time present linguistic, cultural and organisational challenges for non-native speakers of English (Hincks, 2010; Rogerson-Revell, 2008; Welch, Welch & Piekkari, 2005). Alternatives to ELF might be the use of L1-L2 interactions, where one of the speakers adopts the L1 of his or her partner, and receptive multilingualism, where speakers with different L1 backgrounds communicate in their own mother tongue and have a passive understanding of the conversational partner’s L1 (Ribbert & Ten Thije, 2007). The present paper reports on two studies that explored the effectiveness of language use in dyadic, CMC interactions using within-subject experimental designs. In three consecutive sessions, respondents performed a ‘spot the differences’ task in ELF, Receptive Multilingualism and L1-L2 (study 1), and in ELF, Receptive Multilingualism and Mother Tongue (study 2). The chat sessions were analysed on communicative effectiveness (differences found, number of words and turns) and on communication strategies employed by participants in resolving referential conflicts. Findings indicate that participants were more effective in RM than in ELF and L1-L2, and also that participants used different communication strategies in the various communication modes. In addition, it turned out that participants tended to use process-oriented strategies more frequently in ELF than in the other communication modes and that they tended to use code-oriented strategies more often in L2-L1 interactions. Moreover, paralinguistic strategies were more often used in mother tongue interactions than in the other modes. Findings suggest that ELF may not be the most effective language choice in multilingual environments.

Hincks, R. (2010), Speaking rate and information content in English lingua franca oral presentations, English for Specific Purposes 29: 4-18.

Ribbert, A. & J. D. ten Thije (2007), Receptive multilingualism in Dutch-German intercultural team cooperation, in J. D. ten Thije & L. Zeevaert (red.), Receptive Multilingualism: Linguistic Analyses, Language Policies, and Didactic Concepts, 73-101, Amsterdam, Netherlands: Benjamins.

Rogerson-Revell, P. (2008), Participation and performance in international business meetings, English for Specific Purposes 27: 338-360.

Welch, D., L. Welch & R. Piekkari (2005), Speaking in tongues: the importance of language in international management processes, International Studies of Management & Organization 35: 10-27.