Negotiation as the way of engagement in intercultural and lingua franca communication: frames of reference and Interculturality

Abstract

The paper argues that Negotiation (capitalised to differentiate from negotiation as an activity type such as business negotiation) is the most important means of engagement in intercultural and lingua franca communication. In intercultural and lingua franca communication, thus also in English as a lingua franca (ELF), variability, heterogeneity and uncertainty are the norm, and therefore, the need to negotiate common frames of reference and cultural identity is greater than in other types of communication. By providing a Negotiation approach for intercultural and lingua franca communication, we are able to focus on individuals taking part in interactions along with their agency rather than cultural groups, the here-and-now nature of interactions rather than assumed or predicted course of actions, the resources individuals bring with them rather than problems, and the process rather than the outcome.

Repositioning English and multilingualism in English as a Lingua Franca

“…Some ELF researchers, particularly those interested in pragmatic competence, linguistic awareness, and intercultural awareness, do consider ELF's emergent nature and explore why and how negotiation and coconstruction take place in ELF interactions (e.g. Baker 2015, Cogo 2012, Dewey 2009, Hülmbauer 2013, Kalocsai 2014, Zhu Hua 2015. On the other hand, simply referring to the fact that ELF speakers 'co-construct' or 'negotiate' meaning, as is more often the case, is not in itself sufficient.…”

Taking ELF off the shelf: Developing HE students’ speaking skills through a focus on English as a lingua franca

“…slowing down to accommodate to other speakers' perceived skills level) and reactive strategies through which problems in comprehension can be mitigated and addressed, such as asking specific questions to deal with perceived misunderstanding (see Dippold, 2015 for a summary of ELF strategies in spoken academic classroom talk). Hua (2015) uses the term 'Negotiation' -with a capital 'N'to describe ELF speakers' collaborative and cooperative efforts, extending the term from the linguistic domain (negotiation of meaning as identifying and resolving communicative breakdowns, cf. Ellis, 2003, p. 346) to also include negotiating cultural frames of reference, differences between which can interrupt the flow of interactions.…”