Achieving “comity”: the role of linguistic stance in business English as a lingua franca (BELF) meetings
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Patricia Pullin
Patricia Pullin did her PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Birmingham and has an MA in Education (TESOL) from the Institute of Education in London. Her research interests are in oral workplace communication and ELF. She was responsible for the English programme and teacher development at the University of Zurich and ETH Language Center. She is now working in the business section of Vaud School of Business and Engineering, University of Applied Science and Arts, Western Switzerland.
Abstract
(B)ELF research has highlighted the consensual and co-operative nature of (B)ELF interaction, i.e., the presence of comity or harmony. This paper aims to explore the role of stance markers in achieving comity within a business context. The study of stance markers has broadened its scope considerably in recent years, notably focussing more on spoken interaction in context, yet linguistic stance in (B)ELF remains a largely unexplored field. This paper will analyse the use of stance markers, which comprise a range of lexical and grammatical features of language, in authentic audio-recorded BELF interaction in meetings. Stance markers are of interest in that they reflect the multifunctional nature of language in contributing to the dynamic enactment of both interpersonal and transactional functions of language. In expressing opinions, evaluation, and affect, stance is also intrinsically linked to facework and relational work, which are important for nurturing and maintaining comity. Fine-grained analysis of the data, focussing in particular on the use of hedges and boosters, illustrates the way stance markers contribute to the achievement of comity, for example in negotiating tasks, dealing with disagreement, or clarifying understanding. The data also reflect the way business conventions, knowledge, and relations impact on communication.
About the author
Patricia Pullin did her PhD in Applied Linguistics at the University of Birmingham and has an MA in Education (TESOL) from the Institute of Education in London. Her research interests are in oral workplace communication and ELF. She was responsible for the English programme and teacher development at the University of Zurich and ETH Language Center. She is now working in the business section of Vaud School of Business and Engineering, University of Applied Science and Arts, Western Switzerland.
© 2013 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Achieving “comity”: the role of linguistic stance in business English as a lingua franca (BELF) meetings
- Notes on English used as a lingua franca as an object of study
- From within and without: the virtual and the plurilingual in ELF
- Figurative language and ELF: idiomaticity in cross-cultural interaction in university settings
- Express-ability in ELF communication
- ELF and academic writing: a perspective from the Expanding Circle
- ELF in international school exchanges: stepping into the role of ELF users
- A linguistic anthropologist looks at English as a lingua franca
- ELF and EFL: what's the difference? Comments on Michael Swan
- ELF and the bigger picture
- Book Review
- Conferences
Articles in the same Issue
- Masthead
- Achieving “comity”: the role of linguistic stance in business English as a lingua franca (BELF) meetings
- Notes on English used as a lingua franca as an object of study
- From within and without: the virtual and the plurilingual in ELF
- Figurative language and ELF: idiomaticity in cross-cultural interaction in university settings
- Express-ability in ELF communication
- ELF and academic writing: a perspective from the Expanding Circle
- ELF in international school exchanges: stepping into the role of ELF users
- A linguistic anthropologist looks at English as a lingua franca
- ELF and EFL: what's the difference? Comments on Michael Swan
- ELF and the bigger picture
- Book Review
- Conferences
