English has now become the lingua franca of the business world. What Essay - 1

English has now become the lingua franca of the business world. What are the implications of this for business and for native and non-native speakers of English - Essay Example For companies based in English-speaking societies, using English to coordinate and control business activities across the globe is less problematic. Yet, implementing a global language for the whole company is difficult for companies based in Asian or Latin Europe societies; however, even in these companies, requiring a language besides English as the international business lingua franca remains problematic (Garzone & Llie, 2007, p. 28). This essay discusses the implications of English as the lingua franca of the business world for the management, and native and non-native speakers of English. The chosen business genre is negotiation. Lingua franca is a language or expression that non-native speakers can use to effectively transfer information or exchange ideas with other non-native speakers. English as a lingua franca is defined by Firth (1996 as cited in Koester, 2010, p. 123) as: In order to explain business communications in the context of lingua franca, the concept of Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF) was developed (Koester, 2010, p. 123). The increasing significance of English as Lingua Franca (EFL) is caused by a variety of occurrences. These involve the broader application of English as a global business language, English becoming a leading Internet language, the growing population of international students, and the continuous development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) (Bargiela-Chiappini, 2000, p. 311). Nowadays, EFL is the prevailing linguistic system that fulfils a need for communication. Even though workforce diversity is essential to businesses across the globe, international employees have to openly, clearly, and effectively communicate with one another. In order to cope with the intensifying global competition, an increasing number of European companies are implementing English as their official corporate