Becoming BELF users: the learning process of business users of English and its conceptualization

Abstract

Abstract This paper examines the learning process of users of English as a business lingua franca (BELF) from the users’ own perspective and proposes a working model as a framework to understand this process. The discussion is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews of Japanese business people who have been raised and educated in Japan and have used BELF for professional purposes. The interviews explore the linguistic challenges that they have faced in performing their work in English and how they have dealt with these challenges. The prime focus of the discussion in this paper is how BELF users transformed themselves from “learners of English in the classroom” into “BELF users” during the early stage of their professional career. With this focus, I develop a working model of BELF users’ learning process by taking inspiration from the “Experiential Learning Theory” (Kolb 1984. Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall). Experiential Learning: Experience as The Source of Learning and Development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall), a widely used theoretical model of the learning process of adults, along with other theories in the field of management. The proposed model of BELF users places “learning from experience” of using English at the centre of the development of their English competence, supplemented by “learning from others” and “learning from studying.” This article concludes with pedagogical implications for professional training and higher education and beyond, as well as theoretical contributions to the understanding of English as a lingua franca (ELF)/BELF. By drawing on the detailed stories of Japanese BELF users, I present a dynamic view of the competence of (B)ELF users by considering the significant changes of their competence over time and space throughout their careers rather than a snapshot of their competence at a particular time.