JOURNAL ARTICLE

Korean Professionals' Experience With Using Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF): A Grounded Theory Approach.

  • Published In: Journal of Business & Technical Communication, 2025, v. 39, n. 2. P. 225 1 of 3

  • Database: Business Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Lee, Kanghee 3 of 3

Abstract

This study investigates Korean professionals' experiences with Business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF) using grounded theory to analyze semistructured interviews with 12 participants. The research identifies accommodation—adjusting communication styles to interlocutors' linguistic and cultural diversity—as the core strategy enabling successful BELF interactions amid challenges such as accent variation, cultural differences, and business unpredictability. Findings reveal that English serves as the primary medium in Korea's multicultural business environments despite participants' multilingual abilities, with communicative fluency closely tied to professionalism. The study emphasizes BELF as a complex, dynamic process shaped by interrelated factors and suggests integrating accommodation strategies into business English education to enhance intercultural competence.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journal of Business & Technical Communication. 2025/04, Vol. 39, Issue 2, p225
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Business and Management
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:1050-6519
  • DOI:10.1177/10506519241307789
  • Accession Number:183571094
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Journal of Business & Technical Communication is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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