Empirical findings, provided by an ever growing number of research projects on the world-wide use of English, underline the fact that ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA (ELF) should play an important role in intercultural training today. Aspects of POLITENESS and RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING should be in the foreground of both intercultural and English language teaching.
Accuracy in terms of grammar, pronunciation etc. should come second. Although there are certain exceptions to this rule (e.g. in formal speech or in formal written communication where serious misunderstandings may arise) in most cases it is politeness that constitutes the first and foremost prerequisite for effective communication in different cultural contexts.
Politeness, however, is not a universal code. One thing needs to be kept in mind: British-American politeness conventions may well be adequate and effective when dealing with people from those parts of the world. What is equally certain, however, is that they will often be inappropriate when communicating with people from different cultural backgrounds – regardless of the fact that the language used is English.
Here is an example: many native speakers of English are totally unaware of the fact that the level of assertiveness expressed in much of their every-day communication (although absolutely natural and normal to them) may appear uncomfortable or even offensive to people from other parts of the world with different cultural background.
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"Politeness is the k...
Therefore, intercultural training as well as the teaching of English (as a Lingua Franca) should go along with raising awareness of cultural differences and, most of all, showing the ways of dealing appropriately with unexpected, ambiguous or difficult situations and behaviours. It is POLITENESS IN SOCIAL RELATIONS that makes intercultural communication effective and complete.
This approach is supported by the Council of Europe’s new CEFR – COMPANION VOLUME (2018/20). It provides detailed descriptors of communicative acts which are essential for building trust through polite communication and interaction. These prove helpful for specifying the training aims for professionals and students and enable them to communicate effectively in a great diversity of intercultural situations.
Watch an introduction to the Council of Europe’s new CEFR – Companion Volume
Source / More info: elc – European Language Competence
