Abstract

For last five decades, the role of English has changed in the academic domain. The attention of the learners has shifted from Academic English to the English that enriches learner’s skills of proficiency and helps them to excel in their professional career. For this, learners need to know about the different faces of Englishlike English as a Foreign Language, English as a Second Language,English for General Academic Purposes and English for General Business Purposes and details need and scope of Business English or Technical English at present scenario.The importance of Business English has been increasing in the last few decades.The learners have focused their attention on learning business technical vocabulary rather than learning vocabulary by reading texts of Shakespeare, Milton and other literary texts. The paper is an attempt to discuss different faces of English.

I

For last five decades, the learners’ attention of learning English has switched over from English for Academic Purposes to English Language that provides a platform to aspire their professional career and earn their livelihood.The reason behind learning English as a second language is to excel their communication skills and to accelerate their career opportunities in the different human domains especially in business and science and technology. Hence; if we talk about learning business English or technical English, we are posed ready-made questions like: “What is the essence oflearning English for Academic Purposes?” or “Are learners of English or Academic Purposes not efficient to use English in the business domain or professional life?” or “Is there any difference between learning English for Academic Purposes andlearning Business English?”Before I discuss answer of these questions which are pivot of the paper, I would like totalk about the historical background of teaching English language, particularly, in the context of the British Colonies.Talking about the historical background of English as a global language,David Crystal writes, “The historical account traces the movement of English around the world, beginning with the pioneering voyages to the Americas, Asia and, the Antipodes. It was an expansion which continued with the nineteenth-century colonial developments in Africa and the South Pacific, and which took a significant further step when it was adopted in the mid twentieth century as an official or semi-official language by many newly independent states. English is now represented in every continent, and in islands of the three major oceans--Atlantic (St Helena), Indian (Seychelles), and Pacific (in many islands, such as Fiji and Hawaii). It is this spread of representation which makes the application of the label ‘global language’ a reality (29).India is one of the British Colonies where English was imposed by the British rulers and it was seen to be one of the symbols of class consciousness, consequently, it became official languageas well as language of the ruling class.Lord Macaulayemphasized on the use and expansion of English Language. He writes, “In India, English is the language spoken by the ruling class. It is spoken by the higher class of natives at the seats of Government. It is likely to become the language of commerce throughout the seas of the East. It is the language of two great European communities which are rising, the one in the south of Africa, the other in Australia,--communities which are every year becoming more important and more closely connected with our Indian empire. Whether we look at the intrinsic value of our literature, or at the particular situation of this country, we shall see the strongest reason to think that, of all foreign tongues, the English tongue is that which would be the most useful to our native subjects”. On the contrary,McKaycriticizes expansion of English Language and he identifies the negative effects English Language. He writes, “The main negative effects of the spread of English involve the threat to existing languages, influence on cultural identity, and the association of the language with an economic elite” (20). Thus, historically, English language was forcefully imposed on the non-native speakers where it became a threat to their language and culture.

II

Language plays a significant role in the life of human beings because it is language through which they not only communicate their identity and share their views with others but they are also recognizedon the basis of their language.Talking about the role and significance of language, Le Ha Phan opines, “Language acts as a means through which identity is communicated, extended, confirmed, constructed, negotiated and reconstituted” (25). But the learners of English as second language absolutely ignore and reject dominating nature of it because they have their own identity and philosophy which they have to carry out throughout their lives. Therefore, the first language (L1)or mother tongue of the learners is their property while the second language (L2)can be considered as one the sources of professional lives for example;Business English is one of the best examples.

The moment we talk about faces of English, we face many questions put before us by others. The first question which comes in our mindset is: “What are the types of English?” The second question which confronts us is: “How does ESL/EFL differ from Academic English?” or “What is the need of learning ESL/EFL if one knows Academic English?” Academic English came into existence in the British colonies of Africa or East Asia or other part of the world by force. It was imposed by the colonizers on the colonized.

Business English differs from the literary language or language of the literary texts. If one speaks language used by Geoffrey Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton or language of the Bible, one will not be able to understand; consequently one will face communication or linguistic barriers. Further, learners of Business English have to study few texts to learn the rules of grammar. They are not required to study the texts of literary authors like Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Eliot or any linguists like Ferdinand-de-Saussure Noam Chomsky, Umberto Eco, Michael Foucault and Jacques Derrida. On the contrary, for the learners of General EFL (English as a Foreign Language) or ESP (English for Special Purposes) or EAP (English for Academic Purposes) various texts are prescribed for the detailed study. In Sylvie Donna’s makes discrimination between Business English and EFL. In her opinion, “Business English has much in common with General EFL, but in many ways is very different from since the aims of a course may be quite radically different from those a General English Course. . . . Since course organizers often fail to differentiate between Business English and ESP (English for Special Purposes) or EAP (English for Academic Purposes), you need to be a little open-minded when going into this area of teaching!” (2). In the “Introduction” of The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes, Brian Paltridge and Sue Starfield write, “English for specific purposes (ESP) refers to the teaching and learning of English as a second or foreign language where the goal of the learners is to use English in a particular domain” (2).

Linguistically speaking, EFL/ESL differ from Academic English, General English and Business English. It is intensive study of ESL or EFL that the learner understands different layers of meaning of a word. For example, three meanings of the word “apple” can be drawn, first meaning deals with apple as a “fruit”, second apple is taken as a symbol of “health” and the third meaning is derived from the Bible which means “temptation” (apple as one of the reasons of the down fall of man and woman) hence; Business English also differs in its use of vocabulary, idioms and phrases from Academic English. On the contrary, one learns Business English freely when one finds its need to flourish one’s business across the cultures and around the world. Learning Business English also means to be efficient in business across the cultures because English has been considered a “lingua franca” or “global language”.

The question which comes in the minds of the learners of English is concerned to Business English. But, they do not see any difference between English as a second language/English as a Foreign Language and Business English consequently, their communication in the business context becomes easier than the learners of English for Academic Purposes.Leo Jones and Richard Alexanderdo not see Business English as a special language and in their opinion learners of English a Second Language can easily communicate in business situations. They define business English as, “The words professional people tend to use and understand when talking about their own or other people’s working lives might justifiably be defined as ‘Business English’”. Further, they write, “Business English isn’t a special language with a special grammar—it’s simply English used in business situations” (7). Tony Dudley-Evans talks about the two different faces of Business English. The first, he talks about, is English for General Business Purposes (EGBP) and the second is, English for Specific Business Purposes (ESBP). Similarly, he divides English for Academic Purposes into two different types: first, English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) and the second, English for Special Academic Purposes (ESAP). In his opinion, English for General Academic Purposes (EGAP) and English for General Business Purposes (EGBP) are meant for the learners who are in the early phase of their career. According to Tony Dudley-Evans, “English for Academic Purposes (EAP) refers to any English teaching that relates to a study purposes. Students whose first language is not English may need help with both the language of academic disciplines and the specific ‘study skills’ required of them during their academic course” (34).

However, Business English focuses on the learning of sentence structureandbusinessvocabulary. It isconcerned with marketing, professional career and business communication skills.The learners of Business English have various types of activities in the class-room like role-plays, describing business activities, describing products, welcoming visitors, extempore, group discussion.The vocabulary of Business English learners also differs from EFL and EAP. The vocabulary of Business English deals with the areas like--marketing, fax, report order, memo, correspondence, customer, product, profit, notice, drafts, review, negation and expenditure. There are layers of meaning of a single word in English hence; learners have to be very specific to choose the meaning of a word to be used in business situations or contexts.

Michelle Maxom, “The main difference between general and business English is register (formal and informal styles), and the organization of a functional-notional syllabus, which means that instead of learning one piece of grammar or vocabulary after another, getting progressively more difficult, the syllabus focuses on situations and tasks”. There are a number of other important differences between Business English and general English. Talking about the difference between Business English and General English, Priscilla Osborne writes, “Business English is not some separate entity from general English. Executive students and other individuals who want to study Business English all need to speak, listen, read, and write in English to a greater or lesser extent, use grammar, and pronounce words correctly, just as any other student of English. The language skills for business English are the same as for general English; it is simply that the contexts for using the language are different” (103).Some of them are enlisted below:

v Business English is not so much about learning ‘to speak a new language’ as it is about learning how to use the language we already know, in a practical business and professional context as well.

v Business English is not just about using a second or foreign language; many of the skills used are also skills that are required to be learned by native-speakers.

v In a general English group, all the learners should be at the same level. While useful, this is not always necessary in Business English, because the focus is on acquiring specific communication skills which can have application at different levels.

v Time – frame is an important factor and the business English trainee must acquire a given set of language-based skills quickly.

v While various teaching approaches and methodologies can be applied in learning General English, the approach in Business English is essentially a task-based i.e. Learning-by-doing.

The issue of English as a Second Language (ESL), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), ESP compared to Business English is in itself a controversial. Some scholars argue that ESP is definitely in a class of its own, separate from Business Englishothers tend to view ESP as involving the specific technical or specialized areas inside Business English. One can think of professions in the automotive industry, engineering, medicine or law. Suchdomainsimply certain technical skills with special training, yet they still assume the same business practices and strategies found in other business sectors. Even if ESP is treated as an entirely different category, its targets in language and skill development are the same as in Business English--to learn English to function effectively in the workplace.

Business English concentrates on developing the language and style of typical skills of a particular business. Though a learner unconsciously knows these skills in his/her own language in the context of business yet the knowledge of Business English is required in order to learn the difference in style that is necessary for conducting business in English. The lexical focus then is on the learning of polite language that helps the learner to establish and maintain good business. These skills are communication oriented to handle customers or clients, colleagues and other professionals in one’s field.

The teaching focus and plan in Business English class-roomsreflect learner’s or work context. The specifics of such a focus are usually derived from a needs analysis designed to find out the needs of both the company and individual employees. In the case of BE given at language schools or universities, a needs analysis should also be done directly with the students at the onset of their courses. In comparison to the General English, Business English is often considered to be more flexible in its planning and execution, so the teaching will readily adapt to the work demands of the participants. Methods of teaching Business Englishespecially focuses on interactive and student oriented teaching. The participants are required toactively engage in communication activities that can easily be associated with their real work situations. For instance, brainstorming, discussion and role-play seem to be quite conducive to the learners of the BusinessEnglish. Further, Business English course books are chosen carefully to meet both the language and skills needs of learners.

Thus it is obvious that in the previous decades, English for AcademicPurposes had been an integral part of curriculum in educational institutions. But, the development of science and technology and business has broadened scope of Business English in the different spheresof human life. For example, engineering and technology and business are two significant spheres where English not only serves the purpose of communication to bridge the linguistic and cultural gaps but it has become a tool of inculcating knowledge amongst the students in the academic life.It helps them to earn their livelihood. Earlier, people around the world considered English as an international language but in the turn of the twenty first century, they consider it as a language which helps them to prosper in their business and science and technology.

Works Cited

Crystal, David. 2003. English as a Global Language. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

Donna, Sylvie.2000. Teaching Business English. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

Dudley-Evans, Maggie Jo St John.2007. Developments in English for Special Purposes: A Multi- disciplinary Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

Jones, Leo and Richard Alexander.2007. New International Business English. Cambridge: Cambridge UP.

McKay, S L. 2002. Teaching English as an International Language: An Introduction to the Role of English as an International Language and Its Implications for Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford UP.

Maxom, Michelle. 2009.Teaching English as a Foreign Language for Dummie. John Wiley & Sons.

Osborne, Priscilla.2005.Teaching English One to One. London: Modern English Publishing.

Paltridge, Brian and Sue Starfield. Ed.2013. The Handbook of English for Specific Purposes. Oxford: John Wiley.

Phan, Le Ha. 2008. Teaching English as An International Language: Identity, Resistance and Negotiation. London: Cromwell Press.

Thoma, Dieter.2009. Strategic Attention in Language Testing: Metacognition in a Yes/no Business Vocabulary Test. Diss. Mannheim University.