The Chinese Approach to Written English Business Communication: a Case Study of Three Textbooks on the Tertiary

Level

By

Meiling Wang

Associate Prof. Of School of Economics

Shandong University, CHINA

Postgraduate

English Dept.

Vaasa University

Presentation Outline

1 Aims and Assumptions

2 Research Questions

3 Contents (thesis progress)

Aim & Assumption

• Aim: to study three Chinese tertiary level business

communication textbooks targeted at teaching

written English business communication

• Assumption: Business content and language

aspect are two important dimensions in the study

of textbooks on written business communication.

Research Questions In my study, I propose to study the books for:

1) their representation of the business context where written communica

tion is needed (what areas of int’l biz contacts, what channels needed

and their order of importance, what markets intended (i.e. with whom

is English used as the language of communication)

2) What style of Business English and how is it taught?

2a) What varieties of English is used (BrE, AmE, or what else?)

2b) How is it taught (communicative competence or grammatical/lex

ical correctness? What types of end-of-chapter exercises?(free compo

sition vs fill-in exercises, et.)

Thesis progress

Chapter Contents

• Introduction (full text)

• Theoretical Framework (under progress)

• Technical Analysis (under progress)

• Discussion and Conclusion (under progress)

Sources

Introduction (full text)

Genesis: Technology communication and the internationalization of

business in corporate business communication VERSUS the

sluggish response of education

• 1.1 Material (from School of Economics, SDU)

• 1.2 Method (Content Analysis)

• 1.3 Previous Studies

• 1.4 Teaching of Written English Business Communication at

Chinese Universities (Revised syllabi and textbook production )

2 Theoretical Framework

2.1 Business Content

2.2 Language Aspect

2.1 Business Content (to be continued)

2.1.1 Expanding Scope of International Business Contacts (export/import t

rading, int’l biz arrangements, technology transfer, contracts, etc.)

a) what biz practitioners say they need (e.g. Finnish business people)

b) developments in int’l biz contacts: MNCs and their internal comm

u, and their int’l marketing and intercultural biz commu

c) what textbooks in the west cover (informal survey of textbooks)

Options:

1) what areas of business are involved in written biz communication

2) what areas are covered in the teaching of written English biz comm

unication in the west (e.g. at UWASA)

2.1 Business Content (to be continued)

2.1.2 Channels of communication involved in written business communication 1) Real life:

1a) channels and changes in their importance1b) what is used for what purposes

2) Textbooks2a) research findings (Yli-Jokipii 1994; others)2b) how textbooks relate to different channels (at UWA

SA)Options: 1) what channels in real life and for what purposes2) changes 3) representation of textbooks of 1) & 2)

2.1 Business Content (to be continued)

2.1.3 Language choice & int’l trade

1) Business purpose and language choice (e.g. Purposes of

actively looking for partners, passively waiting for conta

cts, first contact for information, favor buyers’ language)

2) English as lingua franca of international business

2.2 English lingua franca in written business communication textbooks (to be continued)

2.2.1 What style of English?

What do the textbook prefaces say (explicit choice of variety), impli

citly (example addresses in Britain/USA/elsewhere, and features of l

anguage and writing conventions).

Options:

1) Traditionally BrE or AmE,

2) Now increasingly new Englishes recognized (e.g. Euro-English,

China English)

3) English as a Global Language (Crystal David 1997)

4) Englishes/Lingua franca English for international business

2.2 English lingua franca in written business communication textbooks

2.2.2 How taught?

1) Correctness vs communicative competence

Inferences can be made from the types of exercises (what to encou

rage, free composition, filling-in, repetition of phrases, translatio

n)

2) English in different media (tolerance of informality, mistakes)

End

Your comments are appreciated.

Thank you