Michael B. Hinner 
TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany
Abstract
English as the lingua franca of international business discourse has many potential pitfalls because the interlocutors often assume they have shared meaning when in fact they do not; in particular, when at least one of the interlocutors is not a native speaker of English. This chapter examines how identity as well as culture influence perception and, thus, also meaning. Identity can have considerable influence on perception which is why a brief discussion of self-image and self-esteem is helpful in understanding perceptual differences. Likewise, culture determines what is important or unimportant, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, which explains why culture has considerable impact on perception, cognition, and meaning. Cultural taxonomies can be useful tools in identifying potential differences. Edward T. Hall’s notion on high vs. low context (1976) is used to illustrate how cultural dimensions can be used to identify potential misunderstandings.
Keywords: Business discourse; Communication competence; Culture; Identity; Meaning; Perception.
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How to cite this article: Hinner, M. B. (2022). The pitfalls of perceived shared meaning when using English as the lingua franca in international business discourse: A conceptual analysis. Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education – JoLIE, 15(3), 119-140. doi: https://doi.org/10.29302/jolie.2022.15.3.8
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