Naslov
Global English as an identity marker in Croatian students of business

Autori
Kabalin Borenić, Višnja

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
New Challenges for Multilingualism in Europe: Book of Abstracts / Jernej, Mirna ; Muhvić Dimanovski, , Vesna ; Sujoldžić, Anita - Zagreb : Institut za antropologiju, 2010, 196-197

Skup
New Challenges for Multilingualism in Europe

Mjesto i datum
Dubrovnik, Hrvatska, 11.04.2010. - 15.04.2010

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
global English ; attitudes ; L2 motivation ; identity marker

Sažetak
The purpose of the study is to gain an insight into Croatian business students' attitudes to English as a medium of global communication. As part of a larger investigation into the structure of student motivation to learn English and the underlying attitudes, 390 students of business (157 males, 233 females ; average age 21.5 years ; average length of English learning 9 years) were administered a questionnaire focusing on attitudes toward English (33 statements assessed on a Likert- type scale) to estimate the importance of national variants of English in the business world and describe the role of English in their life. The data obtained were submitted to factor analysis (principal components analysis). Factor analysis of students' attitudes to English revealed five distinct subsets: attitudes to (1) English as a threat to participant's cultural and linguistic identity, (2) English as a must for all Europeans, (3) Croatian in relation to English, attitudes to (4) the national norms of English, and (5) to culturally unmarked, neutral variants. The participants in this study do not consider the English language to be a threat to their linguistic and cultural identity. Rather, they tend to acknowledge the unrivaled importance of English for international communication and understanding. This pragmatic attitude explains the moderately strong opinion that it is acceptable to mix British and American English as long as communication is successful. We also recorded a moderately strong opinion that a neutral, culturally unmarked variant of English is desirable. Moreover, the descriptive analysis revealed that English is perceived purely as a means of communication and that the participants do not identify with any native English-speaking culture, they seem to “own” the language themselves. The statistical findings are corroborated by student answers to open-ended questions: 65% of the participants responded that successful business communication in English does not hinge on the variant/s used, but rather on the message itself. The students are aware of the fact that non-native speakers of English currently outnumber the native speakers and perceive English primarily as a powerful tool for international communication, learning and career development. Our findings demonstrate that Croatian students of business perceive English as a tool for global (business) communication, and that their efforts to improve their proficiency in English have little to do with linguistic motives. In the world of knowledge economy, global trade and global finances it seems that English is seen as a primary symbol of professional attainment and a prerequisite for economic success. According to our findings, a model business person is proficient in English and fully integrated in the international community of English speakers. Since there seems to be no rivalry between Croatian and English, it is obvious that both languages represent powerful identity markers for future Croatian business professionals.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Filologija

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