Navigating Boundaries through Knowledge: Intercultural Phenomena in ELF Interactions

Satomi Kuroshima, Blagoja Dimoski, Tricia Okada, Yuri Jody Yujobo, Rasami Chaikul

This study investigates intercultural phenomena in the process of recognizing cultural boundaries in online English as a lingua franca (ELF) video conferencing-based interactions. The findings thus suggest that the participants employ knowledge of their own cultural repertoire in exchanges with unfamiliar cultural values as they navigate boundaries based on practical reasoning. More specifically, the participants categorize one another and use their procedural knowledge about familiar cultural practices of their own and the other’s country while displaying one’s affiliation to the recipients. This study concludes that ELF speakers’ experiences of navigating boundaries during first encounters are organized according to the method they use to negotiate and accommodate their cultural affinity, which is significant as it confirms that these practices are shared beyond a particular cultural domain.

Englishes in Practice

Sciendo

5

1

82

106

https://doi.org/10.2478/eip-2022-0004

https://doi.org/10.2478/eip-2022-0004

Principal Investigator.
This study is funded by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP18K00753.