Abstract:

Today teachers of Business English strive for developing not just general speech habits of their students, but rather their rhetoric skills, especially for effective negotiations. Doing business with the view of complex economic and political processes in the world requires specific abilities for sophisticated communication. To this end linguistic theory, functional linguistics in particular, may prove to be of much help.

Functional linguistics is aimed at disclosing the purposes and functions of language units, at revealing their pragmatic loading and effect on people’s feelings and opinions; it explains the language “life” proceeding from meaning and function to form. Mastering at least the basics of such view on any text promotes a more profound and delicate linguistic feeling with students and helps them elaborate a more systemic and meaningful perception of speech – both their own and the communicating partner’s. Introducing elements of functional analysis into teaching methods, we show students the multisided semantic and pragmatic interconnection of definite linguistic elements comprising a discourse unit.

For instance, working at the famous Market Leader course of Business English we undertake an adapted functional analysis of the discourse presented in the video resource named Alliance. One of the presentations is made by an American consultant Anna Valdez invited by two airline companies (US- and Hong Kong-based) to help them make an alliance.
It is remarkable how, from the very first steps, already in her opening presentation, Anna wins the audience with her high professionalism and, above all, outstanding communication skills. After a warm welcome she starts outlining the possible difficulties of going global for both companies, gradually intensifying the impression of the inevitable hardships of the task and the necessity for the partners to be open to a whole lot of innovations, not always easy-going. But in order not to produce a totally distressing effect, the lady at the same time resorts to the positive thinking attitude (peculiar to Americans, as is known). Thus, building up a specific combination of the opposite communicative strategies (frightening and inspiring) she succeeds in preparing the audience for a serious commitment.

This presentation usually makes a gripping first impression on our students. But then we draw their attention to the way it is structured, worded and delivered. Disclosing the interaction of discourse elements whose synergy results in the general effect, we help future businessmen to enhance their own rhetoric skills. Functional linguistics approaches open some specific facets within this general precept.

Keywords:

Business English, methods of teaching ESP, functional analysis of discourse, rhetoric effectiveness of speech.