LINGUA FRANCA OF THE 21ST CENTURY: THE MULTILINGUAL AND MULTIMODAL DIMENSIONS OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL PROJECTS IN THE CAUCASUS
Helena Gonczar
Słowa kluczowe:
Lingua franca, multimodality, business communication strategy, cross-cultural teamwork, technical project, the CaucasusAbstrakt
The article examines the multilingual and multimodal challenges of international hydroengineering projects in the Caucasus region where English serves as a lingua franca among professionals with diverse native languages. Based on the case study, the analysis reveals the strategies employed by the team members. The findings suggest that, beyond ELF, to reach mutual understanding and manage tasks, they employ code-switching, intercomprehension, focusing on the Slavic languages, and multimodality, specifically visual mode (e.g., technical drawings, diagrams, and gestures). The study also highlights how linguistic functions correlate with the members’ professional roles and how their cross-cultural characteristics influence the choice of communication strategies.
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