English as a lingua franca in business negotiations

This dissertation contributes to the study of English as a lingua franca in business negotiations focussing, among other aspects, on the pragmatic functions of conditionals. What sets English as a lingua franca apart from other forms of usage? Is there a regularity to the use of conditionals? What functions do different forms of conditionals have in lingua franca English business negotiation? The author uses business encounters recorded at an international music trade fair as her data and shows that non-standard as well as standard conditionals are used in different phases of business negotiations to indicate different degrees of commitment.


Bettina Dresemann is a teacher of English and Spanish and has worked as a lecturer for English and Applied Linguistics at the Universities of Münster, Erfurt and Bochum. She is a passionate linguist and traveller, taught German as a Second Language in Germany and the USA and is currently living in Brazil. The current book is the published version of her PhD dissertation in Applied Linguistics (Sprachlehrforschung) presented at the University of Münster.