Business Language Studies in the United States: On Nomenclature, Context, Theory, and Method

Although it has existed for many decades in the national curriculum of U.S. higher education, the study of languages for business purposes has lacked a more serviceable and academically communal name--a more rigorous toponymic identity--by which to identify itself as a theory-based field of scholarship. The intention here is to propose for consideration a name modification for an existing field and provide some reflections regarding its evolution, theory, and method. In keeping with the rise of interdisciplines in other "studies" programs, business language's empirically definable domain of inquiry, pedagogy, and curriculum development should more appropriately be known as Business Language Studies (BLS). Further consideration of intrinsic theory is strongly encouraged to complement the extensive work already done in extrinsic and applied BLS, given that the development of methods and methodology has far outstripped theoretical considerations per se, the latter of which are now warranted to anchor the field more adequately in U.S. higher education. It is time for greater attention to be focused on the articulation of a broader, more systematic, theory-based BLS research agenda that breaks new ground and provides additional insights into the decisive roles of language and culture in a highly competitive global economy. (Contains 17 notes, 4 tables, and 3 figures.)