Abstract

This paper examines BELF (Business English as a Lingua Franca) teaching and researching in China. A literature review is conducted using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database. This survey includes a cursory literature search on BELF and a thorough literature study of 12 Chinese major academic journals. From the data collected in this study several findings emerge. First, BELF teaching and research has been on the rise since the founding of the People’s Republic of China; and it appears that there will continue to be a growth in BELF literature and research. Secondly, BELF literature during this period has covered a wide range of areas, such as teaching methodology, mode and learning strategies, syllabus design, course assessment and reform, translation studies, systemic functional based studies, discourse studies, as well as other areas. Thirdly, some drawbacks are also exposed. For example, the paucity of empirical studies indicates a strong need to improve the quantity of BELF research literature.

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