This paper focuses on the development of the concept of BELF, which\noriginally stood for �Business English as Lingua Franca�, but later we have used\nthe abbreviation to refer to �English as Business Lingua Franca�. With this\nchange we want to emphasize the domain of use rather than the type of English.\nThe concept of BELF originates from two large research projects conducted at\nthe Aalto University School of Business from 2000 to 2009. The projects were\ninspired by research into English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and, from that\nperspective, they set on exploring the language and communication practices of\ninternationally operating business professionals. The findings of the projects\nshowed how the domain of business, and particularly its goal-oriented nature,\nwas significant for BELF discourse and for the perceptions of BELF\ncommunication of the practitioners themselves. Overall, it can be argued that for\nBELF speakers, grammatical correctness is not nearly as important as the genre\nknowledge of their own specific field of expertise, involving a shared\nunderstanding of what, why, how and when to communicate. Thus, we argue\nthat professional competence in today�s global business environment involves\ncommunication knowhow as an integral element of business knowhow. Further,\nin an international context, competence in BELF is a necessity.
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