A corpus-assisted comparative genre analysis of corporate earnings calls between Korean and native-English speakers

• We investigated the structural and linguistic specificity of Korean earnings calls.
• The structural analysis shows Koreans’ low-level genre awareness of earnings calls.
• Koreans have limited linguistic and pragmatic competence in business English.
• It is important to promote learner awareness of genre specificity in ESP pedagogy.

This study explores the value of earnings call transcripts as authentic resources for the investigation of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in an international corporate context. Earnings calls are a company’s periodic reporting of financial results through teleconferencing with prospective investors or potential business partners. As English has emerged as the lingua franca of international business, corporate earnings calls would seem to be a natural arena for the study of the fluency of business English among non-native speakers. In this study, the authors argue for the pedagogical benefits of comparing the macro-textual and micro-textual distinctiveness of Korean participants’ use of English during earnings calls relative to their native English-speaking counterparts. The findings suggest that Koreans have low-level genre awareness of earnings calls, which causes confusion or misunderstanding for native English-speaking participants during the calls. This study highlights the importance of promoting awareness of professional genre specificity in teaching business English, which may lead to improved communication between personnel of international corporations.