A Study on International Communication in Regional Organizations: The Use of English as the “Official” Language of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Abstract

This paper examines the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a regional organization from the viewpoint of how international communication works inside multilingual international organizations, and how people could establish a common voice in such settings. Unlike other organizations such as the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) in which a variety of official languages are stipulated, ASEAN has used English as the only working language since its foundation. This paper aims at investigating why English became the adopted language and why ASEAN has been able to operate using only one language in a region of prominent linguistic diversity.

There has been, however, no official statement or transcript of discussion in ASEAN documents that indicates the acceptance of English as the official language. Based on interviews with ASEAN personnel and other interested parties, seven main factors have been identified in the responses to the aim of this paper. In addition, there is a tacit understanding in the use of English which contributes to the “ASEAN-ness” or the nature of ASEAN.