Is there ELF in ELT coursebooks?

The increasing use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) calls for substantial changes in the English Language Teaching (ELT) pedagogy both in Italy and elsewhere. This chapter illustrates an ongoing research project aimed to explore the dynamics of ELF discourse in the educational domain, and ultimately, to devise guidelines for developing cognitive-experiential practices that enhance ELF communicative competence in ELT classrooms. The study investigates ELF communicative strategies through naturally occurring discussions in which school-age learners – ELF users – talk about a challenging topic under unconstrained conditions, namely without the supervision of their English teacher and without English as a Native Language (ENL) requirements. This experimental activity was performed by observing and audio recording natural spoken ELF interactions among Italian students and students of ten different nationalities participating in intercultural exchange programmes in three upper-secondary schools. The qualitative data analysis is conducted within a conversation analytic framework by means of a protocol based on conversational moves. It focuses on the cooperative practices that school-age ELF users enact to achieve effective communication. The analysis reveals that participants (i) generally orient to their interlocutors, employing pragmatic strategies that are commonly used in ELF communication, and (ii) implement languaging and interactional skills that show their authentic involvement in the spoken activity as it was designed. These findings demonstrate that school-age ELF users put into play their language resources, but also themselves as individuals with their own identity, cultural background and experiences. The results of this study may be translated into teaching practices that enhance ELF-mediated communication, promoting language and intercultural awareness

During the first decade of a new millennium, interest in English as a lingua franca (ELF) increased dramatically. Therefore a lot of research has been done at a range of linguistic levels, such as lexis, grammar, pronunciation and pragmatics as well as on the morpho-syntactic properties of ELF interactions and the communi-cation strategies used by ELF speakers in order to facilitate communication and avoid misunderstandings. This has also been reflected in the approaches and attitudes towards English as a lingua franca in English Language Teaching. That is why we might need to rethink not only how English is taught, but also which kind or variety of English. We should take into account a wide range of global trends and the current transformations that English is undergoing. In this article we pay attention to the definitions and features of ELF. We also deal with the reasons why English has become a global language. We concentrate on the global nature of English, the process of globalization, and the results of various empirical research which have raised profound questions about current principle and practice in English language teaching. According to the pedagogic implications of ELF, it is necessary to take into account the key areas in particular: the nature of the language syllabus, teaching materials, approaches and methods, language assessment and the knowledge base of language teachers. Apart from this, we would like to highlight that the main aim of this article is to demonstrate the communicative advantages of an ELF approach and to raise awareness of ELF among teachers.

As English has developed into a global language, comprehensive suggestions have been made for the integration of World Englishes (WE) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) into language education. However, such suggestions have often encountered considerable resistance, in part due to the complexities in the formation of language teacher identity. In this paper, the authors employ a duoethnographic research method to explore how their encounters with WE and ELF have impacted their identities as a “native speaker” and a “non-native speaker” teacher of English. Through comparisons between their life histories, they demonstrate how their experience with WE and ELF have led to feelings of newfound legitimacy, and lingering incompleteness. The paper argues in order for the promotion of WE/ELF to be successful, more focus needs to be paid to the identity work required of teachers so that they can successfully and sensitively form a new conception of language teaching.

This is a qualitative study of nonnative English speakers who speak English as a lingua franca (ELF) in their graduate student dormitory in the United States, a community of practice (Wegner, 2004) comprised almost entirely of second language users. Using a sequential analysis (Koshik, 2002; Markee, 2000; Sacks, Schegloff, & Jefferson, 1974; Schegloff, Koshik, Jacoby, & Olsher, 2002), the study investigates how these ELF speakers successfully manage their intercultural communication through accommodation strategies (e.g., Jenkins, 2000, 2006) used to address differences in pronunciation and familiarity with a range of ELF speech styles. Drawing on my own experience as a member of this community, I investigate how speakers display equality and legitimacy as English language users in the ELF community in face‐to‐face interactions when they negotiate understanding in spite of their different accents. ELF speakers exhibit a wide variety of pronunciations as a result of first language cross‐linguistic influence, and those phonological differences may hamper intercultural communication, more than any other linguistic feature. For this reason, I have chosen to focus on phonological issues for this study. I argue that sequential analysis of the interactions among speakers of English as a lingua franca may provide useful examples of successful communication among these groups. Data from such analysis should be included in English language teaching as a model of successful interaction strategies directed toward students who will face these situations. The analysis of this ELF data will also be useful as a model for the study of other languages that are often used as lingua francas.

Reviewed by: English in the world: Global rules, global roles Madia Thomson Rani RubdyMario Saraceni (eds.) 2006. English in the world: Global rules, global roles. London/New York: Continuum. Pp. vi + 218. US $70.00 (softcover). From its origins amongst the people of the British Isles to its rise as a language of international trade, English has shown a remarkable adaptability. Its current form—its usages and vocabulary—reflect the diversity of cultures and peoples who either colonized or were colonized by these ubiquitous Britons. There seems, therefore, little need to question its place as an international language. Yet, it is this very question that guides much of the discussion in Rani Rubdy and Mario Saraceni’s edited volume, English in the world: Global rules, global roles. The book consists of a series of articles collected from some of the leading thinkers in the field of English as a Second Language. Their interests as writers and the purpose of the book are quite clear: to understand English as a global phenomenon and consider what it means for language teaching. The book has two sections appropriately titled “Conceptualizing English as an international language” (Part I) and “Pedagogical implications of English as an international language (Part II). Part I examines theories of global English, referred to alternately as English as an International Language (EIL), English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), or simply World English. One sees a priori no apparent complication of ideas and it is only after reading an introduction that actually inverts the order of the section themes that one begins to see what the difficulties are and where they might lie. The underlying assumption of many of the authors—that English as it is already known and [End Page 119] taught is somehow inappropriate to its role as an international language—is not the least of these difficulties. The remainder of this review discusses this conceptual complication, and then focuses on the chapters that seem to offer a better sense of what the editors might have had in mind when planning the book. The book begins with a brief discussion of an interview with World English specialist Tom McArthur. After explaining how he came to his field—while living and teaching in India—Tom McArthur comments that non-native English speakers’ unwillingness “to break the rules” prevents them from being creative with the language (p. 22). Using a rather bad example, he goes on to say that creativity and the fear of it is one of the more pressing issues for the field. The idea itself is sound; fear of making mistakes is a common problem. It does, however, raise the question of what rules are to be considered here? McArthur does not offer any real answers to this question. Subsequent discussion about standardizing English as an international language, that is, finding rules that serve as a guide to all speakers of English who might want to speak to one another, do little to resolve the problem. In fact, the issue itself remains fuzzy for the rest of Part I, with various contributors saying what they want to do without always writing about what they actually do. One exception to this position is Luke Prodromou’s article “Defining the ‘Successful Bilingual Speaker’ of English.” Prodromou begins by situating his discussion of ELF in the context of bilingualism; in doing so, he gives the reader a particular context in which to consider his proposals (pp. 53–54). Not only does he suggest ways of evaluating the successful bilingual, but also does he mention his concern, as do other authors in Part I, about the use of native-speaker speech as a model for non-native speakers of English. He then leaves the realm of the general to present an example of a real project designed to address the problem of ELF standardization, the Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English (VOICE) and the work of one of its vocal proponents, Barbara Seidlhofer (p. 55). In this way, the concepts suggested in the title of Part I are examined in the context of a real world project that they generated. Not only do we know that there is a problem with establishing...

This contribution aims at presenting the underlying construct and the research design of a study carried out by the Roma Tre University unit of a 3-year national research project (PRIN), as well as the findings about English language (EL) teachers’ attitudes towards English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) as they emerge from the study and from the in-service teacher education course designed and implemented during the project. The study investigated native and non-native teachers’ understandings, beliefs and attitudes towards ELF and the challenges brought about by the notion of ELF awareness in English Language Teaching (ELT). This investigation was carried out through the online administration of two questionnaires, one for Italian non-native teachers of English teaching in the Italian school system, and one for native English language assistants working at university level. The survey findings informed the design of a post-graduate blended EL teacher education course, with a special focus on developing English language teachers’ awareness of the emerging realities of English, while providing an ELF-aware reflective approach to revisit the EL teachers’ syllabus design, lesson planning and implementation. Course participants’ feedback is presented and pedagogical implications for EL teacher education are illustrated and discussed.

English as an international language (EIL) is considered by applied linguists to be a new paradigm for research, practice and English language teaching (ELT). However, it appears that English language teachers have little voice in these discussions, and the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom has remained largely unaffected by EIL, hinging upon the native speaker (NS) ideal. This is hardly surprising as insufficient attention has been devoted to EIL pedagogy, and to helping teachers integrate theoretical understandings of EIL into their teaching. This paper aims to address this gap by examining EFL teachers’ (non-native speakers - NNS) perspectives on the implications of EIL for classroom practice. Through an analysis of data gathered from an online questionnaire and 10 semi- structured interviews, this study examined the attitudes of 53 EFL teachers working in Croatian public schools towards: a) the EIL paradigm, b) NS/NNS models in ELT, and c) the implications of EIL for language teaching. The findings show that although the teachers are familiar with and open to the notion of EIL, when conceptualized as a paradigm for teaching, it becomes a rather elusive concept, and a second best NNS English. Overall, the teachers are largely unaware of the potential of EIL for ELT, and rely on the NS as the benchmark and authority. They maintain that the EIL theory-ELT practice link is complex and difficult to operationalise. It is argued that, if EIL is to become a new paradigm for teaching, greater collaboration is required between applied linguists and ELF teachers, and explicit guidelines are needed to help teachers integrate EIL into ELT.

Speakers of English as a lingua franca (ELF) represent the largest contemporary group of English users around the world. Much empirical research into the phenomenon of ELF over the past 10 years or so has focused on identifying the linguistic regularities of their English in diverse contexts of use. More recently, research has demonstrated the extent to which ELF is characterized by extensive online variability, with speakers accommodating their English to an extent not found in other language use, so as to make it appropriate to the interaction in hand and the diverse interlocutors involved.The acknowledged variability of ELF has resulted in a dilemma for English language teaching and assessment. That is, grammatical and pragmatic norms conventionally associated with an idealized “standard” version of the native language no longer seem appropriate as benchmarks, because the majority of ELF use takes place among non‐native English speakers. English language assessment thus needs to develop new benchmarks that are able to evaluate the degree to which ELF users’ English is fit for purpose.This chapter begins by discussing ELF from the perspective of teaching and learning, and, in doing so, dispels the myth that ELF eschews any kind of standards. It goes on to explore the notion of “standard” English and the extent to which it is grounded in language ideology rather than appropriate use of language in context, as well as the ways in which this ideology is being reinforced by the powerful transnational English language testing enterprises and, in turn, diverting attention from the changes needed in English language teaching. Finally, taking note of work in the field of critical language assessment and paying attention to empirical findings regarding ELF‐mediated communication, the factors that need to be taken into account in order to enrich the agenda for future developments are considered.

This study sought to investigate the impact of world Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF) research on Hong Kong's ELT curricula and textbooks over the past four decades in three areas: (1) language standards, norms and models; (2) language and intercultural awareness; and (3) strategies for international communication. Based on qualitative and quantitative content analysis, the findings suggest that WE/ELF research has influenced Hong Kong's English language education mainly by accommodating to the changing role of English (from a colonial to international language) and the evolving language use contexts, but there has been little engagement with the pluricentric view of language varieties and variation. The paper offers suggestions to initiate changes that could better accommodate WE/ELF research in the gradual ELT development.

The English language functions as a global language that facilitates communication among people of different lingua-cultures. This background leads to the question of whether the traditional language assessment still fulfils the needs of the majority of language learners who will use English for various purposes with people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This article illustrates the development and spread of the English language by focusing on two key paradigms: World Englishes (WE) and English as a lingua franca (ELF). This article argues that a native-oriented means of English pedagogy and assessment does not fit the current functions of the language and cannot meet the various and complex needs of the majority of English language learners. It therefore emphasizes the importance of an ELF-informed approach, such as the ‘post-method’ approach to English language teaching and more flexible language assessment focusing on students’ performance of tasks. The article concludes that English language teaching and assessment need to be more informed by ELF than by the entrenched, anachronistic native-oriented ideology.

In academic research on intercultural communication (IC), students’ perceptions and experiences regarding English as a lingua franca (ELF) have been central to the discussion because they form the basis for English teaching policies and practices in multilingual and multicultural environments. Substantial theoretical research on ELF has called for a paradigm shift from emphasizing the over-simplistic correlation between language and Anglophone cultures to recognizing the legitimacy of non-native English learners’ home culture in English teaching pedagogy. Nonetheless, little empirical research has been conducted to examine how ELF speakers understand their home culture in ELF communications. Relatively fewer studies have investigated to what extent ELF users’ perceptions of home culture influence their IC practices. To address these gaps, this study aims to explore Chinese international students in a liberal arts university in the United Kingdom and their understanding of Chinese culture in authentic ELF interactions. In addition, the perceived effects of Chinese culture on students’ IC were explored in great depth. This study adopts a mixed-method approach, including a student questionnaire (N = 200) and follow-up semi-structured interviews (N = 10). Following descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of the obtained data, the findings revealed that most participants lacked a thorough understanding of their home culture, while they considered home culture playing a significant role in ELF communications. The contribution of this study builds on work in English users’ awareness of home culture in IC to identify the significance of enabling the presence of English learners’ home culture in English language teaching (ELT) classrooms.

This article examines certain aspects of the debate surrounding English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). It argues that in some ways, neither ELF nor its opponents have come to terms with the complexities of English in a globalized world. By defining ELF according to how it differs from native-speaker language use, ELF researchers have tended to essentialize and exaggerate these differences, creating a false dichotomy between �ELF� and �non-ELF�. At the same time, the conservatism of language teaching and testing in many parts of the world also suggests that there is further scope for an enhanced awareness of language variation. A desirable outcome of the debate would be the realization that all language use�whether by native or non-native speakers�is variable, emergent, contextual, and subject to hybridity and change.

Please fill up the following information accurately. (Please use Times New Roman, 12 pt. Views of university instructors and students on English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WES) The rapid proliferation of English as a medium of communication has sparked large-scale debate on the role of English and the terminology in order to define various concepts, such as ELF, WE, EIL, etc. The paradigms of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and World Englishes (WEs) are sometimes considered to be confusing to differentiate between, and in addition these terms are often used interchangeably. In order to obtain the perceptions of the instructors and students towards ELF and WEs, a questionnaire was implemented in a state university. The questionnaire consisted of both close-ended and open-ended questions and the research encompasses qualitative and quantitative data. The participants were 44 English Instructors and 104 students of the English Language and Literature Department. The instructors of English ranged in age between 23 to 51 and the students were aged 18 to 25. The total number of participants was 148. Information about Author(s)* Author 1 Author (Last name, First name) Tosuncuoğlu, İrfan Affiliated institution (University) Karabük University Country Turkey Email address irtosun@yahoo.comDepartment & Rank Corresponding author (Yes/No) Write only one corresponding author. No Author 2 Author (Last name, First name) Kırmızı, Özkan Affiliated institution (University) Karabük University Country Turkey Email address ozkankirmizi@gmail.com Department & Rank Corresponding author (Yes/No) Yes Author 3 Author (Last name, First name) Affiliated institution (University) Country Email address Department & Rank Corresponding author (Yes/No) Author 4 Author (Last name, First name) Affiliated institution (University) Country Email address Department & Rank Corresponding author (Yes/No)

Single case analyses of two overlap sequences in casual ELF conversations from a multimodal perspective: Toward the consideration of mutual benefits of ELF and CA

Through this paper, and the various points that have been discussed, it is evident that the ELF awareness is a basic framework which could be used to interpret the beliefs, attitudes, and perspectives of stakeholders. Also, hopefully, this study should influence the principles by which learning activities and classroom practices are implemented. The paper argues that core considerations must be taken into cognizance, as reviewed below, in the perspective of raising ELF awareness while reviewing the place of including ELF awareness concerns and ideas into current curriculum designing and development in order to aid broader application and for maximal impact on the principles and practices that govern ELT within a globally integrative perspective. Keywords: Curriculum, ELF awareness, ELT, principles and practices, stakeholders. DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-29-04 Publication date :October 31 st 2019