The Impact of English as a Global Lingua Franca on Intercultural Communication

Author(s):  
Juliane HOUSE
Author(s):  
Will Baker

AbstractEnglish as a lingua franca (ELF) research highlights the complexity and fluidity of culture in intercultural communication through English. ELF users draw on, construct, and move between global, national, and local orientations towards cultural characterisations. Thus, the relationship between language and culture is best approached as situated and emergent. However, this has challenged previous representations of culture, particularly those centred predominantly on nation states, which are prevalent in English language teaching (ELT) practices and the associated conceptions of communicative and intercultural communicative competence. Two key questions which are then brought to the fore are: how are we to best understand such multifarious characterisations of culture in intercultural communication through ELF and what implications, if any, does this have for ELT and the teaching of culture in language teaching? In relation to the first question, this paper will discuss how complexity theory offers a framework for understanding culture as a constantly changing but nonetheless meaningful category in ELF research, whilst avoiding essentialism and reductionism. This underpins the response to the second question, whereby any formulations of intercultural competence offered as an aim in language pedagogy must also eschew these simplistic and essentialist cultural characterisations. Furthermore, the manner of simplification prevalent in approaches to culture in the ELT language classroom will be critically questioned. It will be argued that such simplification easily leads into essentialist representations of language and culture in ELT and an over representation of “Anglophone cultures.” The paper will conclude with a number of suggestions and examples for how such complex understandings of culture and language through ELF can be meaningfully incorporated into pedagogic practice.


English Today ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Weihong Wang ◽  
Fan (Gabriel) Fang

With the spread of English around the globe, academics increasingly seek to figure out what global English means to the world. Some accept English globalisation as a reality and take it as natural, neutral and beneficial for international and intercultural communication (Crystal, 2003). Some recognise English skills as important linguistic capital and must-have global literacy (Park & Wee, 2012; Tsui & Tollefson, 2007). However, others associate the global expansion of English with linguistic imperialism and the death of indigenous languages (Phillipson, 2009). Some regard globally spread English as native English varieties, particularly American and British English (Modiano, 2001; Trudgill, 1999), others argue for the rise of local varieties of World Englishes (WE) (Bolton, 2005; Kachru, 1986) and the international use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) (Jenkins, 2007; Seidlhofer, 2011). Although these generic interpretations of English have solid arguments from their own perspectives, none is sufficient to elucidate all the ‘complexity of ideological ramifications of the spread of English in [any] particular locality’ (Pan, 2011: 79).


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (65) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Andrew Blair

<span lang="EN-US">‘Competence’ is a contested term, its definition for language learners and teachers challenged by the realities of lingua franca and translingual communication. Similarly, attitudes towards language standards, models, variability and change tend to condition responses to ELF-influenced ideas on pedagogy and teacher education. Educators play a key role facilitating shifts in understanding, enabling teachers to mediate a reconceptualised view of learner/user capability, progress and success inside and outside the classroom. This paper discusses the impact of ELF-aware course content and approach for experienced practitioners, aimed at developing ‘ELF competence’, and reflects on potential future directions.</span>


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 10010
Author(s):  
Silvia Polakova ◽  
Jozef Bruk ◽  
Lenka Môcova

Research background: Twenty-first century’s sees strong globalization trends in which mass media play crucial role in shaping public opinion which might saliently impact intercultural communication on the international level. Purpose of the article: This paper focuses on the representation of the image of Russia and Central and Eastern Europe in the British press and, besides, it sets out the role of stereotyping in intercultural communication. The article writers assume that the stereotypes play pivotal role in image shaping of a country in the media. Above all, the most efficient way to not stereotype is a straightforward communication of the participants alongside with the knowledge of the participant’s background, i. e. cultural knowledge. Drawing on the information from the British press, Russia, Central as well as Eastern Europe appears not solely as a geographical region. On the contrary, despite the fast economic, social and political development, its image abroad is still predominantly negative. Methods: The paper, in conjunction with the cultural linguistics and cognitive approach, reveals the range of metaphorical expressions, in particular cognitive aspect of metaphors used by British journalists, which, in turn form the image of Russia in the British press. Findings & Value added: The paper suggests that the analysis of the image of country in the mass media might apply to the investigation of images of other countries as well as to comparative studies.


Author(s):  
ELISA HATZIDAKI

<p><em>Since the ECSC Treaty signed in Paris in 1951, marking the beginning of the commun destiny of the first international integration organization until the most recent decisions, such as the single currency or the immigration policies, it is a matter of fact that European Union progresses only with harmonious dialogue and joint actions, built on mutual respect of others’ differences. Nowadays, in the </em><em>rapidly changing societies, financial concurrence and geopolitical stakes together with arrogance, or dominance, often outweigh the plurilingual communication, thereby leading to worries about linguistic equality within the Union; hence, the subject of the present stydy. Communication in this polyglottic supranational union should be based on an equal pattern, without what the impact of English as lingua franca<a title="" href="file:///F:/JOURNAL%20BA%20TEIEP%201/PAPER_HATZIDAKI.doc#_ftn1"><strong>[1]</strong></a> may be contested and criticised. This combined with the fact that translations are not fully compatible with the English text, implies that European Union does not always resonate at the same frequencies</em>.</p><div><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div><p><a title="" href="file:///F:/JOURNAL%20BA%20TEIEP%201/PAPER_HATZIDAKI.doc#_ftnref1">[1]</a> http://www.euractiv.fr/section/langues-culture/news/l-anglais-se-confirme-comme-la-lingua-franca-de-l-europe/</p></div></div><div><br clear="all" /><br /></div>


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