English as a lingua franca? The limits of everyday English-language communication in Polish academia

2022 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 3-16
Author(s):  
Kamil Luczaj ◽  
Iwona Leonowicz-Bukala ◽  
Olga Kurek-Ochmanska
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language Communication

scholarly journals Pressure to Publish Internationally: Scholarly Writing Coming to the Fore

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-7
Author(s):  
Lilia Raitskaya ◽  
Elena Tikhonova
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Community ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Language ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Scholarly Writing ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language Communication ◽  
Language And Education ◽  
English As Lingua Franca ◽  
International English

JLE editors touch upon the trends and challenges arising out of the changing landscape of scholarly communication as well as two sets of major problems non-Anglophone researchers face in publishing their research in international English-language journals. Firstly, if not desk rejected, they encounter continuous revisions of their submissions to such journals. Secondly, English as lingua franca of international scholarly communication may lead to some disengagement of national scholarly elites who essentially publish in English and to a wider national scientific community decoupled from English and limited to their native language communication. Given the challenges, the editorial offers a refined and widened JLE scope regarding language- and education-related issues of scholarly written communication.

Exploring Foreign Language Communication Apprehension among the English Language University Students in the English Language Classroom Setting

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-39
Author(s):  
Draženka Molnar ◽  
Gabrijela Crnjak
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communication Apprehension ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
General View ◽  
Total Level ◽  
Foreign Language Acquisition ◽  
The Social ◽  
Language Classroom ◽  
Language Communication

Abstract Over the past few decades the interest in communication apprehension has increased among researchers and teachers in the field of second/foreign language acquisition (SLA/FLA).The present paper is set between the macro perspective of the social-psychological period - by giving a general view of communication apprehension (CA) - and the situation-specific period - by taking into consideration the immediate educational context.The paper focuses on the phenomenon of communication apprehension among the Croatian university level students in a foreign language classroom setting.In particular, it investigates if there is a difference in the total level of communication apprehension between undergraduate and graduate students of English Language and Literature.Furthermore, it explores whether there is a relationship between different aspects of communication apprehension and the total level of communication apprehension and which background factor is the best predictor of communication apprehension among the students.The first part of the paper brings a theoretical background of the main concepts in this research, whereas the second part of the paper reports on the research itself.Two sets of instruments, questionnaires completed by the students and in-depth interviews conducted among the teachers, were used for the purpose of this study.The results show that the year of study is not a significant predictor of the communication apprehension level which students experience.Among all variables included in the analysis, the only significant predictors of communication apprehension are evaluations.

scholarly journals Intelligibility in English as a lingua franca – The interpreters’ perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-193
Author(s):  
Karin Reithofer
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Background Knowledge ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Specialist Knowledge ◽  
Written Questions ◽  
Subordinate Role

AbstractThis article aims at examining the topic of ELF intelligibility from the interpreters’ perspective. Therefore, the focus is put on listener factors affecting intelligibility in settings typical for interpreting i.e. monologic settings. Data from various intelligibility studies are compared with results from a study that tested an ELF user’s intelligibility in a conference-like ELF setting and examined the influence of listener variables such as background knowledge, familiarity with ELF use or proficiency in English. In this study, an Italian speaker gave an impromptu speech in English to participants who subsequently were asked to answer written questions on the topic. The results showed that listeners with more experience in ELF settings reached the highest score in the test, while participants with specialist knowledge were unable to profit from it. The participants’ English language skills played a rather subordinate role. The findings of this study may prove useful for considerations in interpreter training and can contribute to the development of concrete, evidence-based training methods for interpreters in the interpreting sub-skill of comprehension.

scholarly journals Culture and complexity through English as a lingua franca: rethinking competences and pedagogy in ELT

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Will Baker
Keyword(s):  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Language Pedagogy ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Meaningful Category

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.

The importance of language and culture to the growing Sino-Caribbean commercial relationship

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Zamor ◽  
Alicia D. Nicholls ◽  
Albert Christopher Lee
Keyword(s):  
Chinese Culture ◽  
English Language ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Linguistic Understanding ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The 19Th Century

Language and culture play a critical role in international commercial relations. Since the 19th century, the English language has undeniably held the prominent position as the global lingua franca to facilitate communication between nations. However, China’s contemporary re-emergence as an economic superpower has expanded its global influence. Consequently, awareness of Chinese culture and language is becoming important not only globally, but also in the Caribbean, where China’s economic footprint has expanded considerably in recent years. This article conceptually explores the important role of language and culture within the growing Sino-Caribbean commercial relationship. Specifically, it discusses the potential impact of language on the trade and tourism sectors, which are two key industries that drive the economies of English-speaking Caribbean small island developing states. It does this by charting the development of the English and Chinese languages as dominant languages. It then briefly looks at the current level of Chinese engagement with the region in trade and, more contemporarily, the potential of greater Chinese tourism in the Caribbean. It discusses the value of deeper cultural and linguistic understanding in nurturing and expanding these relationships. Finally, the article concludes by providing meaningful recommendations on ways to mitigate cultural and linguistic barriers in order to promote deeper Sino-Caribbean trade and tourism.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Language and culture are two important factors in commercial relationships, especially trade and tourism.</li><br /><li>This article adds to the growing literature on budding Sino-Caribbean relations by exploring the importance of linguistic and cultural understanding to nurturing this relationship.</li><br /><li>It argues that Caribbean countries cannot take for granted that English will always be the lingua franca for Chinese-Caribbean relations given China’s expanding global footprint.</li><br /><li>The article makes recommendations on ways to mitigate linguistic and cultural barriers in order to deepen Sino-Caribbean commercial ties.</li></ul>

scholarly journals English as a Lingua Franca: Lessons for language and mobility

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Sung-Yul Park ◽  
Lionel Wee
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Considerable Difficulty ◽  
Core Set ◽  
Linguistic Backgrounds

Greater mobility of people in the globalising world foregrounds the inherent problemsof an ideology of language as a bounded entity and the unequal relations of powerthat shape experiences of mobility. In this paper, we consider how these problems canbe interrelated in research on language and mobility through a critical evaluation ofcurrent research on English as a lingua franca (ELF), particularly what we refer to asthe ‘ELF research project’, exemplified by the work of Jenkins and Seidlhofer. TheELF project aims at a non-hegemonic alternative to English language teaching byidentifying a core set of linguistic variables that can facilitate communication betweenspeakers of different linguistic backgrounds. We provide a critical examination ofthe project by problematising its narrow conceptualisation of communication asinformation transfer and its inability to address the prejudices that speakers may stillencounter because they speak the language ‘differently’. In our discussion, we arguethat investigation of language in the context of mobility requires serious rethinkingon the level of both theory and political stancetaking: a theory of language that doesnot take account of the fluid, dynamic, and practice-based nature of language willhave considerable difficulty in proposing a cogent critique of social inequalities thatpermeate the lives of people on the move.

scholarly journals English as a Lingua Franca Approach: Implications and Limitations in Saudi English as a Foreign Language Classrooms

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 96-104
Author(s):  
Samar Alharbi
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
English As Foreign Language ◽  
The World ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Native Speakers Of English ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms ◽  
Global Language

English language considers a global language spoken by a majority of people around the world. It is a language used mainly for communication, trades and study purposes. This widespread of English language being wildly spoken lead to different varieties of English as a lingua franca (ELF) means that non native speakers of English still be able to communicate with each other. Using ELF as a legitimate variety of English in language classrooms is questioned by some researchers. This paper will provide an overview of the concept of ELF. It will also present implications and limitations of using ELF in Saudi English as foreign language classrooms.

scholarly journals “If English Was Good Enough for Jesus, It’s Good Enough for Me”

Paideusis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34
Author(s):  
Peter Kovacs
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
English Language ◽  
Endangered Languages ◽  
Teaching English ◽  
World War ◽  
Philosophical Discussion ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
The World ◽  
Harmful Effects

Since the end of World War II, English has become the virtual lingua franca of the planet. However, this development carries significant ethical and educational questions: What are the consequences of the worldwide dominance of the English language? How has it affected and how will it affect the fortunes of other languages? What can and should we as educators to do to minimize or eliminate the harmful effects on some of the endangered languages of the world? This paper will invite educators into a philosophical discussion of the ethical complexities of teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language.

scholarly journals Linguistic Impediments of Communicative Proficiency: A Case Study of Students in the CSHS, Shaqra University, Thadiq, KSA

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Hatim Hassan Tawfiq ◽  
Abdelshafie Alrayeh Abdelshafie
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Teaching Strategies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Communicative Competence ◽  
Linguistic Barriers ◽  
Language Communication

This paper examines the linguistic barriers that impede English language communicative proficiency of the students of English language in the college of sciences and humanity studies, Thadiq, Shaqra University, Saudi Arabia. The paper gives the specific linguistic problems that detain attaining a perfect English language communicative competence. The paper also examines the teaching strategies that help students reach competency in oral skill. It concludes with some suggestions that help students to achieve a higher proficiency in English language communication.&nbsp;

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