Using English As A Lingua Franca In Education In Europe

This volume examines the role of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in education in Europe. Following the implementation of the Bologna process, English has assumed a central role in European education offering institutions the opportunity to cater to the needs of an internationalized student body and increase their competitiveness. On the other hand, the increased use of ELF has become an issue of concern, often perceived as a threat to other languages, tilting the scale towards linguistic inequality and stressing the urgent need for the development of new language policies. Both aspects of ELF are at the center of discussion in the proposed volume, which consists of a variety of papers examining ELF in different parts of Europe (Eastern, Central and Western) and different levels of education. The volume makes a substantial contribution to the lively and controversial debate about what is recognized as a central topical concern of language education policy in Europe and beyond.

With English-medium higher education burgeoning in Europe and elsewhere outside the English-speaking world, this book is the first to offer an ethnographically-embedded analysis of such classroom discourse by taking cognizance of English functioning as a lingua franca (ELF) in international student groups. By virtue of investigating one such educational programme in its entirety, the study also enlarges the present knowledge on ELF discourse as it offers novel insights into the interactional dynamics that shape and develop an educational community of practice.

This volume discusses several facets of English in today's multilingual Europe. It emphasizes the interdependence between cultures, languages and situations that influence its use. This interdependence is particularly relevant to European settings where English is being learned as a second language. Such learning situations constitute the core focus of the book. The volume is unique in bringing together empirical studies examining factors that promote the learning of English in Europe. Rather than assuming that English is a threat to linguistic diversity and cultural independence, these studies discuss psycholinguistic factors such as the input, and sociolinguistic factors such as the type of English that is targeted in learning. The contributing authors are well-established specialists who have worked on multilingualism, English as a Lingua Franca and second language acquisition. The book will be of interest to applied linguists, sociolinguists and teachers of English as a foreign language.

This volume examines the role of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in education in Europe. Following the implementation of the Bologna process, English has assumed a central role in European education offering institutions the opportunity to cater to the needs of an internationalized student body and increase their competitiveness. On the other hand, the increased use of ELF has become an issue of concern, often perceived as a threat to other languages, tilting the scale towards linguistic inequality and stressing the urgent need for the development of new language policies. Both aspects of ELF are at the center of discussion in the proposed volume, which consists of a variety of papers examining ELF in different parts of Europe (Eastern, Central and Western) and different levels of education. The volume makes a substantial contribution to the lively and controversial debate about what is recognized as a central topical concern of language education policy in Europe and beyond.

This is a timely book on one of the most widely debated issues in applied linguistics: what is the social and cultural significance of English as a lingua franca for the internationally mobile students of the 21st century in Central Europe? Through an in-depth analysis of social practices, the book develops an exciting, innovative multilingual approach to out-of-class language use and language learning that engages students in the co-construction of identities. Apart from scholars, the book will appeal to policy makers and educators who are concerned with the internationalization of universities in Central Europe.

This volume complements earlier work on English as a lingua franca (ELF) by providing an in-depth study of the phenomenon from a decidedly European perspective. Distancing itself from more traditional approaches to the study of English in Europe (linguistic imperialism and “Euro-English”), the study is theoretically grounded in more recent approaches, namely the ELF paradigm and the postmodernist conceptualisation of “English”. Methodologically speaking, the study analyses language use in Eurovision Song Contest press conferences as a community of practice of European salience. The ethnographically based analyses focus on various linguistic levels, thereby producing a comprehensive picture of European ELF as a discursive formation. Various qualitative and quantitative methods are used to shed light on the following aspects: code-choice practices in ELF talk, participants’ metalinguistic comments on the use of ELF, complimenting behaviour via ELF and relativisation patterns. On the basis of this data, the concluding section advances discussions revolving around the conceptualisation of ELF in general, the connection between ELF and Europeanness, and implications for European language policies.

The aim of this edited volume is to examine how current theories and principles underlying English as a Lingua Franca studies contribute to research on present pedagogical practices in ELF contexts. The book provides useful insights into pedagogical practices in different ELF settings and knowledge on the pedagogy-policy relationship in terms of ELF.

This book deals with the spread of English as an academic language in Europe and in particular its use as a language of teaching. First, it depicts the historical development of the rise of English in academia in the course of the 20th century. Then it focuses on its more recently acquired function as an additional language of teaching at university level. This comprehensive survey of European countries, but mainly the present and future member countries of the European Union, shows to what extent English has made inroads as a language of university teaching, but it also provides figures on French and German and occasionally other languages in the teaching function. An in-depth study into the new International Study Programs in Germany reveals both. Contents: History of the rise of English as the dominant language of science - Comprehensive Survey of the use of English and other languages of university teaching in non-Anglophone European Countries - In-depth investigation of the new international study programs in Germany - Problems and trends in the use of English and other languages of university teaching.