English is undoubtedly the lingua franca of global communication today, and plays a major role in the internationalisation of universities, where it is increasingly being used as the medium of instruction. The use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in higher education has spread at different speeds throughout Europe over recent decades, with Nordic and central-western countries leading the way and the regions of southern Europe lagging behind. In Italy, English-taught programmes are a rather new and emerging phenomenon which needs to be empirically investigated to uncover the complex mechanisms of classroom interaction in this foreign language. The present volume focuses on one aspect of ELF academic exchanges that is deemed crucial in the transmission of knowledge in the educational setting, namely the management of interpersonal relations and the expression of interpersonal stance in the classroom. To this end, a model has been developed along the four dimensions of formality, power, social distance and respect, and has been applied to the analysis of a corpus of ELF lectures recorded in an Italian university. The examination of naturally occurring ELF lectures reveals a complex combination of linguistic strategies that lecturers exploit at the macro-level of discourse (interpersonal episodes) and at the micro-level of lexis and morpho-syntax (direct questions, comprehension checks, imperatives, personal pronouns, and terms of address) to express interpersonal meanings and build rapport with their students, in response to specific expressive and communicative requirements brought about by ELF academic interaction.

The global spread of English has resulted in contact with an enormous variety of different languages worldwide, leading to the creation of many new varieties of English. This book takes an original look at what happens when speakers of these different varieties interact with one another.

In this book, Jennifer Jenkins, one of the leading proponents of English as a Lingua Franca, explores current academic English language policy in higher education around the world. Universities around the world are increasingly presenting themselves as "international" but their English language policies do not necessarily reflect this, even as the diversity of their student bodies grows. While there have been a number of attempts to explore the implications of this diversity from a cultural perspective, little has been said from the linguistic point of view, and in particular, about the implications for what kind(s) of English are appropriate for English lingua franca communication in international higher education. Throughout the book Jenkins considers the policies of English language universities in terms of the language attitudes and ideologies of university management and staff globally, and of international students in a UK setting. The book concludes by considering the implications for current policies and practices, and what is needed in order for universities to bring themselves in line linguistically with the international status they claim. English as a Lingua Franca in the International University is an essential read for researchers and postgraduate students working in the areas of Global Englishes, English as a Lingua Franca and English for Academic Purposes.

This edited volume brings together researchers and practitioners who work in various linguistic frameworks and EAP contexts, with contributions from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, UAE, the UK, Ukraine and the USA. It extends existing linguistic research further by applying theories and approaches and by investigating genres that have received little attention in EAP so far, such as Complex Dynamic Systems Theory, Grice's Cooperative Principle and the article comments and university seminar genres, amongst others. The volume provides linguistic description of both student and expert genres and provides clear pedagogical implications, in the form of teaching recommendations, suggested teaching activities, evaluation of teaching materials or a practical methodological approach. Overall, by focusing on new areas of linguistic research in EAP, the volume enhances teaching practice and inspires further research and scholarship.

This book investigates the cultural and intercultural aspects of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Authors discuss how ‘culture’ and the ‘intercultural’ can be understood, theorised and operationalised in ELF, and how the concepts can be integrated into formats of ELF-oriented learning and teaching. The various cultural connotations are also discussed (ideological, political, religious and historical) and whether it is possible to use and/or teach a lingua franca as if it were culturally neutral. The chapters consider the communication and pedagogical implications of the cultural and intercultural dimensions of ELF and offer suggestions for new directions in ELF research, pedagogy and curriculum development.

This book presents state-of-the-art research into English-medium instruction (EMI) in European higher education over the last 20 years, offering a comprehensive comparative analysis toward identifying gaps in our understanding of relevant theories, research, and practice. Molino, Dimova, Kling, and Larsen argue for the need to take stock of the progression of EMI research in European higher education in order to consolidate scholarship and better inform EMI implementation in new contexts. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of EMI implementation, including policies, attitudes, language use, assessment, training, learning outcomes, identity, and intercultural communication across five different countries: Denmark, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. The book brings together the authors' collective work on an annotated database of over 200 resources, featuring a range of publications of varying format, type, and language, as well as information on relevant research questions, methodologies, and findings. This detailed approach allows in-depth discussions on the most widely researched areas in EMI as well as those under-explored toward outlining a way forward for future research in both the European higher education context and on a global scale. This book will be key reading for scholars working in English-medium instruction, world Englishes, English as an international language, English as a lingua franca, and applied linguistics.

A sweeping account of the global rise of English and the high-stakes politics of languageSpoken by a quarter of the world's population, English is today's lingua franca- - its common tongue. The language of business, popular media, and international politics, English has become commodified for its economic value and increasingly detached from any particular nation. This meteoric "riseof English" has many obvious benefits to communication. Tourists can travel abroad with greater ease. Political leaders can directly engage their counterparts. Researchers can collaborate with foreign colleagues. Business interests can flourish in the global economy.But the rise of English has very real downsides as well. In Europe, imperatives of political integration and job mobility compete with pride in national language and heritage. In the United States and England, English isolates us from the cultural and economic benefits of speaking other languages.And in countries like India, South Africa, Morocco, and Rwanda, it has stratified society along lines of English proficiency.In The Rise of English, Rosemary Salomone offers a commanding view of the unprecedented spread of English and the far-reaching effects it has on global and local politics, economics, media, education, and business. From the inner workings of the European Union to linguistic battles over influence inAfrica, Salomone draws on a wealth of research to tell the complex story of English - and, ultimately, to argue for English not as a force for domination but as a core component of multilingualism and the transcendence of linguistic and cultural borders.