The omnipresence of English in Europe has led to numerous discussions about its widespread functions and special status compared to all other European languages. Yet, many of these discussions conceive of Europe as a group of nation states where English is either a first or a foreign language. This chapter seeks to question this well-established distinction by investigating what is in fact the most common use of English in Europe, namely English as a lingua franca (ELF). The chapter suggests a different way of conceptualizing the language in European contexts and provides an updated overview of empirical research into its lingua franca use. Examples of a particular approach to ELF research are provided in the form of two case studies focussing on different aspects of ELF interactions. These studies demonstrate how users of ELF exploit the possibilities intrinsic in the language to achieve their own communicative purposes. Finally, the chapter highlights some future directions for linguistic research and addresses the challenges that the emergence of ELF poses for various areas of applied linguistics.

French was a prestige lingua franca for centuries. Although it is now declining in this role, the French government and French elites have mounted a campaign to promote and defend French in international settings. This chapter examines three basic misconceptions in the arguments advanced in this campaign: (1) The intrinsic qualities of a language are factors in the promotion of a language as a lingua franca; (2) language policy making at national level can affect language practices in international contexts; and (3) language diversity is served by the promotion of another prestige lingua franca. It concludes with a review of some of the pragmatic decisions taken by French nationals to confront the new linguistic situation.

This article explores the current state of German as a European lingua franca. It presents a brief history of German as a lingua franca from the late Middle Ages through the present. The presentation then addresses the number of speakers of German as a first, second, and foreign language and discusses the presence of the language in internationally influential domains such as international political and economic organizations. The chapter concludes with some notes on language perception, language awareness, language loyalty, language policy, and language promotion.

This chapter surveys recent work on Russian as a lingua franca in the territory of the former Soviet Union. This discussion is subdivided into three sections. First, I review recent historiographies and sociolinguistic analyses of russification policies and practices of the Russian empire and the USSR. Then, I review the work on the changes in the status of Russian in the fourteen post-Soviet countries, which display a wide spectrum of approaches: from continuous Russian dominance in Belarus to vigorous derussification in the Baltic countries. I end with an overview of methodological and theoretical challenges facing this area of study and of its contributions to debates on minority language rights, to definitions of postcolonialism and diaspora, and to the study of negotiation and transformation of identities. I also point to productive directions for future research, such as microsociolinguistic studies of regional varieties of Russian, of language choice and use in daily communication, and of intergenerational transmission.

Examining Spanish as a lingua franca (LF) means exploring it within the terrain of its genetic, structural, and historic complexity. Concretely, it means relating processes and outcomes of linguistic change to specific situations of language contact and bilingualism, as well as to the role of Spanish as common vehicle of communication in economic and political contexts. This chapter focuses on recent research in Spanish as a LF, language variation, and contact linguistics. First, it considers situations where multilingual communication problems can appear: for those living in Afro-American settlements; those living in colonized and ethnically diverse territories; those living in border areas or bilingual enclaves; and those involved in transnational migration. Acquisition of Spanish by indigenous people in the context of bilingual intercultural education is also addressed here. Second, it accounts for the linguistic analysis of different forms of Spanish as a LF: spoken as a mother tongue, as a second language, or as hybridized forms. Third, the chapter considers some of the issues related to a theoretical framework for linguistic communication processes involving language contact based on a range of cases, mainly in the Americas. Other issues such as migration, urbanization, and the media are also discussed. This body of research demonstrates that approaching Spanish as a LF leads to a better understanding of the extent to which different historical and contemporary communicative circumstances produce different linguistic results with respect to development of a common medium of communication.

This chapter surveys recent work on the linguistic construction of national identity in the Middle East, against the backdrop of political conflicts of different intensities. It does so by discussing the language situation in Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, and Jordan in so far as these situations involve conflict between Arabic and other languages (French and Hebrew), Arabic and one of its dialectal variants, or different Arabic dialects. The chapter shows the dynamic nature of linguistic identity construction and the variety of modes this construction takes. It highlights the significance of linguistic subtraction as a marker of identity, the relevance of power differentials to language maintenance, and language shift as tropes of identity construction and shows that linguistic boundary setting is as much related to structural forces in society as it is to specific political conflicts that speed up the progress of these forces and their inevitable outcomes.The author wishes to thank the Leverhulme Trust for their Major Research Fellowship which has enabled him to conduct this research.

This discussion provides current perspectives on the use of Chinese as a lingua franca among the Han peoples of greater China. As a national lingua franca, Mandarin Chinese or pŭtōnghuąChinese morpho-syllables intended to be read in pŭtōnghuą or Mandarin are represented in pìnyīn; those which are meant to be read in Cantonese are represented in Jyutping () with two numbers in superscript indicating the tone contour (Fan et al., 1997). is unsurpassed in terms of the number of speakers. It is however not yet widely spoken in many dialect areas of China. This is why the promotion of pŭtōnghuą among dialect speakers continues to be an important part of the language policy and planning of the People's Republic. In Taiwan, as a result of some four decades of hegemonic enforcement of the National Language Movement until 1987, an absolute majority of the Taiwanese can understand and speak Mandarin, but Southern Min continues to be commonly used in the southern parts of the island, partly because for many Taiwanese, language choice is closely bound up with national and ethnolinguistic identity. In the two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong, and Macao, Cantonese continues to serve as a lingua franca among the Chinese there. It is the only dialect which has attained a level of prestige that rivals that of the standard national language, and which has evolved written forms of its own that are commonly used in informal genres of media discourses.

This article examines ideologies surrounding Quechua's use as a lingua franca and contrasts these ideologies with the historical and ethnographic record across pre-Colombian, colonial, and postcolonial times. Drawing from classic and recent research on Quechua sociolinguistics and comparatively on current work in the study of World Englishes and English as a lingua franca, we describe ways in which Quechua possibly served as a lingua franca, but also argue that Quechua's role and potential as lingua franca have often been misunderstood. We illustrate how these misunderstandings are intertwined with some of the myths and ideologies surrounding the Quechua language in particular and lingua francas more generally. Specifically, we argue that Quechua as lingua franca has been neither one stable, standardized variety nor a politically neutral communicative tool. Further, we highlight some of the overlooked ways in which local varieties and local speakers of the lingua franca have responded to, and in some cases resisted, the inequities and ideologies associated with the lingua franca.

Although there are many studies on the new international norms developing to facilitate communication in English as a lingua franca (ELF), there are limited discussions on the ways local values and identities are negotiated. After reviewing the debates on the place of the local in ELF, this chapter goes on to address the new policy challenges for local communities. Then it reviews studies on the ways local values are represented in oral, written, and digital communication. I finally make a case for developing paradigms based on heterogeneity in applied linguistics to accommodate diversity in successful communication.

Recognition of incipient change in the status of English as an international language has yielded a small but growing area of research addressing nonnative speaker to nonnative speaker (NNS-NNS) interaction. Issues concerning intelligibility are a key focus of this investigation, particularly as native speaker models have limited relevance to these new contexts of use. This review highlights current research from diverse areas of applied linguistics that have addressed aspects of intelligibility in both experimental and real-world settings. Current findings suggest that the processes by which understanding is achieved in English as a lingua franca (ELF) interaction are qualitatively different from those observed in native speaker (NS)–based interaction, and that this has implications for a number of research and practice areas. Following a definition of terms, the chapter surveys current research and considers its influence on current trends in English language teaching. Possible directions for further research are also considered.

The aim of this chapter is to provide a critical overview of the issues and research conducted since the most recent state-of-the-art article published in the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics by David Singleton (2001). First, we summarize what research has said about the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) in cognitive science and neurobiology, then we review recent findings of age-related studies since 2000 focusing on what late beginners and adults can achieve, and how early and later beginners compare in bilingual programs. The second part of the presentation explores language policy and classroom implications of the CPH for foreign language teaching. As English has become the lingua franca, early programs have mushroomed all over the world. However, besides overwhelming enthusiasm, more recently critical voices can also be heard. On the one hand, early exposure is often seen as a key to success and a solution to all problems in language education; on the other hand, it may be perceived as a threat to first language development and identity. Finally, we explore areas for further research.

The global demand for English has broad implications for teacher preparation in lingua franca settings. Given that up to 80 percent of all English teachers globally are nonnative speakers of English, the quality of their professional preparation and their degree of language proficiency are key issues. This review surveys research on nonnative English-speaking teachers related to teacher preparation, including issues of pedagogy and language varieties. To illustrate actual training issues, two cases of teacher preparation experiences in Egypt and Uzbekistan are presented. The Egypt case describes the development of standards for English teachers and how they may provide a road map for professional preparation and improved English language skills. The Uzbek case provides examples of ways in which the teacher preparation program targeted needs perceived by both the trainers and the local teachers. This review also sets out goals for teacher preparation in lingua franca settings such as assisting participants to view themselves as intercultural speakers and integrating methodologies that are valued in the local context. Suggestions for future research include consideration of how teacher educators might address the issue of Inner Circle and Outer Circle varieties of English and how teachers' cultural knowledge can be addressed within teacher preparation curricula.

This chapter proposes two alternative models for assessing English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Tests based on the first model resemble existing approaches to assessing English as a foreign language offered by such tests as TOEFL, and IELTS. This model assumes that interlocutors use varieties of English based on Standard English. What distinguishes tests of this model from existing international tests of English is that it explicitly allows test accommodations. Such accommodations modify the test delivery system in order to make it accessible and fair for ELF users without changing the construct. Tests based on the second model assume that ELF may be regarded not as a use of Standard English but as a code in its own right. Similarities to varieties of World Englishes such as Singapore English, Indian English are noted. In tests based on the second model, strategic competence takes precedence over linguistic accuracy. Although both models are somewhat problematic in practice, neither, it is argued, entails any radical reconceptualization of language testing beyond what has already been envisaged and/or enacted in the field. Nevertheless, future tests of ELF may have both symbolic and practical importance, giving greater authority and legitimacy to expanding and outer circle English voices on the one hand and giving flesh to definitions of effective intercultural communication on the other. The chapter concludes by cautioning against moving too quickly to assess ELF before it has been properly described.