Language, culture and identity through English as a Lingua Franca in Asia: notes from the field
Language, culture and identity through English as a Lingua Franca in Asia: notes from the field
This article will discuss what the concepts of language, culture and identity mean in relation to English used as a lingua franca (ELF) in Asia. It will be argued that English functions as a language of communication in Asia that should be viewed as separate from the traditional ‘native speaker’ norms. To support this, the discussion will draw on data from an ethnographic study of seven users of English in Thailand. The data suggests that English in this context is used to articulate and enact cultures and identities which are fluid, liminal and emerge in situ. This challenges existing categorisations of languages, cultures and identities; in particular, the supposedly inexorable links between a target language and target culture. Furthermore, such dynamic and emergent notions of cultures, languages and identities expressed through English have important implications for the teaching of English in Asia and other lingua franca contexts.
English as a lingua franca, culture, language, identity, Asia, English language teaching
8-35
Baker, W
9f1b758c-e6e0-43ca-b7bf-a0d5e1387d10
September 2009
Baker, W
9f1b758c-e6e0-43ca-b7bf-a0d5e1387d10
Baker, W
(2009)
Language, culture and identity through English as a Lingua Franca in Asia: notes from the field.
[in special issue: Language, Culture and Identity in Asia]
Asian EFL Journal, 4, .
Abstract
This article will discuss what the concepts of language, culture and identity mean in relation to English used as a lingua franca (ELF) in Asia. It will be argued that English functions as a language of communication in Asia that should be viewed as separate from the traditional ‘native speaker’ norms. To support this, the discussion will draw on data from an ethnographic study of seven users of English in Thailand. The data suggests that English in this context is used to articulate and enact cultures and identities which are fluid, liminal and emerge in situ. This challenges existing categorisations of languages, cultures and identities; in particular, the supposedly inexorable links between a target language and target culture. Furthermore, such dynamic and emergent notions of cultures, languages and identities expressed through English have important implications for the teaching of English in Asia and other lingua franca contexts.
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Published date: September 2009
Keywords:
English as a lingua franca, culture, language, identity, Asia, English language teaching
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Local EPrints ID: 141602
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/141602
ISSN: 1738-1460
PURE UUID: a27dad1c-9c25-4654-8230-c641f10e7cd7
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Date deposited: 29 Mar 2010 13:37
Last modified: 02 Apr 2022 01:42
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