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English as a Lingua Franca in the global context: interconnectedness, variation and change

English as a Lingua Franca in the global context: interconnectedness, variation and change
English as a Lingua Franca in the global context: interconnectedness, variation and change
In this chapter, we propose that consideration of current theory regarding the nature of globalisation’s impact on the social and political world order is of particular relevance to empirical work in the Outer Circle and Expanding Circle.
Locating English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in the transformationalist perspective of globalisation, we argue that far from a trend towards increased homogenisation, a fundamental consequence of interconnectedness (a defining feature of late modernity) is the blurring of distinctions between internal and external affairs, between the international and domestic and thus between the local and global, and that this blurring leads, on the contrary, to an increased hybridist of cultures. The chapter proposes that the transformationalist perspective shares much with the way ELF research approaches the use of English in lingua franca settings, whether these settings occur in Inner, Outer or Expanding Circle contexts. We argue that ELF interactional settings are sites where distinctions are blurred, and where there is considerable linguacultural intermixture. By reporting on other corpora and drawing on one of our own (Dewey's) corpus of naturally occurring talk in lingua franca settings, we present empirical evidence which suggests that the use of English in ELF communication is a perfect example of the kind of transformation of cultural resources, here linguistic ones, that are currently occurring in a globalising world. In situating descriptions of ELF within a theoretical framework of globalisation, especially in light of the continuing growth in discourse about both ELF and World Englishes, we take account of the fuller context within which debate and analysis regarding the diffusion of English internationally are situated.
9781847692757
Multilingual Matters
Dewey, Martin
93a42d41-5075-46b9-8e9b-c54a00762c9d
Jenkins, Jennifer
7daf0457-86d0-4c08-af4b-79641d1f7fd0
Saxena, Mukul
Omoniyi, Tope
Dewey, Martin
93a42d41-5075-46b9-8e9b-c54a00762c9d
Jenkins, Jennifer
7daf0457-86d0-4c08-af4b-79641d1f7fd0
Saxena, Mukul
Omoniyi, Tope

Dewey, Martin and Jenkins, Jennifer (2010) English as a Lingua Franca in the global context: interconnectedness, variation and change. In, Saxena, Mukul and Omoniyi, Tope (eds.) Contending with Globalization in World Englishes. Bristol, GB. Multilingual Matters.

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

In this chapter, we propose that consideration of current theory regarding the nature of globalisation’s impact on the social and political world order is of particular relevance to empirical work in the Outer Circle and Expanding Circle.
Locating English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in the transformationalist perspective of globalisation, we argue that far from a trend towards increased homogenisation, a fundamental consequence of interconnectedness (a defining feature of late modernity) is the blurring of distinctions between internal and external affairs, between the international and domestic and thus between the local and global, and that this blurring leads, on the contrary, to an increased hybridist of cultures. The chapter proposes that the transformationalist perspective shares much with the way ELF research approaches the use of English in lingua franca settings, whether these settings occur in Inner, Outer or Expanding Circle contexts. We argue that ELF interactional settings are sites where distinctions are blurred, and where there is considerable linguacultural intermixture. By reporting on other corpora and drawing on one of our own (Dewey's) corpus of naturally occurring talk in lingua franca settings, we present empirical evidence which suggests that the use of English in ELF communication is a perfect example of the kind of transformation of cultural resources, here linguistic ones, that are currently occurring in a globalising world. In situating descriptions of ELF within a theoretical framework of globalisation, especially in light of the continuing growth in discourse about both ELF and World Englishes, we take account of the fuller context within which debate and analysis regarding the diffusion of English internationally are situated.

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Published date: 1 May 2010
Organisations: Modern Languages

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Local EPrints ID: 149653
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/149653
ISBN: 9781847692757
PURE UUID: bcc77463-011b-4099-ad3e-d4fa9d75197f

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Date deposited: 06 May 2010 08:40
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 01:10

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Contributors

Author: Martin Dewey
Editor: Mukul Saxena
Editor: Tope Omoniyi

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