Chinese speakers’ perceptions of their English in intercultural communication

Abstract

In the field of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) research, an overarching question is why native English should be exclusively followed by all users around the world regardless of their purposes of communication and identity projection. This provides the starting point of my investigation into Chinese speakers’ perceptions of their English in intercultural communication, which is traditionally considered as ‘learner English’ due to its difference from native English. Influenced by the ELF perspective, I consider Chinese speakers’ English as both fluid and subject to Chinese speakers’ appropriation according to their purposes in engaging intercultural communication, and label it as Chinese speakers’ English as a Lingua Franca (CHELF). Four dimensions of CHELF are considered in this research: linguistic creativity, community, identity and attitude, while the empirical data focuses on CHELF users’ perceptions in order to offer an insight into their attitudes, identities, beliefs, and contextual factors related to their perceptions.

The research findings illuminate contrast, complementation, uncertainty and conservation in the participants’ attitudes towards, and identities in, their use of English, and reveal an interplay between a traditional EFL perspective and the ELF perspective that underlined their attitudes and identities. The data highlights contextual factors as playing a key role in influencing, shaping and developing the participants’ perceptions of ELF. Importantly, a good understanding of the concept of ELF makes a difference in the participants’ confidence in their ELF use. The findings thus suggest the possibility of CHELF developing legitimacy, as well as the challenges involved in such a development. This study thus provides a fresh insight into Chinese speakers’ English and contributes to ELF research at large. In particular, the establishment of contextual factors to CHELF users adds to the growing evidence of the necessity of including ELF in pedagogy.

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