The influence of ELF experience on Chinese ELF users’ language attitudes

Wang, Ying (2014) The influence of ELF experience on Chinese ELF users’ language attitudes. The Seventh International Conference of English as a Lingua Franca, Athens, Greece. 03 - 05 Sep 2014.

Abstract

This paper investigates the impacts of intercultural experience through English as a lingua franca (ELF) on language attitudes, with the focus on Chinese speakers’ narratives of ELF experience in relation to their views of Englishes. The data retrieved through the interviews with 35 Chinese users of English demonstrated the influences of ELF-medium intercultural experience on the participants’ attitudes in four aspects. First, the lack of ELF experience seems to maintain the myth of intelligibility associated with native-English monolingualism; second, ELF experience motivates the question to a monolithic view on English; third, ELF experience raises challenges concerning the relevance of native English for successful intercultural communication; fourth, ELF experience helps to boost the participants’ awareness of accommodation, which promotes intelligibility. The close examination of how intercultural experience takes effect in the aforesaid aspects points to the participants’ major concern for intelligibility of different forms of English to which ELF experience seems to be a remedy. In light of these, this paper discusses the issue of intelligibility and the role of intercultural experience in attitude formation, which leads to the exploration of pedagogical implications of this study. This paper concludes by proposing ways of promoting ELF awareness in Chinese English learners’ classrooms.

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