ELF awareness in Chinese higher education: a focus on language policy

Abstract

Given the fact that non-native English speakers greatly outnumber native English speakers in the globalization, English has been more and more frequently used as a lingua franca (ELF) in intercultural settings. However, the acceptance and recognition of legitimate status of ELF have not been fully recognized yet. Especially in the Chinese context, the majority of English users are still viewing English as a foreign language (EFL) under the theoretical framework of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) which gives priority to standard native English models. As language education serves as one of the major factors which will impact on the individuals’ language attitudes, choices and behaviours, it is necessary to investigate into the representation of English in English language education in the Chinese Higher Education (HE) context.

This study brings together language policy and ELF to explore whether and how far ELF is recognized in China. It is designed to consist of document analysis, interviews, focus groups and classroom observations, evaluating not only how English is represented in policy statements, but also how English is perceived among participants in English education in China. Following Wang (forthcoming), language policy is explored with the focus on grassroots levels in order to establish the legitimacy of ELF in China. The findings suggest inconsistencies among policy statements, the implementation of language policy and classroom participants’ perceptions about policy statements. Besides, while Standard English ideology has impacts on classroom practices, the data have revealed orientations towards ELF, more or less, during the research process. The research displays an overall picture of the representation of ELF in China’s higher education and offers readers’ insights into the interconnections between language ideology and language policy in China. The thesis concludes by discussing possible implications of the ELF approach for ELT in China.

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