Communities of Practice and English as a Lingua Franca

This is a timely book on one of the most widely debated issues in applied linguistics: what is the social and cultural significance of English as a lingua franca for the internationally mobile students of the 21st century in Central Europe? Through an in-depth analysis of social practices, the book develops an exciting, innovative multilingual approach to out-of-class language use and language learning that engages students in the co-construction of identities. Apart from scholars, the book will appeal to policy makers and educators who are concerned with the internationalization of universities in Central Europe.

Auteur

Karolina Kalocsai, Eötvös Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary.

Texte du rabat

This series welcomes book proposals detailing innovative and cutting edge research and theorisation in the field of English as a lingua franca (ELF), in essence, English as the chosen medium of communication among people from different first languages. The unprecedented use of English as an international lingua franca, largely because of its relationship with the processes of globalisation, has led to the realization that conventional attitudes to English and approaches to its study need to be critically examined. This has resulted in a very considerable and fast-growing field of research that is concerned both with the sociolinguistic significance of English as lingua franca as a naturally adaptive linguistic development and with its theoretical as well as applied linguistic implications. ELF, as phenomenon and as study, is not only diverse and emergent, it is also controversial and rapidly gaining in importance. The purpose of the series is to offer a wide forum for work on ELF, including aspects such as descriptions and analyses of ELF; ELF use in a range of domains including education (primary, secondary and tertiary), business, tourism; conceptual works challenging current assumptions about English use and usage; works exploring the implications of ELF for English language policy, pedagogy, and practice; and ELF in relation to global multilingualism. Finally, in line with the subject matter of the series, authors are not required to use native English, but to write in a way that is intelligible to a wide international readership. To our knowledge, Developments in English as a Lingua Franca is the first book series to build this approach into its official policy. To discuss your book idea or submit a proposal, please contact Natalie Fecher.

Résumé

"This volume certainly represents a welcome addition to research into ELF practices, first of all for its methodological approach that combines the CofP perspective with CA in analyzing ELF, shedding light on both linguistic and non-linguistic practices of a specific ELF group. The study effectively shows how a community is created through social and linguistic shared resources, relying on English as a common communication code, but including other languages, too, as shared resources in transactional as well as affective, social and witty humorous dialogic interactions."
Paola Vettorel, Iperstoria - Testi Letterature Linguaggi 6. 363-368