English as a Lingua Franca and its Impact on Teaching of EFL - Literature review Example

ENGLISH AS A LINGUA FRANCA AND ITS IMPACT ON TEACHING OF EFL by Student’s Name Code + Course Name Professor University City/State Date English as a Lingua Franca and its Impact on Teaching of EFL Introduction English is used throughout the world as a lingua franca; this means persons who do not speak the same first language use it as a means of communication. There is an increasing interest in English as a lingua franca (ELF). The grammar code of Standard English is shared norms in intercultural transactions across the world, ranging from the domains of politics and economics to the fields of environment, law, and social sciences. This literature review explores research into ELF and considers its impact on teaching of ELF. The journal articles by Jenkins (2012), Galloway (2013), Cogo (2012), Seidlhofer (2005), and Suzuki (2011) focus on the different aspects of ELF, pedagogical implication of the different varieties of English and attainment of successful ELF communication. Smit (2010) textbook will also be reviewed; it focuses on ELF definition, demarcation, its linguistic repertoire, communicative purposes, language-scape of the setting, its socio-linguistic status, implications and applications, linguistic description and its application as a classroom language. Literature Review The identified themes from the reviewed literature are; English is a common language of speakers of various languages and from different national and ethnic backgrounds; and ELF is highly dynamic and hybrid in nature. In addition, attitudes towards ELF is determined by the different lingua-cultural backgrounds and lastly ELF greatly influences English language teaching and learning. Numerous authors have identified the wide acceptance and use of English as a widespread language of speakers of various languages. For most individuals who do not share a national or common culture or common native tongue, English has become the chosen contact foreign language of communication. Smit (2010) noted that English has become a common language of speakers of various languages from different cultures and nationalities. A wide range of cultures and languages are involved; ELF interaction takes place in countries and areas where English is not the first language. According to Suzuki (2011), there has been an increasing use of English by L2 speakers for worldwide interaction. Seidholfer (2005) noted that English functions as an international lingua franca for native and nonnative speakers of the language. ELF has emerged as a way of denoting communication in English between speakers with diverse first languages. Quoting Firth (1996), Seidholfer (2005) noted that ELF is distinctive because it is a contact language between individuals from different national cultures and native tongues who chose it as the foreign language of communication. Cogo (2012) noted that for socializing, trading, studying, tourism, and business, English has become a truly international language in the modern context. Cogo further noted that ELF is mostly used in situations that although traditionally connected with the widening circle countries, are not essentially geographically located but can be transient and virtual in nature. ELF encounters take place in offices and over the internet, for instance, on Facebook. According to Cogo (2012), ELF is spoken as a contact language by people from different lingua cultural contexts, where both the location and community of speakers can be changing and may often not be allied to a particular country. Galloway (2013) argued that individuals of different lingua-cultural backgrounds and even in nations where it is not an official national language currently use English globally. It is significantly being used internally and has permeated into the day-to-day lives of individuals in countries such as Japan. According to Jenkins (2012), English has played an important role as a medium of communication amongst persons of diverse first languages for many years. Jenkins further noted that ELF has risen extensively from a minority interest in applied linguistic to a key area of study in linguistics. It is evident from the studies that there is extreme widespread and common usage of English as a medium of communication by persons with different first languages. Secondly, ELF is highly dynamic and hybrid in nature. The use of the English language as a lingua franca greatly depends on the specific situation of use. Most ELF communications usually concentrate on function instead of form, meaning that communication efficacy is considered more relevant than correctness. This makes ELF communication hybrid in most instances. Individuals accommodate the cultural background of one another and at times use code-switching to other languages they might know. ELF is a language whose intricacy cannot be completely understood without taking into consideration its relation with other cultures and languages. ELF is inter-subjectively constructed in every particular situation of interaction; every set of speakers negotiate it for their uses. Cogo (2012) noted that ELF is not of a single variety or monolithic since linguistic and cultural factors are unavoidably altered since they are appropriated locally. In ELF, spoken communication usually occurs in less or more changing communities and hence stability is not an aspect of these communities. Jenkins (2012) noted that ELF students used their own English versions amongst themselves inside and outside the classroom. Their own L1s and other aspects related to English influenced these individual versions. In addition, there were observed regularities across the speakers and inconsistency in the context of a particular community interaction since the students jointly formed a mutual repertoire to match their individual aims on a particular occasion. Galloway (2013) research on global Englishes in the Japanese context revealed that most participants had a positive attitude towards native English. Various factors such as motivation, familiarity with native English, stereotypical and pedagogical beliefs, and familiarity with English determined this positive attitude. Smit (2010) argued that a range of languages operates in the time and place of an ELF oral practice, and a linguistic constellation that ELF interactions are set in. There is a range of interpretations of the functions and roles of English in ELF. Suzuki (2011) argued that ELF is not a single uniform language range due to its high hybrid and dynamic nature. Canagarajah (2007) asserted that there are various categories of English used as worldwide lingua franca, and they depend on the speakers and the circumstances. Since the speakers are not in a specific geographical area and most of them, for instance, L2 speakers, are multilingual and hence possess and utilize resources from their other language (s) when employing the English language (cited in Suzuki, 2011). Cogo (2012) argued that the term ‘community of practice’ has been widely used to describe ELF speakers because the traditional terms ‘variety’ and ‘community’ fail to capture the variability, fluidity, as well as creativity that is inherent in ELF. Third, it is evident that individuals’ attitude towards ELF is determined by the different lingua-cultural backgrounds. Suzuki (2011) study revealed that the student teachers view of ELF depends on their previous educational and social experience of being familiar with the L2 speakers’ language. Teachers with exposure to various forms of English have a broader view of English. ELF speakers have different resources and backgrounds that contribute to a situation resource pool that changes as the constellation of the speaker changes (Jenkins, 2012). Jenkins (2012) recommended that ELF be approached from the idea of ‘communities of practice’ in order to take into consideration the variability across ELF speakers. Various contextual factors lead to variations in the various forms of ELF adopted in any particular interaction. Cogo (2012) noted that ELF is not neutral in any way since it belongs to all persons that use it, with all the understanding, backgrounds, and socio-cultural values that they bring with them. Furthermore, the different multilingual backgrounds offer them important strategies and resources that they draw upon to realize their communication purposes. ELF speakers’ ideology and identity determine their attitude towards ELF and determines the ability to appreciate the feelings and diversity of the English language. Galloway (2013) revealed that students attitude towards global Englishes was determined by stereotypical and pedagogical beliefs, motivation, and familiarity with native beliefs. According to Jenkins (2012), ELF speakers usually draw on their prilingual or bilingual (the other languages that they speak) with the aim of projecting cultural identity, signaling solidarity with an interlocutor, and prioritizing efficiency over correctness in communication. Smit (2010) noted that ELF speakers bring diverse and complex lingua cultures in ELF communication and their different ethno linguistic, and national backgrounds determines their attitude towards ELF. English speakers utilize their multilingual ranges and apply diverse practical approaches, for instance, paraphrasing, repetition, as well as code switching in order to attain efficient communication. ELF speakers use familiar expressions and create idiomatic expressions that are more comprehensible and appropriate in their contexts (Cogo, 2012). ELF speakers code-switch to introduce their own cultural norms to ELF speakers from other backgrounds. Code-switching is an important multilingual resource in ELF that serves many functions and enriches communication since the speakers engage in code sharing with regard to metaphor expression and cultural reference and in the process transform and shape their cultural expressions. This makes them available to the other speakers in a creative meaning-making enterprise. Fourthly, ELF greatly influences English language teaching and learning. Increasing learners’ knowledge of the difference between the spread of ELF and the prevalence of average forms and native-speaker standards that challenge teachers/students is a recurring subject in most research. Educators have been attempting to increase learners’ awareness on the varied nature of English. Suzuki (2011) noted the need for English language instructors to increase the aptitude of learners to negotiate the various forms of English in order to function successfully in global situations. Communication abilities such as making deductions from interlocutors’ behavior and speeches, adjusting communication styles to fit various contexts, negotiating meaning with interlocutors, as well as the adoption of diverse communication norms are very important (Suzuki, 2011). Introducing diverse varieties of English into English learning can help to develop the communicative capacity of the learners. Nonetheless, it is important for the teachers’ understanding to be developed for them to develop students’ abilities to communicate with speakers of diverse varieties of English. Students’ diverse English language abilities are an important factor in classroom discourse and knowledge construction. Seidholfer (2005) noted that ELF is significant in the learning and teaching context as it is important for international intelligibility. Cogo (2012) argued that ELF is about awareness and choice-it entails making the students knowledgeable of the diverse manners of speaking English, of language change and variability, and providing them with a choice of speaking like native speakers or speak ELF when deemed appropriate. Galloway (2013) recommended that English classes be tailored to the worldwide ownership of English and highlighted the need to hire multilingual English teachers with ELF experience in order to increase the familiarity of English learners with persons other than native English. Jenkins (2012) noted that there is an increasing awareness of the need for pedagogical matters to be addressed in relation to ELF. The process of introducing ELF into English learning and teaching is thus an important issue among ELF researchers and pedagogic recommendations. Conclusion From the literature review, the researchers agree that English is increasingly becoming a truly international language as a lingua franca and hence the importance of ELF cannot be underestimated. It has become a common language of speakers of various languages and from different national and ethnic backgrounds. This has led its growth from a minor subject in applied linguistic to a key area of study. ELF is highly dynamic and hybrid in nature. Due to its intricacy, it cannot be entirely understood without taking into consideration how it interacts with other cultures and languages. ELF is not of a single variety or monolithic, and it is not stable as ELF speakers use their own English versions. The various forms of English used as worldwide lingua franca depend on the speakers and the circumstances. The different lingua-cultural backgrounds determine individuals’ attitude towards ELF; their view of ELF depends on the social and educational experience, motivation, familiarity with native beliefs, stereotypical beliefs, resources, and backgrounds and hence there is variability across ELF speakers. Lastly, it is evident that ELF greatly influences English language teaching and learning. Introducing ELF into English learning and teaching has become an important issue among ELF researchers and is highlighted in most pedagogic recommendations due to its increasing importance worldwide. Word Count: 2,023 Reference List Cogo, A 2012, ‘English as a Lingua Franca: concepts, use, and implications’, ELT Journal, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 97–105. Galloway, N 2013, ‘Global Englishes and English language teaching (ELT)—bridging the gap between theory and practice in a Japanese context’, System, vol. 41, no. 3, pp.786–803. Jenkins, J 2012, ‘English as a Lingua Franca from the classroom to the classroom’, ELT Journal vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 486–494. Seidlhofer, B 2005, ‘Key Concepts in ELT: English as a Lingua Franca’, ELT Journal, vol. 59, no. 4, pp.339-341 Smit, U 2010, English as a Lingua Franca in higher education: A longitudinal study of classroom discourse, Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co, Berlin. Suzuki, A 2011, ‘Introducing diversity of English into ELT: student teachers’ responses’, ELT Journal, vol. 65, no. 2, pp. 145–153. Read More