Abstract Research on the attribution of value to English in ‘non-native’ environments typically focuses on single communities or specific domains (e.g., advertising, education, pop culture). This study examines the indexical potential of English on a global scale, adopting a ‘satellite perspective’ that scans across communities and spheres of use. Drawing on a corpus of 128 academic publications from around the world, it identifies over one hundred indexical associations of English-based resources and reveals a striking uniformity: values attached to English recur in different locations despite geographical and cultural distance. The analysis combines (Appadurai, Arjun. 1996. Modernity at large: Cultural dimensions of globalization . Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press). concept of ‘imaginary landscapes’ with (Eckert, Penelope. 2008. Variation and the indexical field. Journal of Sociolinguistics 12(4). 453–476) indexical field framework and theories of localness and place to classify and interpret the data. The notion of supra-indexicality is introduced to extend the scale of analysis to globalised social settings and to open up a discussion of ideological constraints on meaning-making involving global linguistic resources. In this sense, the main outcome of the study – the cumulative ‘supra-indexical field’ of potential meanings of English – offers a transferable analytical framework that can be applied to virtually any community or domain and serve as a comparative basis for future research on the social value of English.
Abstract This qualitative study explores learner responses to an English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)-aware speaking intervention in a lower secondary school in Greece, where learning English is dominated by certification goals and classroom disengagement in state schools is common. Drawing on 11 mid-intervention reflective diary entries and a focus group with six learners, the study identifies significant variation in how learners experienced the ELF-aware lessons. Four response patterns emerged: the Enthusiastic Responder, the Anxious but Improving Participant, the Critical Evaluator a nd the Reluctant Traditionalist . Whilst most participants reported increased confidence, reduced fear of mistakes and greater willingness to participate – even some who disliked certain tasks – a minority resisted the intervention altogether. The findings highlight the need for differentiated, affect-sensitive approaches that respond to learners’ diverse histories, needs, proficiency and readiness levels. The study also shows the potential of an ELF-aware approach to re-engage disengaged learners and foster confidence – even in exam-oriented contexts – when designed with learner diversity in mind.
This replication study (2010 and 2023), carried out at a Western European university (in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) and enriched with reflective focus group data, identifies the changes among non-native students majoring in English in terms of the importance and use of English, their attitudes towards English (as a lingua franca) and speakers of English, and motivations for and focus on learning English. Results show that participants are increasingly exposed to English through social media and entertainment. Native-like proficiency in English is no longer the sole learning motivation, and the ideal of approximating a 'native English speaker' or emulating native-speaker culture is no longer valid. Mutual intelligibility has become more important and students value multilingualism and varieties of English. English continues to be a tool for global communication and connection, but with increased interest in culturally and linguistically diverse others, where effective communication is prioritized. This study shows that the English majors' views on and attitudes towards English have evolved over the past decade; accommodation is prioritised over nativeness and framed as elevating multilinguals' status, and they claim ownership of the language in their engagement with other cultures and communities. Pedagogical implications embrace the development of an accommodative mindset.
Seeking opportunities to practice English outside the classroom is challenging for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. Digital platforms like Zoom and Flip offer flexibility and accessibility, allowing learners to enhance language skills without time or place restrictions. However, research on how such technology-enhanced language learning (TELL) affects motivation and speaking performance remains limited. This study explores the impact of Zoom- and Flip-based speaking activities on secondary school EFL students' speaking performance and intercultural competence in a three-month program. A mixed-methods paradigm - combining a case study approach with quasi-experimental design and triangulation - was employed. Fourteen Turkish EFL students (A1-A2, age 11) and one teacher, along with 14 international teachers and 158 students worldwide, engaged in structured synchronous (Zoom) and asynchronous (Flip) exchanges. This study also contributes to intercultural communication theory by applying English as a Lingua Franca through digital interaction, beyond basic Web 2.0 tools. Speaking ability was measured via CEFR-aligned pre-post assessments, analyzed with paired-sample t-tests. Qualitative data from learner diaries, researcher journals, and interviews supported the findings. Results showed significant improvement in speaking and increased intercultural communication, motivation, engagement, and reduced anxiety, supporting broader Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) pedagogy.
Studies of Written English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) are relatively new and less common than those focusing on spoken ELF, particularly when it comes to investigating grammatical features. This study adds to the body of research on written ELF by looking at research participants' (Chinese and non-Chinese English language teachers) reactions to grammatical features of ELF in second language writers' academic texts, using an open-ended acceptability judgment task (AJT) combined with a follow-up interview, which allows an opportunity for deeper insight into participants' reasons for marking (or not marking) particular instances of ELF-like usage as unacceptable. It was found that the most common ELF features in the students' writing was article usage. While not many of the participants marked article usages as unacceptable, one interesting finding was that some Chinese participants preferred the ELF-like usage of "the" before the noun "society." Follow-up interview data revealed that both groups of teachers tended to refer to grammatical "rules" to justify their decisions to mark certain usages as unacceptable. This study shows that open-ended AJTs may continue to be a fruitful research method in studies of readers' reactions to features of written ELF.
We aim to contribute to the discussion on whether the use of English in higher education in an international setting affects study outcomes. Previous research comparing instruction in English versus instruction in the students' L1 yielded contradictory results. Our concrete interest was how the reader-marker of exams evaluates the content knowledge of a student-writer who expresses themself in English as a lingua franca. The experiment consisted of grading tasks in two language conditions complemented by an online questionnaire. We presented L1 Dutch professional university lecturers with different versions of answers originally written in English and Dutch both as L2, by German students. The versions varied in L2 CEFR levels. We investigated whether the versions would be assessed differently and/or would influence the grades. We found no effect of (a) the condition "marker reads in their first language versus in their second language" when assessing whether an exam answer met content criteria, or (b) differences in CEFR-based proficiency (lexical and grammatical accuracy). When grading written answers to an exam question in an EMI high education setting, lecturers weigh content criteria and are not distracted by poor formulations, due to students' lower proficiency in English. This outcome points out that ELF is an acceptable communicative variety in an EMI context. Wij presenteren een bijdrage aan de discussie over de vraag of het gebruik van het Engels in het hoger onderwijs in een internationale context invloed heeft op studieresultaten. Eerder onderzoek waarin onderwijs in het Engels werd vergeleken met onderwijs in de moedertaal (L1) van studenten leverde tegenstrijdige resultaten op. Onze concrete belangstelling gaat uit naar de vraag hoe de docent-beoordelaar van tentamens de inhoudelijke kennis evalueert van een student-schrijver die zich uitdrukt in het Engels als lingua franca. Het hier gepresenteerde experiment bestond uit beoordelingstaken in twee taalcondities, aangevuld met een online vragenlijst. We legden universitair docenten met Nederlands als moedertaal verschillende versies voor van antwoorden die oorspronkelijk waren geschreven door Duitse studenten in zowel het Engels als het Nederlands - beide als tweede taal (L2). De versies verschilden in CEFR-niveau van de L2. We onderzochten of de versies verschillend zouden worden beoordeeld en/of verschillende cijfers zouden krijgen. We vonden geen effect van (a) de conditie "beoordelaar leest in zijn moedertaal versus in zijn tweede taal" bij de beoordeling of een tentamenantwoord aan de inhoudelijke criteria voldeed, en evenmin van (b) verschillen in CEFR-gebaseerd taalniveau (lexicale en grammaticale correctheid) van de antwoorden. Bij het beoordelen van schriftelijke antwoorden op een tentamenvraag in een EMI-context in het hoger onderwijs laten docenten inhoudelijke criteria zwaar wegen en zich niet afleiden door gebrekkige formuleringen die voortkomen uit de lagere Engelse taalvaardigheid van studenten. Deze uitkomst is een aanwijzing dat ELF een aanvaardbare communicatieve vari & euml;teit is in een EMI-context.
The spread of English around the world due to globalization and technological advancement has made it a source of communication among different language users that results in new theoretical orientations, such as English as a Lingua Franca, World Englishes and Global Englishes. These orientations challenge the traditional ideologies of native speakerism and monolingualism. However, native speakerist ideology is still dominant in post-colonial societies including Pakistan. Most English teachers in these societies study British or American literature which inculcates the "superiority" of native English. This study explores the perception of English major students, who are prospective English teachers, before and after exposing them to the latest theorization of English using a written open ended questionnaire. The data are analyzed using constructivist grounded theory through coding, categorizations and themes. The study finds that the native speakerist ideology is still dominant but students are aware of practical utility of other varieties. There is a move from idealized nativism to selfhood and celebratory non nativism among the students based on latest theorization but will take time in implementation, and special attention is required for training of English major students in order to enable them to realize the importance of different varieties of English and their usefulness.
A critical gap persists in understanding the feasibility of implementing Global Englishes (GE) innovations across educational settings, and limited quasi-experimental research examines how GE-aligned interventions influence pre-service teachers' beliefs, practices, and emerging professional identities. Using a quasi-experimental mixed-methods design, this study investigates the effects of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF)-informed practices embedded in an elective course on 27 pre-service English teachers' attitudes toward English diversity and their self-efficacy in using and learning English. The data were collected via pre- and post-surveys, as well as participants' written reflections and in-class response tasks. Quantitative data from the surveys were analysed using descriptive statistical procedures in SPSS, while qualitative data were examined through open, axial, and selective coding in MAXQDA. The findings showed a significant increase in self-efficacy and greater acceptance of non-native English teaching materials. While changes in attitudes toward English diversity were not statistically significant, participants reported growth in cultural awareness, global perspectives, pedagogical knowledge, and communicative competence. Many also anticipated integrating culturally responsive and globally oriented practices into their future classrooms. These findings highlight the potential of ELF-informed pedagogy to strengthen teacher education by fostering intercultural awareness, professional development, and preparedness for teaching in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts. K & uuml;resel & Idot;ngilizce (K & Idot;) yeniliklerinin e & gbreve;itim ortamlar & imath;nda uygulanabilirli & gbreve;inin anla & scedil;& imath;lmas & imath; konusunda & ouml;nemli bir bo & scedil;luk devam etmektedir ve K & Idot; ile uyumlu m & uuml;dahalelerin aday & ouml;& gbreve;retmenlerin inan & ccedil;lar & imath;n & imath;, uygulamalar & imath;n & imath; ve geli & scedil;mekte olan mesleki kimliklerini nas & imath;l etkiledi & gbreve;ini inceleyen s & imath;n & imath;rl & imath; say & imath;da yar & imath; deneysel ara & scedil;t & imath;rma bulunmaktad & imath;r. Yar & imath; deneysel karma y & ouml;ntem tasar & imath;m & imath; kullan & imath;larak y & uuml;r & uuml;t & uuml;len bu & ccedil;al & imath;& scedil;ma, se & ccedil;meli derse entegre edilen & Idot;ngilizcenin ortak dil olarak kullan & imath;m & imath; (& Idot;OD) temelli uygulamalar & imath;n 27 & Idot;ngilizce & ouml;& gbreve;retmeni aday & imath;n & imath;n & Idot;ngilizce & ccedil;e & scedil;itlili & gbreve;ine y & ouml;nelik tutumlar & imath; ve & Idot;ngilizceyi kullanma ve & ouml;& gbreve;renme & ouml;z-yeterlikleri & uuml;zerindeki etkilerini incelemektedir. Veriler, & ouml;n test ve son test anketlerinin yan & imath; s & imath;ra kat & imath;l & imath;mc & imath;lar & imath;n yaz & imath;l & imath; yans & imath;malar & imath; ve s & imath;n & imath;f i & ccedil;i yan & imath;t g & ouml;revleri arac & imath;l & imath;& gbreve;& imath;yla toplanm & imath;& scedil;t & imath;r. Anketlerden elde edilen nicel veriler SPSS'te betimsel istatistiksel y & ouml;ntemlerle analiz edilirken, nitel veriler MAXQDA program & imath;nda a & ccedil;& imath;k, eksenel ve se & ccedil;ici kodlama yoluyla incelenmi & scedil;tir. Bulgular, & ouml;z-yeterlikte anlaml & imath; bir art & imath;& scedil; ve anadili & Idot;ngilizce olmayan & ouml;& gbreve;retim materyallerine y & ouml;nelik daha y & uuml;ksek kabul d & uuml;zeyi oldu & gbreve;unu g & ouml;stermi & scedil;tir. & Idot;ngilizce & ccedil;e & scedil;itlili & gbreve;ine y & ouml;nelik tutumlarda istatistiksel olarak anlaml & imath; bir de & gbreve;i & scedil;im g & ouml;zlenmemekle birlikte, kat & imath;l & imath;mc & imath;lar k & uuml;lt & uuml;rel fark & imath;ndal & imath;k, k & uuml;resel bak & imath;& scedil; a & ccedil;& imath;s & imath;, pedagojik bilgi ve ileti & scedil;imsel yeterlik alanlar & imath;nda geli & scedil;im bildirmi & scedil;tir. Ayr & imath;ca, bir & ccedil;ok kat & imath;l & imath;mc & imath; gelecekteki s & imath;n & imath;flar & imath;nda k & uuml;lt & uuml;rel olarak duyarl & imath; ve k & uuml;resel y & ouml;nelimli uygulamalar & imath; entegre etmeyi planlad & imath;klar & imath;n & imath; ifade etmi & scedil;tir. Bulgular, & Idot;OD temelli pedagojinin & ouml;& gbreve;retmen e & gbreve;itimini k & uuml;lt & uuml;rleraras & imath; fark & imath;ndal & imath;k, mesleki geli & scedil;im ve dilsel ve k & uuml;lt & uuml;rel a & ccedil;& imath;dan & ccedil;e & scedil;itlilik g & ouml;steren ba & gbreve;lamlarda & ouml;& gbreve;retime haz & imath;rl & imath;k a & ccedil;& imath;s & imath;ndan g & uuml;& ccedil;lendirme potansiyelini vurgulamaktad & imath;r.
This article reports on Chinese international students' experiences in Anglophone English-medium instruction higher education, focusing on translanguaging with AI-powered tools and English for Specific Academic Purposes. The qualitative study is based on in-depth individual interviews with fourteen Chinese international MA and PhD students studying one social science subject. Through thematic analysis, the findings revealed that participants utilised AI-powered tools - including generative AI chatbots, AI-powered machine translation tools, and AI-powered writing editors - while engaging in strategic translanguaging during their use of English for specific academic purposes, particularly in reading and writing. Participants' use of AI-powered tools varied depending on individual linguistic and cultural resources, disciplinary knowledge, and their understandings and perceptions of artificial intelligence use in academic social environments, particularly in relation to academic excellence and academic integrity. The broader social context of Anglophone institutions also had an impact on participants' attitudes towards the use of AI-powered tools for standard English. Despite AI's benefits in terms of time-saving and facilitating academic reading and writing, participants encountered negative experiences in translanguaging with AI-powered tools, revealing cultural, linguistic, and disciplinary nuances. The study highlights the interconnectedness of translanguaging, AI-powered tools, and English for specific academic purposes within the context of Anglophone English-medium instruction higher education and provides practical and theoretical implications for researchers, practitioners, and course administrators in similar contexts.
The present study explores the sense of awareness and perceptions that a group of teacher educators and pre-service teachers held about English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and its implications for English teacher education programs in Colombia. Guided by the theoretical framework of Global Englishes and ELF scholarship (Jenkins, J. 2015a. Repositioning English and multilingualism in English as a Lingua Franca. Englishes in Practice 2(3). 49-85; Sifakis, N. 2014. ELF awareness as an opportunity for change: A transformative perspective for ESOL teacher education. JELF 3(2). 317-335), which informed both data analysis and interpretation, the research adopted a qualitative descriptive design. Data were gathered through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The study involved the participation of 12 teacher educators and 15 pre-service teachers, all members of an English teacher education program at a public university in Colombia. The findings suggest that both groups of participants had a clear understanding of ELF from various yet convergent perspectives, and acknowledged its relevance for the field of ELT. In terms of implications of an eventual incorporation of ELF in formal English teacher education programs, participants point to the need to break away from a dominant orthodoxy, and a readjustment of materials and teaching approaches leading to the inclusion of ELF in traditional EFL settings. El presente estudio explora el sentido de conciencia y las percepciones que un grupo de formadores de docentes y futuros docentes ten & iacute;an respecto al ingl & eacute;s como lengua franca y sus implicaciones para los programas formadores de docentes de ingl & eacute;s en Colombia. Guiado por el marco te & oacute;rico de Global Englishes y la literatura en ELF (Jenkins, J. 2015a. Repositioning English and multilingualism in English as a Lingua Franca. Englishes in Practice 2(3). 49-85; Sifakis, N. 2014. ELF awareness as an opportunity for change: A transformative perspective for ESOL teacher education. JELF 3(2). 317-335), los cuales sirvieron de base tanto para el an & aacute;lisis como para la interpretaci & oacute;n de la informaci & oacute;n, el estudio adopt & oacute; un dise & ntilde;o cualitativo descriptivo. Los datos se recopilaron mediante un cuestionario y entrevistas semiestructuradas. El estudio involucr & oacute; la participaci & oacute;n de 12 formadores de docentes y 15 futuros docentes, todos miembros de un programa formador de docente de ingl & eacute;s en una universidad p & uacute;blica de Colombia. Los resultados sugieren que ambos grupos de participantes ten & iacute;an una comprensi & oacute;n clara de ELF desde perspectivas variadas pero convergentes, y reconocieron su relevancia para el campo de la ense & ntilde;anza del ingl & eacute;s. En t & eacute;rminos de implicaciones de una eventual incorporaci & oacute;n de ELF en un programa formador de docente de ingl & eacute;s, los participantes se & ntilde;alaron la necesidad de romper con una ortodoxia dominante y un reajuste en los materiales y enfoques para la ense & ntilde;anza que conduzcan a la inclusi & oacute;n del Ingl & eacute;s como Lengua Franca en contextos tradicionales de Ingl & eacute;s como Lengua Extranjera.
Over the past decades, there has been a significant paradigm shift in L2 pronunciation teaching research, moving away from a native-speaker ideology towards a focus on intelligibility in international communication. ELF intelligibility studies have highlighted pronunciation features crucial for effective international communication. Using Hong Kong English (HKE) as a case of exemplification, this paper illustrates the development of a feature-based, intelligibility-oriented framework for L2 pronunciation teaching by (1) identifying variations in pronunciation features within a local variety and (2) prioritising features based on ELF intelligibility findings and their prominence. The study drew upon recorded interactions of HKE learners/speakers with different English proficiency/education levels (secondary/university students, professionals) (n = 120; 240 min), who engaged in a group discussion task. Focusing on segmental features, our analysis categorised key HKE features (individual consonants, initial/final consonant clusters, monophthongs/diphthongs) and arranged them based on their frequency of occurrences. Many of them are either less crucial for intelligibility according to the literature or less prominent on the HKE pronunciation continuum. The paper delineates HKE features deemed 'more' and 'less' important for intelligibility and those that should be the pedagogical focus. It concludes by discussing the application and advantages of an ELF intelligibility-oriented approach in contemporary L2 pronunciation teaching. (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic):(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic): (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic) (1) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic) (2) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)/(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) ((sic)(sic)(sic)/(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (n = 120;240 (sic)(sic)), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)((sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)/(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)/(sic)(sic)(sic))(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic); (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)& ulcorner;(sic)(sic)(sic)& lrcorner;(sic)& ulcorner;(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)& lrcorner;(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).
