Chapter 8. Linguistic justice and English as a Lingua Franca
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Helder De Schutter
Abstract
Several academic circles are currently theorising the global use of English, including the following two: on the one hand, a group of linguists have argued that English, as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is to be distinguished from English as a Native Language (ENL), of which ELF is not an inferior version. On the other hand, a number of political philosophers have developed theories of linguistic justice that zoom in on the normative case both for and against the global dominance of English. These two “schools” – ELF and linguistic justice – have developed simultaneously but have not engaged with each other to date. In this chapter, I examine the extent to which the linguistic injustices that the emergence of English brings to non-native speakers are reduced by the shift from a conception that prioritises native-speaker norms for English to a conception that legitimises ELF. I first argue that there are four such injustices – communicative, resource, life-world, and dignity injustices. Subsequently, I analyse for each of the injustices what difference ELF could make. My argument is that ELF reduces – but does not remove – the injustices connected to the emergence of English as the world’s lingua franca. But once we are talking about degrees of injustice reduction, other options are available as well. A more significant reduction of the injustices is possible, I argue, through establishing L1-based norms of English.
Abstract
Several academic circles are currently theorising the global use of English, including the following two: on the one hand, a group of linguists have argued that English, as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is to be distinguished from English as a Native Language (ENL), of which ELF is not an inferior version. On the other hand, a number of political philosophers have developed theories of linguistic justice that zoom in on the normative case both for and against the global dominance of English. These two “schools” – ELF and linguistic justice – have developed simultaneously but have not engaged with each other to date. In this chapter, I examine the extent to which the linguistic injustices that the emergence of English brings to non-native speakers are reduced by the shift from a conception that prioritises native-speaker norms for English to a conception that legitimises ELF. I first argue that there are four such injustices – communicative, resource, life-world, and dignity injustices. Subsequently, I analyse for each of the injustices what difference ELF could make. My argument is that ELF reduces – but does not remove – the injustices connected to the emergence of English as the world’s lingua franca. But once we are talking about degrees of injustice reduction, other options are available as well. A more significant reduction of the injustices is possible, I argue, through establishing L1-based norms of English.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors ix
- List of abbreviations xvii
- List of figures, tables, charts and pictures xix
- Chapter 1. The politics of multilingualism 1
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Part I. Reconceptualising multilingualism and collective identity
- Chapter 2. The politics of multilingualism in Canada 19
- Chapter 3. A Russian-speaking nation? 39
- Chapter 4. The impact of mobility and migration on the identity-constructing policy in Brussels 65
- Chapter 5. From glossophagic hegemony to multilingual pluralism? 89
- Chapter 6. Transient linguistic landscapes of activism 111
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Part II. Linguistic hegemony, insecurity and linguistic justice
- Chapter 7. How to measure linguistic justice? 145
- Chapter 8. Linguistic justice and English as a Lingua Franca 167
- Chapter 9. The promise and pitfalls of global English 201
- Chapter 10. Languages, norms and power in a globalised context 223
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Part III. Lingua Franca and global linguistic governance
- Chapter 11. On some fashionable terms in multilingualism research 247
- Chapter 12. English, the Lingua Nullius of global hegemony 275
- Chapter 13. Idealism or pragmatism? 305
- Chapter 14. European integration and the variety of languages 333
- Author index 359
- Subject index 365
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- List of contributors ix
- List of abbreviations xvii
- List of figures, tables, charts and pictures xix
- Chapter 1. The politics of multilingualism 1
-
Part I. Reconceptualising multilingualism and collective identity
- Chapter 2. The politics of multilingualism in Canada 19
- Chapter 3. A Russian-speaking nation? 39
- Chapter 4. The impact of mobility and migration on the identity-constructing policy in Brussels 65
- Chapter 5. From glossophagic hegemony to multilingual pluralism? 89
- Chapter 6. Transient linguistic landscapes of activism 111
-
Part II. Linguistic hegemony, insecurity and linguistic justice
- Chapter 7. How to measure linguistic justice? 145
- Chapter 8. Linguistic justice and English as a Lingua Franca 167
- Chapter 9. The promise and pitfalls of global English 201
- Chapter 10. Languages, norms and power in a globalised context 223
-
Part III. Lingua Franca and global linguistic governance
- Chapter 11. On some fashionable terms in multilingualism research 247
- Chapter 12. English, the Lingua Nullius of global hegemony 275
- Chapter 13. Idealism or pragmatism? 305
- Chapter 14. European integration and the variety of languages 333
- Author index 359
- Subject index 365
