When comprehension is crucial
-
Annelie Knapp
Abstract
After a brief discussion of the increasing importance of English in the lives of German university students, this article focuses on how the use of English as a non-native language in university lectures and seminars may affect the structure of these communicative events and their potential for the acquisition of knowledge. An analysis of empirical data from courses in Economics, Political Sciences and Chemistry (questionnaires and discourse data) provides some insights into students’ perceptions of the problems and benefits of English-medium instruction as well as into the strategies that students and lecturers use to support comprehension and to negotiate meaning while using English as a lingua franca for teaching and learning at a German university.
Abstract
After a brief discussion of the increasing importance of English in the lives of German university students, this article focuses on how the use of English as a non-native language in university lectures and seminars may affect the structure of these communicative events and their potential for the acquisition of knowledge. An analysis of empirical data from courses in Economics, Political Sciences and Chemistry (questionnaires and discourse data) provides some insights into students’ perceptions of the problems and benefits of English-medium instruction as well as into the strategies that students and lecturers use to support comprehension and to negotiate meaning while using English as a lingua franca for teaching and learning at a German university.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Acknowledgement xi
- The dynamics of English in a multilingual Europe 1
- The increasing role of English in Basque education 15
- English language testing 31
- When comprehension is crucial 51
- English as a lingua franca and the Standard English misunderstanding 71
- The early acquisition of English as a second language 95
- “The more languages, the more English?” 113
- Conceptualizing ‘English’ for a multilingual Europe 133
- English as a foreign language 147
- Index 167
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Acknowledgement xi
- The dynamics of English in a multilingual Europe 1
- The increasing role of English in Basque education 15
- English language testing 31
- When comprehension is crucial 51
- English as a lingua franca and the Standard English misunderstanding 71
- The early acquisition of English as a second language 95
- “The more languages, the more English?” 113
- Conceptualizing ‘English’ for a multilingual Europe 133
- English as a foreign language 147
- Index 167
