Volume 10, Issue 2

This article explores similarities between English as a lingua franca (ELF) and International Sign (IS), two lingua franca phenomena which in the last decades have been subject to increasing, albeit independent, linguistic research. In contrast to spoken intercultural communication, in which English often represents a shared resource that speakers from different linguacultural backgrounds draw on, in the visual-gestural modality no specific sign language has yet gained such global reach. Instead, in many international contexts IS is used: a lingua franca that can be more or less conventionalized and that is not based on one particular sign language. IS use depends on the communicative situation, in which signers flexibly and creatively use different signs from natural sign languages as well as iconic elements and gestures. Despite overt formal differences between ELF and IS, when focusing on the actual communication process, rather than the forms that result from it, the two lingua franca phenomena share many similarities. In fact, both ELF and IS are variable communicative means that get situationally adapted by speakers and signers on the basis of different resources they have at their disposal. Similar discussions about the difficulty of conceptualizing ELF and IS, about the role of multilingual resources, and about interaction processes at play can thus be found in both ELF and IS literature. This insight opens up new possibilities for researchers in the two fields to mutually benefit from the study of lingua franca communication in the other modality, which prompts the need for a cross-modal collaboration between ELF and IS researchers.

Recent global developments have intensified the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF), the principal means of communication employed among speakers of different linguistic backgrounds to interact worldwide. Consequently, there has been a growing interest in the pedagogical implications and applications of ELF in language teaching and learning. Few works, though, have investigated the influence of ELF in bilingual education such as in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). The current paper describes the design and implementation of a CLIL + ELF observation tool that was used to study a pilot CLIL program in Taiwan and to anticipate CLIL teachers’ training needs. The data collected from the rubric were contrasted with several unstructured interviews. The rubric contains 10 criteria developed from previous CLIL and ELF studies including: learners’ L1 and L2 proficiency; teachers’ L2 proficiency; teachers’ ability to reflect upon their practice; their familiarity with CLIL and ELF methodologies; and the school’s commitment to bilingual education and language policy considerations. Using these criteria, the researchers identified many positive results such as teachers’ growing familiarity with CLIL and their use of class management language, content-related language, and academic communication. The study also suggests areas for improvement such as the need for teacher training regarding ELF.

Despite the sheer reality of English used as a lingua franca in and outside L2 English classrooms, many teachers are still unaware of the concept of English as a lingua franca (ELF), which makes integration of ELF awareness into teacher education essential. This study presents an “ELF-aware” education model for pre-service teachers and analyses the definitions of ELF made by the pre-service teachers exposed to this model before, during and after their training and documents the ways they changed, if any. The data were collected by an open-ended questionnaire and semi-structured interviews which were thematically analysed. According to our findings, ELF conceptualizations reveal increased awareness. Perceptions of ELF changed from a global concept to a communicative construct and ultimately to a humanistic pedagogical perspective accepting non-native users of English with their own variability. The data imply the evolving roles of the participants from (i) outsiders to ELF to (ii) ELF-aware users and owners of English and ultimately to (iii) potential ELF-aware practitioners and disseminators of ELF knowledge. With variability of definitions and implied roles changing at each phase of the training, the ELF-aware pre-service teacher education model has proved to be effective in making the participants increasingly aware of the ELF concept.

Talks have been of interest for researchers who have compared different modes of scientific speeches such as traditional formal lectures, conferences and storyboarding technology, entertainment, and design (TED) talks. This article aims at exploring effective approaches to knowledge dissemination for non-native speakers in English Public Speaking (EPS) scenarios, a current challenge for international university students or academics, who need to adapt the format of the lecture or conference to a more persuasive and engaging public speech. TED Talks allow information consumers either in real time halls or in ubiquitous online performances to listen to well-explained verbal ideas that connect nonverbal language and emotions with the international audience. The hypothesis, therefore, is that TED Talks can serve as models of multimodal dissemination pitches to English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) speakers, who can be trained to improve their speech performance and convey their scientific notions and results successfully. After analysing the 10 most popular TED Talks, the findings suggest a set of strategies and techniques that can be useful for non-native learners in English Public Speaking contexts or for users of English as a Lingua Franca in their dissemination talks. The results provide some common pedagogical affordances for ELF dissemination talks, considering multimodal and nonverbal communication.

In the Expanding Circle (i.e. countries where English is traditionally learned as a “foreign language”), the concept lingua franca cannot be limited to English. Conducted in a Japanese university, this study reports on the perceptions of verbal behaviours by students in multicultural courses where international and Japanese students studied together. These behaviours were analysed and the findings from English medium instruction courses and those of Japanese-medium instruction (JMI) courses were compared. Then, further analysis centred on JMI courses to explore the roles of Japanese L1 speakers in the co-construction of Japanese as a lingua franca with a focus on cognitive and psychological, rather than linguistic, perspectives. Rapport building, accommodation strategies, often initiated by L1 Japanese speakers, and the spontaneous interactions of second language (L2) speakers in discussions, are assumed to have been the keys to more inclusive interactions in JMI courses. The findings emphasize the importance of students’ attitudes and imply that intercultural education in the context, including both L1 speakers and L2 speakers, will have potential to foster effective lingua franca users.