English as a Lingua Franca

                                             ELF

What is ELF?

       English as a lingua franca (ELF) is the use of the English language as a Koiné language, "a common means of communication for speakers of different first languages". 
ELF is also "defined functionally by its use in intercultural communication rather than formally by its reference to native-speaker norms" whereas English as a foreign language aims at meeting native speaker norms and gives prominence to native speaker cultural aspects. While lingua francas have been used for centuries, what makes ELF a novel phenomenon is the extent to which it is used – both functionally and geographically. 
    A typical ELF conversation might involve an Italian and a Dane chatting at a coffee break of an international conference held in Brussels, a Spanish tourist asking a local for the way in Berlin, or a Punjabi Indian negotiating with a Tamil Indian salesperson at Chennai.

English as a lingua franca (2016). . In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_as_a_lingua_franca

     ELF has been studied by linguists interested in how its grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation is different from other varieties of English (Seidlhofer 2005). Other linguists have focussed on ELF as a process, rather than a product; noticing how speakers in multilingual situations are able to monitor each other's response and work out the grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, rate of speaking, volume, gestures, eye contact and so on that help communicate the messages needed to achieve a specific task (Smith 1983, Canagarajah 2007). Process-oriented ELF analysts are interested in how speakers monitor and adjust their language to meet their needs and the needs of the task they are engaged in.

English as a lingua franca (2016). . In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_as_a_lingua_franca

In-text citations: 

• (“English as a lingua franca,” 2016)
 

Zeynep Hazal Ceylan