Plurilingual communication in ELF talk. From exploration to application of ELF-oriented perspectives


Abstract


Abstract – Speakers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds have increasingly come into contact on a global scale and have adopted English as a contact language, a lingua franca, in contexts where the language is used for various communicative purposes. It is observed that multilingual speakers, belonging to different “linguacultural backgrounds” (Cogo, Dewey 2012), draw on a variety of linguistic repertoires which are dynamically and creatively exploited and modified during the interaction. As a consequence, innovative usage and forms emerge, therefore offering unique insights to researchers and scholars interested in the study of ELF communication. In the present paper, one aspect of ELF communication will be emphasized; the “accommodation” strategies employed by ELF speakers when they negotiate meaning. In particular, attention will be given to “repair strategies” (Kaur 2011) and “cognates” (Hülmbauer 2011) in ELF interactional practices. The aim is not only to show the “mutually supportive nature” (Seidlhofer 2001) of such strategies but also how the negotiation processes at work are responsible for new lingua franca usage. More in depth investigation into the underlying linguistic and cognitive processes which contribute to the meaning-making process in ELF communication will be suggested. Consequently, an enhanced knowledge of ELF interactional moves will provide new insights into ELT practices where the role of English as a lingua franca is largely underestimated (Dewey 2011). Awareness of ELF theoretical concepts and empirical findings will be useful to expand traditional language teaching horizons and language policies as well as reduce the gap between how teachers perceive language and communication and  how real communication in the global English world currently takes place. The need to re-examine traditional methodological practices will be therefore highlighted.

DOI Code: 10.1285/i22390359v19p153

Keywords: Keywords, ELF talk; plurilingualism; intercultural communication; negotiation strategies; challenging pedagogies.

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