Email this article Attitudes and Identities: Which factors affect successful communication in ELF contexts
Abstract
The study will attempt to explore the relationship between language and culture from a cultural and intercultural perspective, drawing on the concept of linguistic and “cultural flows” (Pennycook 2007) as well as on the idea that culture and language are “nested systems, systems within systems, which mutually co-evolve with each influencing and adapting to the other and with the boundaries between them as fuzzy and blurred” (Baker 2015). The intercultural nature of English will be highlighted in the attempt to identify which factors are more likely to contribute to successful intercultural communication. The study will analyse the attitudes and perceptions of two sample groups. The first sample is composed of students belonging to different first language backgrounds, mainly non-native speakers of English studying in a non-target language environment, the University of Calabria (South of Italy). The second sample is made up of both native and non-native English speakers studying in target-language environments, Chicago Loyola University (USA) and University of Alberta (Canada) where English is not only the main means of communication but also the main medium of academic instruction. An online link to a questionnaire was sent via email to all participants and was used as a research instrument to collect quantitative data. In particular, the study will investigate whether exposure to non-native English and familiarity with multicultural academic communities encourage participants to manifest more or less positive attitudes and awareness towards the relation between culture and language and the factors facilitating or hindering intercultural communication through English. Finally, native/non-native speakers responses will be compared. The purpose will be to shed further light on the factors affecting intercultural communication in ELF contexts, in the hope to gain useful insights that may encourage language teachers to incorporate Intercultural Communication issues in the language classroom. The preliminary results will be presented and pedagogical considerations suggested.
References
Baker W. 2015, Culture and identity through English as a Lingua Franca: rethinking concepts and goals in Intercultural Communication, de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501502149 (08.07.2021).
Bausinger H. 1999, Intercultural demands and cultural identity, in Vestergaard T. (ed.), Language, Culture and Identity, Aalborg University Press, Aalborg, pp. 11-22.
Bialystok E. and Hakuta K. 1994, In other words: the science and psychology of second language acquisition, BasicBooks, New York.
Block D. 2007, Second Language Identities, Continuum, London.
Bohrnstedt G.W. and Knoke D. 1994, Statistics for Social Data Analysis, F.E. Peacock Publisher Inc., Itasca, Ill.
Canagarajah S. (ed.) 2005, Reclaiming the local in language policy and practice, L. Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, N.J./London.
Canagarajah S. 2007, Lingua Franca English, Multilingual Communities, and Language Acquisition, in “The Modern Language Journal” 91 [5], pp. 923-939.
Canagarajah S. 2013, Translingual Practice: Global Englishes and Cosmopolitan Relations, Routledge, London.
Cogo A. 2016, They all take the risk and make the effort: Intercultural accommodation and multilingualism in a BELF community of practice, in Lopriore L. and Grazzi E. (eds.), Intercultural Communication: New Perspectives from ELF, Roma Tre Press, Rome, pp. 365-383.
Cogo A. and Dewey M. 2006, Efficiency in ELF communication: From pragmatic motives to lexico-grammatical innovations, in “NJES” 5 [2], pp. 59-91
Cogo A. and Dewey M. 2012, Analysing English as a Lingua Franca. A Corpus-driven investigation, Continuum International Publishing Group, London.
De Bartolo A.M. 2021, Investigating international students’ perceptions towards ELF and Intercultural Communication: a case study, in Bevilacqua M., Pellegrino R. e Vaccaro V.A. (eds.), Centri Linguistici di Ateneo: strategie d’intervento nei processi di comunicazione interlinguistica e interculturale, Edizioni Scientifiche Italiane, Napoli, pp. 27-46.
Firth A. 1996, The discursive accomplishment of normality: On ‘lingua franca’ English and conversation analysis, in “Journal of Pragmatics” 26, pp. 237-259.
Firth A. 2009, The lingua franca factor, in “Intercultural Pragmatics” 6 [2], pp. 147-170. https://doi.org/10.1515/iprg.2009.009 (10.07.2021).
Gee J.P. 2008, Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in Discourse, Routledge, New York.
Hall S. 2003, Cultural identity and diaspora, in Braziel J.E. and Mannur A. (eds.), Theorizing Diaspora: A Reader, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Malden, MA, pp. 233-246.
Haslam A.S. 2001, Psychology in organizations: The social identity approach, Sage Publications Ltd, London.
Higgins C. 2007, Constructing membership in the in-group: affiliation and resistance among urban Tanzanians, in “Pragmatics” 17 [1], pp. 49-70. https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.17.1.05hig (10.07.2021).
House J. 2009, Introduction: The pragmatics of English as a Lingua Franca, in “Intercultural pragmatics” 6 [2], pp. 141-145. https://doi.org/10.1515/iprg.2009.008 (10.07.2021).
Hulmbauer C. 2009, We don’t take the right way. We just take the way that we think you will understand-the shifting relationship between correctness and effectiveness in ELF, in Mauranen A. and Ranta E. (eds.), English as a lingua franca: studies and findings, Cambridge Scholars Press, Newcastle, pp. 323-347.
Jenkins J. 2006, Current perspectives on teaching World Englishes and English as a Lingua Franca, in “TESOL Quarterly” 40 [1], pp. 157-181.
Jenkins J. 2015, Global Englishes: a resource book for students (3rd edition), Routledge, London. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315761596 (15.07.2021).
Jenkins J., Cogo A. and Dewey M. 2011, Review of developments in research into English as a Lingua Franca, in “Language Teaching” 44 [3], pp. 281-315.
Kang O. and Rubin D.L. 2009, Reverse Linguistic Stereotyping: Measuring the effect of listener expectations on speech evaluation, in “Journal of Language and Social Psychology” 28, pp. 441-45. 10.1177/0261927X99018001005 (15.07.2021).
Kaur J. 2011, Doing being a Language Expert: The case of the ELF Speaker, in Archibald A., Cogo A. and Jenkins J. (eds.), Latest Trends in ELF Research, Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle, pp. 53-76.
McCrocklin S. and Link S. 2014, What is identity? ELL and bilinguals’ views on the role of accent, in Levis J. and McCrocklin S. (eds), Proceedings of the 5th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, pp. 137-144.
McCrocklin S., Blanquera K.P. and Loera D. 2018, Student perceptions of university instructor accent in a linguistically diverse area, in Levis J. (ed.), Proceedings of the 9th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching conference, Sept 2017, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, pp. 141-150.
Mori J. 2003, The construction of interculturality: A study of initial encounters between Japanese and American students, in “Research on Language and Social Interaction” 36 [2], pp. 143-184. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327973rlsi3602_3 (15.07.2021).
Pavlenko A. and Blackledge A. 2004, Negotiation of Identities in Multilingual Contexts, Cromwell Press, Ltd, Great Britain.
Pennycook A. 2007, Global Englishes and transcultural flows, Routledge, London.
Pitzl M.L. 2010, English as a lingua franca in International Business: Resolving Miscommunication and Reaching Shared Understanding, Saarbrücken VDM-Verlag Muller.
Pitzl M.L. 2012, Creativity meets conventions: idiom variation and re-metaphorization in ELF, in “Journal of English as a Lingua Franca” 1 [1], pp. 27-55. https://doi.org/10.1515/jelf-2012-0003 (15.07.2021).
Pullen E. 2012, Cultural Identity, Pronunciation and Attitudes of Turkish speakers of English: Language identity in an EFL context, in Levis J. and LeVelle K. (eds.), Proceedings of the 3rd Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, Sept. 2011, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, pp. 65-83.
Pullin Stark P. 2009, ‘No joke – this is serious!’ Power, solidarity and humor in business English as a Lingua Franca (BELF), in Mauranen A. and Ranta E. (eds.), English as a lingua franca: studies and findings, Cambridge Scholars Press, Newcastle, pp. 152-177.
Reed B.S. 2012, A conversation analytic perspective on teaching English pronunciation: The case of speech rhythm, in “International Journal of Applied Linguistics” 22 [1], pp. 67-87.
Risager K. 2006, Language and culture: global flows and local complexity, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon.
Risager K. 2007, Language and cultural pedagogy, Multilingual Matters, Clevedon.
Seidlhofer B. 2004, Research perspectives on teaching English as a lingua franca, in “Annual Review of Applied Linguistics” 24, pp. 209-239.
Seidlhofer B. 2011, Understanding English as a Lingua Franca, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Seidlhofer B. and Widdowson H. 2009, Accommodation and the idiom principle in English as a lingua franca, in Murata K. and Jenkins J. (eds.), Global Englishes in Asian Contexts: current and future debates, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 26-39. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230239531_3 (15.07.2021).
Sifakis N. 2014, Teaching pronunciation in the post-EFL area: Lessons from ELF and implications for teacher education, in Martinez Agudos J. (ed.), English as a foreign language teacher education. Current perspectives and challenges, Rodopi, Amsterdam/New York, pp. 127-146.
Tomalin B. 2008, Making Culture Happen in the EL Classroom. http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/culture-fifth-language-skill (18.07.2021).
Wolfartsberger A. 2011, ELF Business/Business ELF: Form and Function in Simultaneous Speech, in Archibald A., Cogo A. and Jenkins J. (eds.), Latest Trends in ELF Research, Cambridge Scholars, Newcastle, pp. 163-184.
Young T.J. and Sercombe P. 2010, Communication, discourses and interculturality, in “Language and Intercultural Communication” 10 [3], pp. 181-188.
Zhu H. 2010, Language socialization and interculturality: address terms in intergenerational talk in Chinese diasporic families, in “Language and Intercultural Communication” 10 [3], pp. 189-205. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708470903348531 (18.07.2021).
Zhu H. 2011, The language and intercultural communication reader, Routledge, Abingdon.
Zhu H. 2014, Exploring intercultural communication: language in action, Routledge, Abingdon https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315159010 (18.07.2021).
Full Text: PDF
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
