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Concept
English as a lingua franca
Summary
English as a lingua franca (ELF) is the use of the English language "as a global means of inter-community communication" and can be understood as "any use of English among speakers of different first languages for whom English is the communicative medium of choice and often the only option". ELF is "defined functionally by its use in intercultural communication rather than formally by its reference to native-speaker norms" whereas English as a second or 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 in spoken, written and in computer-mediated communication. ELF research focuses on the pragmatics of variation which is manifest in the variable use of the resources of English for a wide range of globalized purposes, in important formal encounters such as business transactions, international diplomacy and conflict resolution, as well as in informal exchanges between international friends.
Major technological advances in the 21st century have enabled instant global communication, thus breaking the barriers of space and time between different locations on the planet. The world has turned into an interconnected global system, which requires a shared means of communication. English fulfills the need for a global lingua franca, as it has spread to large areas of the world due to various factors such as:
Spread of the Latin script;
Colonisation, mainly by the British Empire, thereby making English into the language with the most countries recognizing it as an official language;
The widespread teaching of English as a second or foreign language;
Spread of Christianity via Christian missions and Christianization;
American manufacturing and exporting might;
The development of the American research university, which enabled the United States to lead the world in the academic development of science, engineering, arts, and humanities;
Consumption and influence of core Anglosphere entertainment industries, including film, music and literature;
American military and political hegemony over Western Europe due to the American and British victory in World War II, followed by the spread of English to many parts of Eastern Europe and former Eastern Bloc countries after the Revolutions of 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, with the subsequent enlargement of the European Union encouraging said spread of English; and
The invention of the Internet, its first widespread use in the United States, and English being the most used language on the Internet.
Official source
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