Developing competence for ELF communication through pedagogical lingua franca immersion

• Published in: Research papers in language teaching and learning Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 12 - 29
• Main Author: Kohn, Kurt
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Patras Hellenic Open University 01-06-2024
• Subjects: Blended learning; Case studies; Empathy; English as a second language; English as a second language instruction; English as a second language teaching methods; English as an international language; Foreign language instruction; Foreign language learning; Interpersonal communication; Language varieties; Pragmatics; Teacher education
• ISSN: 1792-1244

Communicating in English as a lingua franca (ELF) exchanges is not fundamentally different from communicating in everyday exchanges. It should therefore be seen from a normalizing perspective. Clearly, speaker-learners are able to participate successfully in ELF communication, regardless of their linguacultural background and regardless of their English target variety in school. Successful ELF communication is possible for them because of (a) the social constructivist 'MY English' nature of their repertoire acquisition, and (b) their natural capability for communication, with its range of features from pragmatic creativity, strategic processing and contextual inferencing to cooperativity and empathetic rapport to communication monitoring. In light of these two qualities, the notorious normativity-diversity conflict between English language teaching (ELT) and how English is actually used can be resolved. The problem is not the specific variety of the English taught, but rather how it is taught, learned and used. Against this backdrop of a fresh perspective for reconciling ELT with ELF-enabling pedagogical interventions, I will introduce and discuss an immersive pedagogical lingua franca approach. Key issues concern its implementation in blended learning scenarios that combine virtual transcultural exchanges with pedagogical mentoring support in class. Case study observations provide evidence of its innovative potential for learners of English to develop their own voice as emancipated speakers of English. As regards teacher education, I will argue for an on-the-task coaching approach that respects teachers' autonomy while giving them the opportunity to further develop and refine their competence and skills by experiencing and reflecting on their students' pedagogical lingua franca immersion.