Year: 2017
Type: book-review
Abstract: The Cultural and Intercultural Dimensions of English as a Lingua Franca is a challenging collection which questions certain orthodoxies deemed to be counterproductive and of the past, such as the uncritical use of the concept of culture, the obsession with cultural differences, and the straitjacketing of individuals. This volume also reminds us that culture is not always congruent with nations or ethnic groups as ‘a volatile and mobile, fluid and invisible frontier can separate those who seem near, and unite those whose language and culture seem to separate’ (Augé 2010: 7, translated). It is therefore necessary to promote a situated understanding, which does not try to simplify and essentialize ‘other’ cultures. This collection is also highly readable, as it sheds light on the interconnections and inter-relationships between interculturality and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in ways that have not often been foregrounded previously. In fact, earlier attempts to examine lingua francas have generally tended to focus more on the linguistic, syntactic, phonological, and pragmatic elements of a language, as well as on intelligibility and other sociolinguistic features (see, for example, McGroarty 2006). However, using and understanding language in communication obviously goes beyond static, reified, normative, and discrete forms of language and interaction to account for individuals’ (inter)subjectivities, which are influenced by a multiplicity of factors. This is why O’ Regan suggests, for example, using the term ‘lingua franca Englishes’ (LFEs) (p. 212) to capture simultaneously the singular and the plural of intercultural encounters where more than one variant in English is present (including the personal imprint provided by each speaker). LFEs, like other lingua francas, are not cultural vacuums, as in all contexts of language use, language and culture are fundamentally connected. There is in fact no such thing as ‘neutral’ communication as all communication involves participants, settings, purposes, and linguistic and other communicative choices, none of which are culturally neutral (Baker 2015).
Source: ELT Journal
DOI: 10.1093/elt/ccx040
Author: Franca Poppi
Institution: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2743101798