Academic Writing for Publication and English as a Lingua Franca Audiences

Abstract

English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) has been described 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” (Seidlhofer, 2011, p. 7). ELF is not used exclusively among non-native speakers; the “first languages” in this description include English (Jenkins, 2009; Seidlhofer, 2011). In spoken ELF interactions, when there are differences in language proficiency or difficulty in comprehension, speakers tend to cooperate to help the interaction succeed (Mauranen, 2012; Seidlhofer, 2011). The study of written ELF in academic settings (WrELFA) is an emerging field (see http://www.helsinki.fi/englanti/elfa/wrelfa); if and how ELF authors of academic papers write differently from native English speaking authors for the success of their interactions with audiences are not yet known. As non-native English-speaking teachers and other language education professionals find increasing acceptance in the field (see Yilin Sun’s article in this issue), these audiences include growing numbers of ELF users. In the absence of studies on the topic, as an advocate for both our authors and our audience, I recommend that authors, regardless of their first language, consider how to successfully communicate with audiences which include ELF users.