Postface

Abstract

ABSTRACT The contributions in this special issue raise many relevant questions on different levels concerning language policy, the quality of knowledge construction, equality of opportunities, etc. but also, the type of language(s) used in Academia. In summary, a multilingual context and plurilingual practices have a much greater impact on the construction and dissemination of knowledge than assumed by the general public – and many researchers. If the construction of knowledge, in particular in international teams, is linguistically more diverse than its dissemination through publications, the subsequent language choice is not completely predeterminated. Besides ‘English as Lingua Franca’ (ELF), other forms of plurilanguaging or translanguaging confirm the flexibility in implementing multiple repertoires in the construction and transmission of academic knowledge. The history of European science since the Middle Age onwards confirms this assumption in the sense that it can be read like the history of European multilingualism.