English in the European Union after Brexit

The voting public, with the referendum of June 2016, have opted for a withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.Since the shockingand surprising even for those initiating the referendumresults have been made public, the EU and its citizens speculate about the possible withdrawal and its consequences.Media, and social media especially, have contributed to such speculations; however, they also reported on immediate social impacts which apparently are linked to the vote.The sentiments claimed to be mirrored by parts of the media were voices of pride, as well as voices of a not completely new but strengthened nationalism.Also among those sentiments were voices of regret, and of bitterness, too -the t itter hashtag oti a e i di ated that many young people of pre-oti g age, espe iall , ere terrified the refere du 's outcome.In parallel, video footage of xenophobic harassment appeared online, and seemed to reflect an increasing hatred of foreigners, which, again, seemed to be linked to the referendum.All in all, the Brexiters, it appears, did not only protest the EU, but expressed a general feeling of being overlooked and left behind.Nevertheless, their voice ill ha e a stro g i pa t o the EU's future, a d thus o the li es of those who want to stay in the EU, people of pre-voting age, in particular.The media, as usual, were not the sole observer of the Brexit phenomenon.Social science takes part in both opinionbuilding, and commenting on the phenomenon.This journal, dealing with questions of Europeanization, European encounters and policies from interdisciplinary perspectives, wants to contribute to the ongoing debate by inviting scholarly representatives of different fields to speak up and comment.The contributors are experts in their fields, ranging from law to sociology to cultural studies and economics; at the same time, transdisciplinary considerations have their due share in all contributions.John Benedicto Krejsler, Depart e t of Edu atio , Aarhus U i ersit , pro ides a o e tar o Bre it: an exit disaster or entry into a Kafkaesque process?Reflections from a Danish education a d resear h o te t .Krejsler focuses on the potentialand in fact already presentimpact of Brexit on the European education and research landscape.He discusses the possibility of exclusion of British research partners in ongoing grant application on EU level, due to uncertainty as to future policies after Brexit.Overall, national protectionisms might grow, whereas international collaboration within fields of education might decrease.In relation to the notion of a potentially new asymmetry, to the detriment of UK citizens, Krejsler touches upon the issue of English as a lingua franca in the EU and as the language of Higher Education; and he also addresses the mothertongue advantage of UK citizens in academia.Finally, Krejsler addresses the democratic deficit of the EU and the specific EU communication having alienated EU Culture, Practice and European Policy January citizens.This contribution is followed by the study of Ushma Chauhan Jacobsen, Depart e t of Busi ess Co u i atio , Aarhus U i ersit : E glish i the Europea Union after Brexit: Inclusion effects of a la guage ithout a o er .Ja o se deals with English as a lingua franca, and on the potential privilege this entails for native English speakers.The author, as a first step, reviews public discourse on the legitimacy of English as an official language of the EU.She identifies claims to let English, the language, follo its atio i ithdra i g fro the EU.After dis ussi g li guisti a d ultural concepts and after briefly sketching the history of the UK entry into the EU, Jacobsen concludes that English, as a shared foreign language, might well exert a democratizing effect on the remaining EU partners.English, she concludes, will remain the language of the EU, but maybe as a kind of democratized language without an owner.The third contribution to this volume, by Georg Vobruba, Institute of Sociology, Leipzig University, is titled Ce ter, peripher , shado .The geopoliti al pattern after Euro-, Schengencrisis and Brexit.It e eds the Bre it phe o e o i the EU's ge eral odus of risis, including the crisis of the common currency, as well as that of the Schengen area with its impact on further integration.Vobruba, in presenting 12 intertwined theses, informed by relevant sociological discourse and by observation of current political events, illustrates pote tial s e arios of ha ge of the EU's geopoliti al hara ter.Batrice Schtte, PhD, legal jour alist, o tri utes the title: The Bre it Refere du -Legal Aspe ts ."he maintains that, legally and contrary to populist sentiments, there is significantly more to the exit process than a simple proclamation of exiting.In the UK, especially, legislation influenced by EU law may need to be adjusted and beauraucratic obstacles might increase, both for UK and for EU citizens.Schtte argues that, in order to prevent other EU member states from following the UK example, EU-adherent states will have to demonstrate strict negotiation power.A lenient EU policy may transport the message that o e a ha e o e's ake a d eat it, too : states a get rid of perceived inconveniences -such as the intake of refugees -while at the same time enjoying EU membership advantages

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