English in Germany as a foreign language and as a lingua franca

Bibliographic Data

ID2294077
AuthorsC Mair (0000-0001-6549-4951, Englisches Seminar, University of Freiburg Freiburg Germany, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume43
Issue2
Pages244-258
Publication date2024-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWorld Englishes (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0883-2919 • E-ISSN: 1467-971X
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/weng.12641
OpenAlexW4393384582
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited25

The massive expansion of English in Germany over the past few decades has not challenged a robustly exonormative orientation, which still by and large recognises standardised British and American English as the most authentic and prestigious representations of the language. Attitudes to the use of English in the national context are diverse, ranging from enthusiastic embracement via grudging acceptance to active resistance. This diversity of opinion reflects the fact that English is currently transitioning from a foreign language (EFL) to a lingua franca (ELF). On the national scale, ELF use is promoted in business, academia and, more generally, among young and well-educated Germans with an international orientation, but deeply resented by sectors of society. This paper argues that English (in its lingua franca function) has become the only language other than German that has open prestige. The task ahead will be to develop strategies of intelligent multilingualism that will help to 'domesticate' English in the national sociolinguistic context

English as a lingua franca · Lingua franca · Linguistics · Political science · Sociology · Gender Studies in Language · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Linguistics, Language Diversity, and Identity · Philosophy

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