English As a Lingua Franca

Available for over a year

Most conversations in English are among people who aren't native speakers of the language. In universities around the world, vast voice banks are being compiled by researchers who are examining the use of English as a contact language in a globalized world. They believe their work has implications for the way in which English is taught: for too long, they say, students have been given native speaker standards of correctness as their model. But is there really such a thing as English as a Lingua Franca? Chris Ledgard investigates.