Cover not available

In:Foreign Language Education in Multilingual Classrooms
Edited by Andreas Bonnet and Peter Siemund
[Hamburg Studies on Linguistic Diversity 7] 2018
► pp. 359–380

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload Book PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload Book EPUB
authorization required

English as a lingua franca at the multilingual university

A comparison of monolingually and multilingually raised students and instructors

 | University of Hamburg, Germany
Published online: 24 October 2018
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/hsld.7.16mue
Through an explorative study, we have begun to examine what other languages can be found at the University of Hamburg and what roles these languages play alongside German and English in university instruction. In the first portion of the data collection process, 1454 students and 341 instructors shared information about their multilingual resources, their attitudes and motivation regarding English as a lingua franca, multilingualism and German as a foreign language via an online questionnaire. Initial results show that multilingually raised participants tended to report higher levels of language proficiency in more languages and exhibit important differences related to their attitudes towards and motivations for learning English compared to their monolingually raised peers.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Research to date
  • 3.Hypotheses
  • 4.Methods
    • 4.1Procedure
    • 4.2Participants
      • 4.2.1Students
      • 4.2.2Instructors
    • 4.3Instruments
    • 4.4Statistical analysis
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Mother tongues
      • 5.1.1Students
      • 5.1.2Instructors
    • 5.2Self-assessment of language competencies and skills
      • 5.2.1Students vs. instructors
      • 5.2.2Comparisons: Trends amongst multilingually raised vs. monolingually raised participants
    • 5.3Instructors’ teaching-related English skills
  • 6.Discussion
  • Note
  • References
  • Appendix
References (33)
References
Bolton, K. & Kuteeva, M. 2012. English as an academic language at a Swedish university: Parallel language use and the ‘threat’ of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 33: 429–447. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Canagarajah, S. 2007. Lingua franca English, multilingual communities, and language acquisition. The Modern Language Journal 91: 923–939. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cook, V. 1991. The poverty-of-the-stimulus argument and multicompetence. Second Language Research 7 (2): 103–117. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2009. Multilingual universal grammar as the norm. In Third Language Acquisition and Universal Grammar, Y -k. I. Leung (ed.), 325–344. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Council of Europe. 2001. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cummins, J. 1979. Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Review of Educational Research 49(2): 222–251. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1980. The cross-lingual dimensions of language proficiency: Implications for bilingual education and the optimal age issue. TESOL Quarterly 14(2): 175–182. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
1984. Bilingualism and Special Education: Issues in Assessment and Pedagogy. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2000. Language, Power, and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2008. Teaching for transfer: Challenging the two solitudes assumption in bilingual education. In Encyclopedia of Language and Education, N. H. Hornberger (ed.), 1528–1538. Dordrecht: Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2013. Current research on language transfer: Implications for language teaching policy and practice. In Multilingualism and Language Diversity in Urban Areas [Hamburg Studies on Linguistic Diversity 1], P. Siemund, I. Gogolin, M. E. Schulz & J. Davydova (eds), 289–304. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ferguson, G. 2009. Issues in researching English as a lingua franca: A conceptual enquiry. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 19(2): 117–135. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Firth. A. 1996. The discursive accomplishment of normality. On ‘lingua franca’ English and conversational analysis. Journal of Pragmatics 26: 237–259. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Firth, A. 2009. The lingua franca factor. International Pragmatics 6(2): 147–170.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Grosjean, F. 2008. The bilingual’s language modes. In Studying Bilinguals, F. Grosjean (ed.), 37–66. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2010. Bilingual: Life and Reality. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Herdina, P. & Jessner, U. 2012. A Dynamic Model of Multilingualism: Perspectives of Change in Psycholinguistics. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
House, J. 1999. Misunderstanding in intercultural communication: Interactions in English as a lingua franca and the myth of mutual intelligibility. In Teaching and Learning English as a Global Language, C. Gnutzmann (ed.), 73–92. Tübingen: Stauffenburg.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2003. English as a lingua franca: A threat to multilingualism? Journal of Sociolinguistics 7(4): 556–578. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hymes, D. 1972. On communicative competence. In Sociolinguistics, J. B. Pride & J. Holms (eds), 269–293. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jenkins, J. 2006. Points of view and blind spots: ELF and SLA. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 16(2): 137–162. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2007. English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Klimpfinger, T. 2009. “‘She’s mixing the two languages together.’ Forms and functions of code-switching in English as a lingua franca” – Forms and Functions of Code-Switching in English as a Lingua Franca. In English as a Lingua Franca. Studies and Findings, A. Mauranen & E. Ranta (eds), 348–371. Newcastle upon Thyne: Cambridge Scholars.
Ljosland, R. 2014. Language planning confronted by everyday communication in the international university: The Norwegian case. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development 35(4): 392–405. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MacKenzie, I. 2012. English as a lingua franca in Europe: Bilingualism and multicompetence. International Journal of Multilingualism 9(1): 83–100. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mauranen, A. & Ranta, E. (eds). 2009. English as a Lingua Franca: Studies and Findings. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schaller-Schwaner, I. 2011. The eye of the beholder: Is English as a lingua franca in academic settings a monolingual or multilingual practice? Language Learning in Higher Education (Journal of CercleS) 1(2): 423–446.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Seidlhofer, B. 2001. Closing a conceptual gap: The case for a description of English as a lingua franca. International Journal of Applied Linguistics 11(2): 133–158. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2009. Orientations in ELF Research: Form and Function. In English as a Lingua Franca. Studies and Findings, A. Mauranen & E. Ranta (eds), 37–59. Newcastle upon Thyne: Cambridge Scholars.
2010. Lingua franca English – The European context. In The Routledge Handbook of World Englishes, A. Kirkpatrick (ed.), 355–371. Abingdon: Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
2011. Understanding English as a Lingua Franca. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Seidlhofer, B., Breiteneder, A. & Pitzl, M. -L. 2006. English as a lingua franca in Europe: Challenges for applied linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 26: 3–34. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Siemund, P., Schulz, M. E. & Schweinberger, M. 2014. Studying the linguistic ecology of Singapore: A comparison of college and university students. World Englishes 33(3): 340–362. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (5)

Cited by five other publications

Moenandar, Sjoerd-Jeroen, Floor Basten, Giti Taran, Ariadni Panagoulia, Gemma Coughlan & Joana Duarte
2024. The structured narrative interview. Narrative Inquiry 34:2 ► pp. 307 ff. DOI logo
Siemund, Peter & Eliane Lorenz
2024. Multilingual advantages. In Multifaceted Multilingualism [Studies in Bilingualism, 66], ► pp. 123 ff. DOI logo
Melo-Pfeifer, Sílvia
2020. Is it just ‘black’ or ‘white’?Multilingual collaborative research seen through the practices of an international research team. European Journal of Higher Education 10:3 ► pp. 308 ff. DOI logo
Palacios-Hidalgo, Francisco Javier, Cristina A. Huertas-Abril & María Elena Gómez-Parra
2020. EFL Teachers' Perceptions on the Potential of MOOCs for Lifelong Learning. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies 15:4 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Melo-Pfeifer, Sílvia & Patchareerat Yanaprasart
2019. Introduction: plurilingual expatriate teachers in higher education. European Journal of Higher Education 9:3 ► pp. 244 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 11 december 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue