11.05.2023, 10:30-English as a Lingua Franca: The pragmatic perspective

Laboratory Activities

In-person lecture
Conference room, third floor, building D3

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Abstract

The presentation claims that English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is a language use mode that puts a variety, or several varieties of English to use in interactions between speakers whose L1 is other than English. Here arises the basic problem for ELF research: With no native speakers participating in the language game how much will players stick to the original rules of the game? Analysis of ELF interactions demonstrates that the nature of intersubjectivity seems to be being changed. There is more reliance on language created ad hoc by individuals in the course of interaction than on prefabricated language and pre-existing frames as it happens in L1. So, the role of individual with his/her individual background, prior experience, language use habits and creativity in general increases. How does this affect the social nature of interaction? To explain these and other intriguing questions the presentation, on the one hand, brings the main viewpoints of the Gricean paradigm into ELF research, and on the other hand it explains how Gricean pragmatics can benefit from investigating and analyzing ELF.

Speaker
Istvan Kecskes
State University of New York, Albany

Coordinator
Siria Guzzo
University of Salerno