In this article,. I will discuss the position of English as an international language, as a lingua franca in Europe. I will do this from the perspective of a non-native speaker of English, and this is indeed the most relevant perspective if we want to discuss the question 'which English for Europe?', because it is non-native speakers who know and experience what kind of problems they encounter ...

It is increasingly acknowledged in applied linguistics that non-native speakers of English outnumber native speakers. This article reflects on the continued momentum of the debate regarding English as a lingua franca (ELF) with a view to situating the discussion within a broader framework than has been the case hitherto. The article considers the current situation in light of theoretical positi...

English has served as a means of communication among speakers of different first languages (i.e. a lingua franca) for many centuries. Yet its present spread and use are so new that English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in its current global manifestation did not exist as recently as 1946 when this Journal was launched. During the 20 years or so since it was first identified and empirically researche...