ELF, Intercultural Communication and the Strategic Aspect of Communicative Competence

Researchers have argued that English as a lingua franca (ELF) is not a linguistic variety (Berns, 2009; Canagarajah, 2007; Friedrich & Matsuda, 2010); it is a function of the language given its possible domains of use. These domains multiply the more English is used around the world. If we accept that perspective, then what we see in ELF is actually a number of Englishes that are realized in different contexts and whose users then try to negotiate meaning in their particular contexts of use. This chapter will concentrate on the above take on English as a lingua franca, that is, the idea that in lingua franca situations, there is not necessarily a coincidence of linguistic forms but rather an acceptance that people need to communicate within a certain functional realm despite their possible pronunciation, grammatical, vocabulary, cultural and rhetorical differences.