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This volume investigates the changes undergone by written communication in our globalized world as English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). The latter usually functions as a language for communication purposes, but also becomes a language for identification purposes. The study takes into account different web-genres: from the replication of existing genres in other media to cybergenres, whose key evolutionary force is the progressive exploitation of the new functionalities afforded by the new medium. The variety of the contexts of use has made it possible to consider different ELF-using communities of practice, whose members adopt ELF and adapt it to express individual, national and professional identities in international interactions. The analysis focuses on lexicogrammatical innovations, which inevitably change in accordance with the different contexts of use, as well as on the communicative strategies underpinning these changes.
List of contents
Contents: The Use of English for International Communication - EFL Learners or ELF Users? - News Discourse and ELF Membership: The Case of The Hindustan Times - News Discourse and ELF Membership: The Case of The Baltic Times - News Discourse and ELF Membership: The Case of The China Daily - Communicating in Business Contexts - Language Innovation and Corporate Identity - The Language of Corporate Websites - Politeness Strategies and Cultural Differences in E-mail Communication - Internal Corporate Communication: The Use of E-mails in an Internationally-operating Company.
About the author
Franca Poppi is Associate Professor of English Language and Translation at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, where she is also Director of the Master Course in Languages for Communicating in Businesses and International Organizations. She has published on various aspects of teacher-learner interaction, learner autonomy and advising in self-instruction. Her current research centers on English as an international lingua franca.
