Elf and Applied Linguistics : Reconsidering Applied Linguistics Research from Elf Perspectives

With help from a global cast of scholars, Kumiko Murata explores the remodelling of the discipline of applied linguistics, which traditionally regarded Anglophone native-speaker English as the standard for English as a lingua franca (ELF).

This edited volume probes the dichotomy between the current focus of applied linguistic research and a drastically changed English use in a globalised world. This division is approached from diverse perspectives and with the overarching understanding of ELF as an indispensable area of applied linguistics research. The volume includes theoretical backgrounds to English as a lingua franca, the nature of ELF interactions, language policy and practice from an ELF perspective, and the relationship between multilingualism and ELF.

A resourceful book not only to ELF researchers but also applied linguists in general, as well as policy makers, administrators, practicing teachers, and university students from diverse linguacultural backgrounds.

Kumiko Murata is Professor Emeritus of English and Applied Linguistics at the School of Education and the Graduate School of Education, Waseda University. Her research interests include ELF, conversation and discourse analyses, pragmatics, intercultural communication, and language teaching. Her recent edited books include Exploring ELF in Japanese Academic and Business Contexts: Conceptualization, Research and Pedagogic Implications (2016, Routledge), English-Medium Instruction from an English as a Lingua Franca Perspective: Exploring the Higher Education Context (2019, Routledge), and ELF Research Methods and Approaches to Data and Analyses: Theoretical and Methodological Underpinnings (2021, Routledge).