Language and Learning in the International University : From English Uniformity to Diversity and Hybridity

This book views the international university as a microcosm of a world where internationalization does not equate with across-the-board use of English, but rather with the practice of linguistic and cultural diversity, even in the face of Anglophone dominance. The globalization-localization continuum manifests itself in every university trying to adopt internationalization strategies. The many cases of language and learning issues presented in this book, from universities representing different parts of the world, are all manifestations of a multidimensional space encompassing local vs. global, diversification vs. Anglicization. The internationalization of universities represents a new cultural and linguistic hybridity with the potential to develop new forms of identities unfettered by traditional 'us-and-them' binary thinking, and a new open-mindedness about the roles of self and others, resulting in new patterns of communicative (educational and social) practices.

The editors are all affiliated with Roskilde University, Denmark, as well as the international research centre, ‘Cultural and Linguistic Practices in the International University’ (CALPIU). Bent Preisler is Professor of English Sociolinguistics, and founder and director of CALPIU. His main research includes works on the functions of English in an international context.

Ida Klitgård is Associate Professor in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Her work includes stylistics and rhetoric, currently focusing on the concept of plagiarism in student written assignments.

Anne H. Fabricius is Associate Professor of English. Her main research area is sociophonetics, with wider interests in quantitative sociolinguistics, sociolinguistic methodology and the analysis of spoken language.