X Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2018

The term English as a lingua franca (ELF) refers to the teaching, learning, and use of the English language as a contact language for speakers of different native languages, but some linguists have challenged the idea that ELF is a distinct variety of English. Sometimes there is a tendency to dismiss ELF as a kind of foreigner talk or what has been disparagingly called (BSE) "bad simple English." [5].

British linguist Jennifer Jenkins points out that ELF is not a new phenomenon. English, she says, "has served as a lingua franca in the past, and continues to do so nowadays, in many of the countries that were colonized by the British from the late sixteenth century on (often known collectively as the Outer Circle following Kachru 1985), such as India and Singapore. . . . What is new about ELF, however, is the extent of its reach" [2].

The way English is used as a lingua franca is heavily dependent on the specific situation of use. ELF interactions concentrate on function rather than form: getting the message across is more important than correctness [4].

Way back in 2000, Jenkins wrote a book about this way of using English, highlighting the aspects of pronunciation which appear important to produce and understand accurately if a learner’s goal is NOT to sound precisely like a native speaker, but mainly to communicate intelligibly with other non-native speakers [1].

One result of this research was the ‘Lingua Franca Core‘ (the ‘LFC‘). This is a list of pronunciation features which appear to be crucial to produce accurately in order for ELF communication to be intelligible [1].

1. Consonant sounds

• /θ/ and /ð/ may have substitutions such as /f/ and /v/, but probably not /ʃ/, /ʤ/ or /z/). All the other consonants are necessary [1].

• ‘Dark /l/’ (also written as [ɫ]) is not necessary [1].

• /r/ should be pronounced everywhere it occurs in spelling, as in American English [1].

• /t/ should not be replaced with a glottal stop (like in Cockney ‘better’) [1].

• The consonants /p/, /t/ and /k/ must be aspirated when occurring in initial position in a stressed syllable (e.g. the first /p/ in ‘paper’) [1].

2. Consonant clusters

• Clusters of consonants at the beginning of words must not be simplified (e.g. learners mustn’t drop the /r/ at the start of ‘product’) [1].

• Clusters of consonants in the middle or at the end of words are a bit more complicated. They can be simplified if it makes articulation easier, but only according to rules of elision (i.e. dropping sounds) that also apply to native English varieties (especially in clusters containing /t/ and /d/, like ‘postman’) [1].

• If learners have trouble producing consonant clusters, it’s usually OK to insert a very short schwa vowel between consonants, providing they don’t then stress this syllable (e.g. ‘product’ could be pronounced more like [pә’rɒdʌkәtә] by Japanese speakers without damaging intelligibility) [1].

• Similarly, learners can add a short schwa at the end of a word ending with a consonant, provided this does not create another word which it might be confused with (e.g. ‘hard’ sounding like ‘harder’) [1].

3. Vowels

• Length contrasts are important, e.g. ‘pill’ versus ‘peel’ [1].

• When a vowel occurs before an unvoiced consonant, it should sound slightly shorter than when it occurs before a voiced consonant. For example, the vowel in ‘right’ is slightly shorter than the vowel in ‘ride’, and the vowel in ‘kit’ is slightly shorter than the vowel in ‘kid’ [1].

4. Word groups and nuclear stress

• The stream of speech should be divided into meaningful tone units (also known as ‘tone groups’, ‘word groups’ or ‘thought groups’) [1].

• Nuclear stress (i.e. which word is stressed within a ‘tone group’) must placed appropriately, especially for contrast/emphasis. This means the difference in meaning should be clear between, for example, ‘Let’s meet NEXT Saturday’ and ‘Let’s meet next SATURDAY’ [1].

English operates as a lingua franca at a number of different levels, including local, national, regional and international. The more localised the use of English as a lingua franca, the more variation it is likely to display. When used in a local setting, ELF will display identity markers. Thus the use of nativised norms can be expected. When used for international communication, on the other hand, speakers will consciously avoid the use of local expressions [3].

Список литературы:

ELF Pronunciation [Электронный ресурс]. What is the Lingua Franca Core? URL: https://elfpron.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/what-is-the-lfc/ (дата обращения: 11.01.2018)

Jenkins, J. English as a Lingua Franca in the international university: the politics of academic English language policy. – Abingdon, 2013. – 248 p.

Kirkpatrick, A. World Englishes: Implications for International Communication and English Language Teaching. – Cambridge University Press, 2007. – 257 p.

ResearchGate [Электронный ресурс]. Barbara Seidlhofer: Understanding English as a Lingua Franca: A Complete Introduction to the Theoretical Nature and Practical Implications of English used as a Lingua Franca (Review article). URL: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236208493_Barbara_Seidlhofer_Understanding_English_as_a_Lingua_Franca_A_Complete_Introduction_to_the_Theoretical_Nature_and_Practical_Implications_of_English_used_as_a_Lingua_Franca_Review_article (дата обращения: 11.01.2018)

ThoughtCo. [Электронный ресурс]. English as a lingua franca (ELF). URL: https://www.thoughtco.com/english-as-a-lingua-franca-elf-1690578 (дата обращения: 11.01.2018)

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