Embracing english as a lingua franca : learning from portuguese users of english in higher education

Abstract

The last sixty years have witnessed a vast spread of English language teaching (ELT), which has led to a historically unique position of English in the world, where native speakers of English are now outnumbered by non-native users of the language. As a result, a greater need for the lingua franca function of English is needed but, although English as Lingua Franca (ELF) is emerging as a legitimate alternative to Standard English or native speaker-based models in ELT, the truth is that the primacy of the latter is still upheld in most classrooms around the world. With this in mind, this thesis begins by examining the reasons for learning English and presents an outline of how English has come to be a global language. Due to the increasing use of English for intercultural communication, this study reviews the major developments in research into ELF and then outlines the position of ELF in the European Union, and surveys ELT practices in this specific setting. This thesis then examines the presence of English in the national context of Portugal and focuses on students of English at the School of Technology and Management (ESTG/IPL), in Leiria. The methods used in this study combine the analysis of questionnaires and answers to a placement test that incoming students are required to take. Despite having successfully undergone at least seven years of prior English learning, it has been observed that the majority of these undergraduates struggle with the demands of this language in its standard form. However, this study suggests they may be capable of communicating effectively in English if teaching approaches are adjusted to accommodate their communicative competence. The problem is that the focus on English Language teaching at ESTG/IPL is largely based on a student's ability to speak and write English as a native speaker does. Therefore, this study proposes a significant shift in ELT pedagogy and suggests a number of strategies meant to enhance the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of students enrolled in the English course at this institution. Ultimately, the analysis here provided is an attempt to demonstrate that the ELT policy in Portugal is in need of serious re-evaluation, and hopefully it may be taken into account so as to guide educators and language policies towards ELF-informed teaching in Portuguese classrooms.