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"It's such social injustice to expect people to use English like native English speakers, whichever country they're in." We dive into this and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) with Jennifer Jenkins.

Jennifer Jenkins is a British linguist and academic. She was Chair Professor of Global Englishes at the University of Southampton until her retirement in 2019. She is a leading figure in the study of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), and is an expert on communication in English between non-native speakers. She has published and lectured widely and is a founder editor of the Journal of English as a Lingua Franca.

In this episode, Jennifer tackles:

what English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is
native speakers vs local speakers
why she was shunned from many rooms for her views
the cultural and linguistic bias in language testing
how tests are not predictive of academic success
the myth that ELF lowers English standards
the role of adjusting language rather than mimicking it
having a pioneer mindset even when people dismiss you
how international universities have hypocritical linguistic standards
the future of English as a global language

FOR MORE FROM JENNIFER JENKINS:

1. Her Google Scholar page

2. Her page at the University of Southampton

3. Accommodation in ELF: Where from? Where now? Where next?

Thank you for listening. Your support has been overwhelming and we couldn't do what we do without you. We hope this podcast serves as an effective CPD tool for you.

If you have a comment or question about today's show, we'd love to hear from you: info@learnyourenglish.com

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