Topic- and mode-sensitive interaction strategies : Functions of ellipsis in oral communication

In this article, we discuss ellipsis as an interactive strategy by analysing the author���s textchat corpus and the VOICE corpus of English as a Lingua Franca. It is found that there were fewer repetitions in the textchat data, and this is explained as a consequence of the textchat mode. Textchat contributions are preserved as long as the chat is active or has been saved, and therefore users can scroll through and review the discussion, compared to the more fleeting nature of oral conversation. As a result, repetition is less necessary. The frequency of other functions identified could be attributed to the topic of discourse. Discussions involve much ellipsis used to develop discourse, although some were self-presentations with repetition used to confirm details. Back-channel support and comments were often low because speakers instead used forms like yeah as supportive utterances.

Patent elucidation for clil and vice versa understanding the inventor��s mind

In this paper we present an English-medium instruction (EMI) team-teaching initiative to be soon implemented within the Agronomic Engineering masters programme at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM). Through the patent genre we not only intend to teach specific agronomical syllabi contents synchronically and diachronically, but also broaden our students��� academic and professional literacies, help them practice and improve their communication abilities in English as a lingua franca, and motivate them as future autonomous professionals while fostering the exercise of higher-level transversal skills���critical thinking, creativity, cooperation, and entrepreneurship. We begin by introducing the current mobility trends in higher education contexts and the common misconceptions surrounding the notion of patent, and get on to describe the design and evaluation procedures of the course. To conclude, we recapitulate the main benefits of our pedagogical proposal and open windows onto further didactic applications.

On a first-name basis: Englishization and naming in Flanders

Following and contributing to the ongoing shift from more structuralist, system-oriented to more pragmatic, socio-cultural oriented anglicism research, this paper verifies to what extent the global spread of English affects naming patterns in Flanders. To this end, a diachronic database of first names is constructed, containing the top 75 most popular boy and girl names from 2005 until 2014. In a first step, the etymological background of these names is documented and the evolution in popularity of the English names in the database is tracked. Results reveal no notable surge in the preference for English names. This paper complements these database-driven results with an experimental study, aiming to show how associations through referents are in this case more telling than associations through phonological form (here based on etymology). Focusing on the socio-cultural background of first names in general and of Anglo-American pop culture in particular, the second part of the study specifically reports on results from a survey where participants are asked to name the first three celebrities that leap to mind when hearing a certain first name (e.g. Lana, triggering the response Del Rey). Very clear associations are found between certain first names and specific celebrities from Anglo-American pop culture. Linking back to marketing research and the social turn in onomastics, we will discuss how these celebrities might function as referees, and how social stereotypes surrounding these referees are metonymically attached to their first names. Similar to the country-of-origin-effect in marketing, these metonymical links could very well be the reason why parents select specific ���celebrity names���. Although further attitudinal research is needed, this paper supports the importance of including socio-cultural parameters when conducting onomastic research.

Critical Discourse Analysis research methods for the English classroom

Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an approach to analysing the discourses that operate in social contexts, such as classrooms in schools, and their material effects on people, such as teachers and learners. CDA offers a range of ways of engaging with the relationship between texts in context and the power they exercise. In this article, I overview key approaches and provide detail of Fairclough���s (1992, 2003) textually-oriented, linguistic method of CDA, with an example from my own research. I offer a challenge for English teachers, as researchers, to ���make strange��� the familiar world of their classroom work, and in so doing, identify possibilities for productive change.

Internationalisation, multilingualism and English-medium instruction: the teacher's perspective

[EN]In the newEuropean higher education space, Universities in Europe are exhorted to cultivate and develop multilingualism. The European Commission���s 2004���2006 action plan for promoting language learning and diversity speaks of the need to build an environment which is favourable to languages. Yet reality indicates that it is English which reigns supreme and has become the main foreign language used as means of instruction at European universities. Internationalisation has played a key role in this process, becoming one of the main drivers of the linguistic hegemony exerted by English. In this paper we examine the opinions of teaching staff involved in English-medium instruction, from pedagogical ecologyof-language and personal viewpoints. Data were gathered using group discussion. The study was conducted at a multilingual Spanish university where majority (Spanish), minority (Basque) and foreign (English) languages coexist, resulting in some unavoidable linguistic strains. The implications for English-medium instruction are discussed at the end of this paper.

Deconstructing 'Mono'-Lingualism: considerations of value for 'English' 'language' education in a global setting.

Traditionally, language speakers are categorised as mono-lingual, bilingual, or multilingual. It is traditionally assumed in English language education that the ���lingual��� is something that can be ���fixed��� in form, written down to be learnt, and taught. Accordingly, the ���mono���-lingual will have a ���fixed��� linguistic form. Such a ���form��� differs according to a number of criteria or influences including region or ���type��� of English (for example, World Englishes) but is nevertheless assumed to be a ���form���. ���Mono-lingualism��� is defined and believed, traditionally, to be ���speaking one language���; wherever that language is; or whatever that language may be. In this chapter, grounded in an individual subjective philosophy of language, we question this traditional definition. Viewing language from the philosophical perspectives such as those of Bakhtin and Voloshinov, we argue that the prominence of ���context��� and ���consciousness��� in language means that to ���fix��� the form of a language goes against the very spirit of how it is formed and used. We thus challenge the categorisation of ���mono���-lingualism; proposing that such a categorisation is actually a category error, or a case ���in which a property is ascribed to a thing that could not possibly have that property��� (Restivo, 2013, p. 175), in this case the property of ���mono���. Using this proposition as a starting point, we suggest that more time be devoted to language in its context and as per its genuine use as a vehicle for consciousness. We theorise this can be done through a ���literacy��� based approach which fronts the context of language use rather than the language itself. We outline how we envision this working for teachers, students and materials developers of English Language Education materials in a global setting. To do this we consider Scotland���s Curriculum for Excellence as an exemplar to promote conscious language use in context.

Creative English and public relations in Hong Kong

This paper investigates employer perceptions of the nature and importance of the English language in public relations agencies in Hong Kong. Based on in-depth interviews with senior managers from eight Hong Kong-based public relations companies, it examines how the linguistic currency ofEnglish is used collaboratively in creative organizations. Findings suggest that English is used as the common language among transnational public relations work teams and the clients that they service. Itis also used as a creative resource for facilitating collaboration, staff development and socialization into corporate and professional cultures.

I processi di internazionalizzazione delle PMI: il caso dell'azienda Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A.

La Piccola e Media Impresa (PMI) ha costituito in Italia e all���estero un fenomeno che ha permesso un���importante crescita economica dal secondo dopoguerra in poi e tutt���oggi rappresenta quasi il 95% delle imprese italiane. L���ambiente di riferimento odierno �� molto dinamico ed incerto e la competitivit�� �� pi�� difficile da raggiungere a causa delle nuove e crescenti economie emergenti. A rendere l���ambiente competitivo pi�� complesso si �� aggiunta la crisi internazionale nata intorno al 2006 negli Stati Uniti e arrivata in Europa un paio di anni dopo, portando l���economia globale in un periodo di recessione. Tutto ci�� ha reso necessario ripensare all���approccio delle imprese verso i mercati, soprattutto le PMI, applicando nuovi processi d���innovazione. Questi non dovranno limitarsi alla sola ricerca di nuovi prodotti ma cambiare anche l���impostazione manageriale in modo da avviare innovazioni di mercato. E qui che il tema dell���internazionalizzazione assume ancor pi�� rilevanza diventando, in un periodo di crisi economica, un���importante opportunit�� di crescita per le PMI. Dagli anni ���70 in poi le imprese multinazionali (MNCs) erano quelle che operavano in pi�� Paesi e Continenti estendendo il proprio business in tutto il mondo. Per le piccole e medie imprese era difficile immaginare nuovi business al di fuori dei confini territoriali per le difficolt�� che un processo di internazionalizzazione richiedeva. Oggi, l���internazionalizzazione, �� vista come una chance di sopravvivenza ed �� spinta da diversi fattori. Questi non si limitano pi�� alla sola ricerca di maggiori ricavi ed abbattimento dei costi ma anche ���sourcing��� di Know-how e tecnologie, diversificazione del rischio, partecipazione a segmenti di mercato diventati globali e sfruttamento delle opportunit�� offerte dai governi esteri. Con il seguente lavoro di tesi si vogliono studiare le modalit�� in cui si svolgono processi di internazionalizzazione e l���origine dell���impulso che induce le piccole e medie imprese ad intraprenderli. A questo proposito si sono fatte ricerche su database e riviste scientifiche volte alla raccolta e analisi dei principali articoli che la letteratura offre su i temi appena citati. Individuate le principali teorie e modelli queste sono confrontate con un caso empirico cercando i punti di contatto tra ci�� che �� emerso dall���analisi teorica e quella empirica. A tal proposito viene mostrato il caso dell���azienda Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A. in cui ho collaborato e avuto modo di compiere ricerche per un periodo di sei mesi. Il lavoro di tesi �� pertanto strutturato in quattro capitoli. Nel primo capitolo �� esposta l���analisi della letteratura scientifica andando ad individuare le principali teorie sui processi di internazionalizzazione. Attraverso quest���analisi sar�� possibile avere un quadro di riferimento sui possibili processi di internazionalizzazione che le imprese possono intraprendere. Nel secondo capitolo si vuole comprendere come le imprese arrivino alla decisione di internazionalizzarsi e quali fattori, interni ed esterni all���impresa, influenzino tale scelta. Nel terzo capitolo viene esaminato il caso di Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A., societ�� operante nel campo delle energie rinnovabili ed efficienza energetica. Dopo una prima parte che introduce l���azienda ed il mercato delle rinnovabili, sar�� analizzata la situazione attuale dell���azienda nel suo processo di internazionalizzazione e la strategia delineata. Nell���ultimo capitolo si effettuer�� un confronto tra ci�� che la letteratura scientifica propone sui processi di internazionalizzazione ed il caso specifico esaminato. Si cercher�� di trovare dei riscontri tra le varie teorie offerte dalla letteratura con la strategia seguita da Sinergia Sistemi. L���obiettivo generale di questo lavoro di tesi �� confrontare teorie e modelli di internazionalizzazione con un caso empirico per comprendere l���esistenza di un riscontro con le aziende appartenenti ad un particolare settore, quello delle energie rinnovabili. Vedremo come le peculiarit�� di questo settore portino le imprese a dare molta rilevanza ai network che si vengono a formare nei vari Paesi pi�� che alla ricerca di innovazioni di prodotto, che resta sempre fondamentale per la crescita. L���appartenenza ai giusti network pu�� semplificare notevolmente il processo di internazionalizzazione, se non diventare perfino indispensabile.

Falkland Island English

This chapter examines some of the grammatical variability and non-standardness found in the English of the Falkland Islands. The Falklands are an archipelago of over 700 islands located in the western South Atlantic Ocean, 480km off the east coast of Argentina. Although the population is small ��� around 3000 - the islands cover an area of over 12000km2 ��� slightly larger than Jamaica and half the size of Wales, making them, after Greenland, the most sparsely populated political entity in the world. In political terms, the Falklands are an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. In contrast to the rural isolated image that the Falklands perhaps conjure up, the community is, in demographic terms, an urban and diverse one. Over 85% of the population living in the capital Stanley. The 2006 census (Government of the Falkland Islands 2007: 6) shows that 55% of the population were not born on the Islands, with the largest migrant groups coming from the UK, St Helena (another British Overseas Territory, located in the eastern South Atlantic), Chile and Australia. It also highlighted the fact that people born in 62 different countries were resident on the islands at the time (Pascoe and Pepper 2008: 38). By way of a comparison, only Monaco and Andorra, in Europe, have a higher proportion of their populations made up of migrants. In addition to the local Falkland population, there is a large military presence on the islands at the Royal Airforce Base at Mount Pleasant, 50km south-west of Stanley. The Head of State is the monarch of the UK, who is represented on the islands by a governor. The democratically elected 11-member Legislative Assembly is responsible for day-to-day government of the islands. The Falklands are perhaps most famous because of their 74 day occupation by Argentina in 1982. It is not appropriate here to go into detail about the dispute between the UK and Argentina about the sovereignty of the Islands. What is undisputed is that there has been a continuous Anglophone speech community on the islands since the early 1830s, making it one of the most recently developed ���Inner Circle��� (Kachru 1985) Englishes in the world. This chapter examines the grammatical characteristics of Falkland Island English, drawn from a transcribed corpus of over 500,000 words of informal conversational speech, collected by Andrea Sudbury both in Stanley and in ���Camp��� (the local name for the rest of the islands) (see Sudbury 2000, 2001 for more details about the methods used in the survey).

The English of The Sleeping Lady: An exploration of the historical and current influences on the English of Kosrae

Kosrae, or ���The Island of The Sleeping Lady��� as it is known to locals, is the most remote island of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), located in the western Pacific. FSM is an independent sovereign nation consisting of four state in total: Pohnpei, Chuuk, Yap and Kosrae. First claimed by the Spanish, who were forced to cede FSM to Germany in 1899. In 1914, the Japanese took military possession of the region resulting in considerable economic, social and political change for the islands��� inhabitants. By 1947 after WWII, the islands formed part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands commissioned by the UN and administered by the US. The FSM became an independent nation in 1986 while still retaining affiliation with the US under a ���Compact of Free Association��� encouraging the officiating of English as a language of FSM, alongside local languages. Here I examine the presence and uses of English in Kosrae with reference to these socio-historical influences. First, I discuss the extralinguistic factors which have shaped the English that is currently found on Kosrae. Secondly, I assess the use of English in this community in light of Schneider���s (2007) ���Dynamic Model���. Finally, an overview of the salient linguistic characteristics of Kosraean English, based on data collected in informal conversations on the island, will be presented. The overall objective is to present a socio-historical, political and linguistic description of a hitherto unexamined English emerging in a postcolonial environment. Schneider, E. (2007). Postcolonial Englishes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Research Interests: Global Englishes