Revisiting the ‘E’ in EMI: students’ perceptions of standard English, lingua franca and translingual practices

Abstract

Conceptualizations of English as standard, as a lingua franca, or as part of translingual practice form part of the discourses surrounding its use in EMI. While researchers generally agree that the ‘E’ in EMI should not stand for native varieties of standard English, the stakeholders’ perceptions of English call for further research. This paper addresses this gap by examining students’ conceptualizations of English in an EMI programme at a Swedish university. Drawing on interview data collected from local and international students, the analysis focuses on students’ conceptualizations of English in connection to their positionings. The analysis shows that all three above-mentioned conceptualizations are present. The tensions in the students’ conceptualizations of English and positionings point towards issues related to power relations, group dynamics, social integration, and learning. The analysis shows that translingual practices in EMI contexts are not always associated with empowering the students by allowing them to resort to their L1s to fill gaps in their English. Translanguaging can also function as a mechanism of exclusion and reinforcement of language standards by a group of ‘elite’ translinguals. The idea of what is acceptable English in EMI is not static and can move along the standard – non-standard continuum.

Cite this

Maria Kuteeva (2019). Revisiting the ‘E’ in EMI: students’ perceptions of standard English, lingua franca and translingual practices. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1637395

@article{maria2019revisiting,
  title  = {Revisiting the ‘E’ in EMI: students’ perceptions of standard English, lingua franca and translingual practices},
  author = {Kuteeva, Maria},
  year   = {2019},
  journal = {International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism},
  doi    = {10.1080/13670050.2019.1637395}
}

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