The promotion of ELF-awareness in the ELT classroom

The paper discusses the challenges and the opportunities that introducing the main issues concerning English as a lingua franca (ELF) may have in the English classroom, especially in multilingual settings. ELF, defined as the use of English as a common means of communication among people with different mother tongues, is a ‘shared’ condition when English is the only communicative option for speakers involved in international and intercultural interactions. The research focus is on the potentiality to expose language learners to the range of strategies and practices that speakers as ELF users tend to apply in interactions to ensure a common understanding. Research shows that these linguistic aspects are not sufficiently incorporated in current teaching and learning practices and materials, in TESOL contexts, which prevents learners from developing their skills and abilities as efficient users of English. Implemented tasks aimed at enhancing learners’ ELF awareness and their feedback are also presented.