Barbara Seidlhofer: Understanding English as a Lingua Franca. Oxford University Press, 2011.

Since it challenges many of the traditional assumptions held by applied linguists and teachers, the study of English as a lingua franca (ELF) has been a controversial field and one punctuated by not infrequent misunderstandings. There is, then, ample room for a book such as this, which presents a conceptual framework for a better understanding, and clarification, of what ELF is and what the implications for description and teaching might be. The opening chapter, titled 'What is this thing called English', argues that the emergence of English as global lingua franca, defined here as the use of English among speakers of different first languages, calls for a reconceptualization of English as a resource appropriated by bilingual users on their own terms and adapted to their own purposes. Here, Seidlhofer draws a distinction between English as a foreign language (EFL), where there remains a normative orientation toward the standard English norms associated with British or American users, and ELF, where these norms are less applicable, even irrelevant. Despite recent progress, there is, however, still comparatively little descriptive information available on how bilingual ELF users communicate in English—at least in comparison with the wealth of detailed descriptions of native speaker usage. What is needed therefore, Seidlhofer argues, is further descriptive research to bridge this 'conceptual gap', to illuminate this important domain of language use, and to dispel misconceptions that adherence to what are referred to as 'ENL norms' (English as a native language) is required for effective communication.