English as a Lingua Franca in Japan: Towards Multilingual Practices

This edited book examines the phenomenon of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in the Japanese context, using multilingualism as a lens through which to explore language practices and attitudes in what is traditionally viewed as a monolingual, monocultural setting. The authors cover a broad spectrum of topics within this theme, including language education policies, the nature of ELF communication in both academic and business settings, users’ and learners’ perceptions of ELF, and the pedagogy to foster ELF-oriented attitudes. Teaching and learning practices are reconsidered from ELF and multilingual perspectives, shifting the focus from the conformity to native-speaker norms to ELF users’ creative use of multilingual resources. This book is a key resource for advancing ELF study and research in Japan, and it will also be of interest to students and scholars studying multilingualism and World Englishes in other global contexts.