English as a Lingua Franca: A Teacher’s Perspective

// Cadernos de Letras (UFRJ) n.27 – dez. 2010. P.85-92This article explores issues connected to English as a lingua franca (ELF) from the point of view of the practising teacher preparing students to function in ELF contexts. It is claimed that the fully competent speaker of ELF is a more appropriate model than the native speaker for teachers and learners. Similarly, it is argued that the English to be taught should, in spite of various problems, be based on a world standard variety, including a limited range of variant usages.