Luis Guerra

This book introduces a new perspective on teaching English through the identification and analysis of the theory and practice of English language teaching (ELT) in Portugal as far as issues of English as an International Language (EIL) are concerned. Through qualitative and quantitative research approaches, it examines, firstly, aspects of EIL in the current basic and secondary education national policies and how ELT materials have interpreted the national guidelines and, secondly, how teachers and students view central aspects of EIL. The book also identifies possible consequences that the findings may bring to the teaching of English in the international, European and Portuguese contexts. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of promoting the EIL debate to include the voices of the Expanding Circle, in the sense that a thorough analysis of learners? and teachers? attitudes toward EIL can help identify the present state and future developments in the use of English all over the world.

The term “New Englishes” attempts to cover the large number of varieties of English, far from uniform among themselves in their features and use and different from the historically and culturally established British and American standards. Over the past years, these New Englishes have been more acknowledged in the foreign language class. Linguists have called attention to the importance of increasing the learner’s linguistic awareness by covering topics of “linguistic variation and varieties of many types: national, regional, social, functional, international” (Gnutzmann 167). This paper aims at discussing the advantages and possibilities of teaching native and non-native English varieties in the foreign language class. It presents some data included in a Foreign Language and Translation course which attempted to integrate linguistics and translation by analysing the features of African American Vernacular English, Singapore English, Indian English and Australian English in terms of...

The international role of English has made it the most taught foreign language in the world. As a result, standard native varieties have thrived as models within the field of English language teaching, particularly Standard British English and Standard American English, and alongside, the cultures associated with them. Although the majority of English language learners are part of Kachru’s Expanding Circle, teaching materials have continued to focus on native speaker models, neglecting many of the times other examples of successful communication among non-native speakers. Bearing this in mind, it is critical that teaching materials take on a more ELF-aware perspective, where intercultural communicative competence and intercultural awareness are fomented. In view of this, a comparative analysis was conducted between coursebooks in Portugal and Turkey. A locally published (LP) and an internationally published (IP) coursebook of the first year of secondary education from each country w...

Private English tutoring, understood as the paid English teaching service offered to students to supplement their learning of English at school or prepare them for an examination in English, has become a popular out-of-school learning activity. In order to obtain deeper insights into its intricacies, the need arises to examine the experience of one of its pivotal stakeholders – the private tutors. This article is based on a phenomenographic study with a view to investigating the conceptions of private tutoring held by 15 English teachers from three countries (Poland, Portugal, and Turkey) who offer private teaching services in English in their local contexts. The findings suggest that there are at least three conceptions according to which private tutoring can be experienced by the participants: as a source of income, as helping, and as professional development. The study also poses the question if there is space for formal training of private tutors and calls for further research i...

This study attempts to examine to what extent the concepts of Intercultural Communicative Competence and English as a Lingua Franca are theoretically and practically formulated in some of the most recently implemented European and Portuguese English language teaching documents and, if so, how they are framed to be put into practice in the English language classroom. Overall, the documents analyzed—the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2001), the CEFR Companion Volume with New Descriptors (2018), both published by the Council of Europe, and the Essential Learnings (2018), introduced by the Portuguese Ministry of Education—display traditional approaches to the development of intercultural (communicative) competence in the English language classroom failing to truly and consistently represent the current role of English as an international lingua franca.

800x600 Over the past decades, English language teachers have become familiar with several terms which attempt to describe the role of English as a language of international communication. Presently, the term English as a lingua franca (ELF) seems to be one of the most favoured and adopted to depict the global use of English in the 21 st century. Basically, the concept of ELF implies cross-cultural, cross-linguistic interactions involving native and non-native speakers. Consequently, the ELF paradigm suggests some changes in the language classroom concerning teachers’ and students’ goals as far as native speaker norms and cultures are concerned. Based on Kachru’s (1992) fallacies, this article identifies thirteen misconceptions in ELT regarding learning and teaching English varieties and cultures, suggesting that an ethnocentred and linguacentred approach to English should be replaced by an ELF perspective which recognizes the diversity of communicative situations involving differen...

This study deals with the cultural dimensions of EIL, which are analysed based on the following domains: (a) subjects’ attitudes toward teaching about specific cultures (native and non-native); and (b) subjects’ attitudes toward teaching about culture in general. In essence, a view of culture based on native cultures can emerge from three different approaches: it may promote British culture only, it may focus on both the UK and the US, or it may incorporate other English native cultures. Likewise, a more international viewpoint can also be offered from three perspectives: it may refer to ESL contexts only, it may present both ESL and EFL communities – including the local culture – or it may introduce international aspects not specific to any culture. However, the analysis of data in this study indicates that the subjects’ attitudes toward teaching culture do not usually correspond to just one of these perspectives; rather, teachers display a manifold set of beliefs which may at time...

This study attempts to examine to what extent the concepts of Intercultural Communicative Competence and English as a Lingua Franca are theoretically and practically formulated in some of the most recently implemented European and Portuguese English language teaching documents and, if so, how they are framed to be put into practice in the English language classroom. Overall, the documents analyzed-the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (2001), the CEFR Companion Volume with New Descriptors (2018), both published by the Council of Europe, and the Essential Learnings (2018), introduced by the Portuguese Ministry of Education-display traditional approaches to the development of intercultural (communicative) competence in the English language classroom failing to truly and consistently represent the current role of English as an international lingua franca. Resumo: Este estudo propõe-se a examinar até que ponto os conceitos de Competência Comunicativa Intercultural e Inglês como Língua Franca são apresentados, de forma teórica e prática, em alguns dos documentos no âmbito do ensino e aprendizagem da língua inglesa, mais recentemente implementados, na Europa e em Portugal. De um modo geral, os documentos analisados, o Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência para as Línguas: Aprendizagem, Ensino, Avaliação (2001), o CEFR Companion Volume with New Descriptors (2018), ambos publicados pelo Conselho da Europa, e as Aprendizagens Essenciais (2018), propostas pelo Ministério da Educação português, apresentam abordagens tradicionais ao desenvolvimento da competência (comunicativa) intercultural na sala de aula de língua inglesa, falhando em introduzir, de forma autêntica e consistente, o papel atual do inglês como língua franca internacional.

Over the past decades, English language teachers have become familiar with several terms which attempt to describe the role of English as a language of international communication. Presently, the term English as a lingua franca (ELF) seems to be one of the most favoured and adopted to depict the global use of English in the 21 st century. Basically, the concept of ELF implies cross-cultural, cross-linguistic interactions involving native and non-native speakers. Consequently , the ELF paradigm suggests some changes in the language classroom concerning teachers' and students' goals as far as native speaker norms and cultures are concerned. Based on Kachru's (1992) fallacies, this article identifies thirteen misconceptions in ELT regarding learning and teaching English varieties and cultures, suggesting that an ethnocentred and linguacentred approach to English should be replaced by an ELF perspective which recognizes the diversity of communicative situations involving different native and non-native cultures and varieties of English.

This chapter aims at identifying students’ attitudes and beliefs towards learning English with native and non-native English speaking teachers (NESTs and NNESTs). Attitudes are measured through quantitative and qualitative strategies of inquiry (questionnaires and interviews) which assess students’ perceived differences between native and non-native teachers regarding the following aspects: (1) language proficiency; (2) teaching behavior; and (3) cultural knowledge. Language proficiency is identified through the students’ view of the teachers’ speaking, reading, writing and listening skills, vocabulary, pronunciation/ accent, grammar, and use of colloquial/idiomatic language. As for teaching behavior, subjects express their viewpoints regarding teachers’ awareness of students’ needs, commitment to teaching, confident use of English, focus on accuracy vs. fluency, focus on oral skills vs. written skills, use of materials, homework assignment, attitude to errors, and use of students’ L1. Finally, cultural knowledge is analyzed based on the concept of English as a tool for cross-cultural communication which involves interactions among nationals of different countries, native and non-native speakers alike, as opposed to an approach to culture which emphasizes the native speaker context. To conclude, students state their preferences for native or non-native teachers.

The term ‘New Englishes’ attempts to cover the large number of varieties of English, far from uniform among themselves in their features and use and different from the historically and culturally established British and American standards. Over the past years, these New Englishes have been more acknowledged in the foreign language class. Linguists have called attention to the importance of increasing the learner’s linguistic awareness by covering topics of “linguistic variation and varieties of many types: national, regional, social, functional, international” (Gnutzmann 167). This paper aims at discussing the advantages and possibilities of teaching native and non-native English varieties in the foreign language class. It presents some data included in a Foreign Language and Translation course which attempted to integrate linguistics and translation by analysing the features of African American Vernacular English, Singapore English, Indian English and Australian English in terms of their phonological, morphological, lexical and syntactic levels.