Acronyms are convenient, but can be confusing. Take ATM and ABM, for example. Without looking them up, what do they stand for? While you may know the answer, depending where you are on the map, there could be a number of interpretations as to what they actually stand for.
While living in Edmonton, Canada I often wrestled with the aforementioned ABM plastered on banking machines and then became equally confused when Canadian artists referred to the cash generating machines as a “low lit ATM” (36 mark will get you the lyric).
While it may be a moot point, I am suggesting that acronyms can get lost in the shuffle, interpreted by each user as something different, although the same, adding somewhat of a complexity to the diverse linguistic landscapes of the world.
I recently came across two acronyms used quite a bit in the field of TESOL or TEFL or TESL (ha, right!?) and wanted to share an interesting difference between the two.
And the acronyms are: ELF & EIL.
ELF: English as a Lingua Franca
EIL: English as an International Language
So, what’s the difference? And if there is one, does it matter?
There is a difference and it does matter.
It would first be beneficial to define what a lingua franca is. I first came in contact with this term in 2016 while studying Japanese at a language school in Kobe, Japan. “Japanese is the lingua franca here,” explained one of my teachers during the first week of class. I could barely wrap my head around the term as it was being filtered through my second language, which was borrowing from what sounded like Italian or French. I got the gist of it and finally understood around the fourth or fifth time it was mentioned that “lingua franca” means common language. However, it does not just mean a common language.
From my computer’s dictionary: Lingua Franca: a language that is adopted as a common language between speakers whose native languages are different.
The key here is that a lingua franca is language used between two interlocutors who have a DIFFERENT first language.
But what about EIL or English as an International Language? Isn’t that just another fancy way to say “common language” as well? Well, yes… and no. You see, the difference lies in who is actually engaging in the use of the language.
So, for clarity sake, imagine this:
Interlocutor A: First language: French. Second language: English.
Interlocutor B: First language: Russian. Second language: English.
Now, interlocutor A does not speak Russian. And interlocutor B does not speak French. In short, the only way for these two interlocutors to communicate is through each other’s respective second language: English. So, English becomes their lingua franca and is now given the acronym of ELF.
But, imagine if interlocutor A was a simultaneous bilingual (fluent in French and English) and was engaging with interlocutor B in English. This would mean English is now being used as an international language, as EIL takes into account interactions between L1 and L2 users of a language.
Now imagine three friends having a conversation on the golf course. Quiz: is it ELF or EIL?
Interlocutor A: First language: Mandarin. Second languages: Japanese, English.
Interlocutor B: First language: Polish. Second languages: Japanese, English.
Interlocutor C: First language: English. Second language: Japanese.
A and B hit their first tee shot right down the middle of the fairway (3 metres apart). C hits their tee shot into the right rough, 25 yards behind A and B.
In the golf cart on the way up the fairway A, B, and C are speaking in English about how great it is to finally all be out golfing together. In this case, English is being used as an international language (EIL).
C gets dropped off to hit their second shot while A and B continue up the fairway to hit their respective approach shots. A and B continue the conversation (in English) about how amazing each others’ shots were, discussing the strategy for the remaining 150 yards. In this case, A and B are using English as a Lingua Franca (ELF).
OK, interesting. But, what does this mean for language learning?
Anecdotally, in situations where language is used as a lingua franca, I find the affective filter to be at a minimum (the pressure is off as both users of the language are using their second language). Whereas, in conversations with native speakers, there may be more pressure to not make mistakes, causing anxiety and fear of making mistakes.
It really boils down to food for thought. And while not all may agree on these differences, (see Wikipedia for an interesting article on ELF), the two acronyms serve as a way to think a little more intentionally on the ways English is used across a variety of contexts.
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