This talk will consider the significance of ELF not just as a linguistic phenomenon of academic interest but as implicated in pretty much all the socio-political developments of globalization and the problems these give rise to, and so directly relevant to applied linguistic investigation.
This introductory talk will attempt to prepare the ground for a genuine symposium – one that lives up to the name in that things are brought together - by taking account of the themes and issues addressed in the various contributions and relating them to ELF research over the last two decades or so. It will consider the significance of ELF not just as a linguistic phenomenon of academic interest but as implicated in pretty much all the socio-political developments of globalization and the problems these give rise to, and so directly relevant to applied linguistic investigation. This general abstract for this symposium which my talk will introduce suggests a specific perspective on ELF communication, but it remains to be seen what particular lines will be taken in the different contributions (once they have been selected and arranged in the session schedule). It is hoped that this talk will help us relate themes and points of view in new ways and identify key questions that call for further enquiry.
