The rise of internationalization in higher education (HE) has been well documented (and debated) by scholars within the field of sociolinguistics (Crystal, 2003; Pennycook, 1994 & 2007; Phillipson, 2009). As universities... [ view full abstract ]
The rise of internationalization in higher education (HE) has been well documented (and debated) by scholars within the field of sociolinguistics (Crystal, 2003; Pennycook, 1994 & 2007; Phillipson, 2009). As universities increasingly adopt strategies of internationalization, the resulting increase in student mobility across national borders has meant that “linguaculturally heterogeneous groups of learners are no longer rare” (Smit, 2010, p. 216). While the English language plays a key role in internationalization given its status in the academic discourse community (Jenkins, 2013), research has not adequately addressed the linguistic implications of internationalization processes that the university is undergoing worldwide (Smit & Dafouz, 2012). Moreover, while extensive research is being conducted on the consequences and challenges related to the role of English as medium of instruction (EMI) in non-Anglophone countries, especially in Europe, (Airey, 2012; Doiz, Lasagabaster, & Sierra, 2013; Smit & Dafouz, 2012), the role of English in discussions of internationalization in English-dominant language (EDL) contexts like Canada, Australia, and the UK is often “overlooked, assumed, or not considered at all” (Byrd Clark, Haque, & Lamoureux, 2012).
This presentation will draw upon Dafouz and Smit’s (2016) proposed conceptual framework for English-medium education in multilingual university settings (EMEMUS), ROAD-MAPPING, to theorize EDL contexts as significantly different from EMI settings. ROAD-MAPPING is an acronym standing for the Roles of English, Academic Disciplines, Management, Agents, Policies and Practices, and Internationalization and Globalization as dimensions impacting HE in today’s world. In EDL contexts English is the language in which most societal institutions function. In this reality, where English plays a role as both the default language of wider communication and as the academic language of teaching and learning, its dominant position entails different power dynamics for universities, their faculty and students in institutions of HE than in EMI settings. Thus, the need to theorize EDL contexts as different from EMI contexts given the global dominance of English in HE is imperative. This presentation will engage with Dafouz and Smit’s work to share perspectives on conceptualizing EDL contexts in HE.
