Revisiting the ‘E’ in EMI: students’ perceptions of standard English, lingua franca and translingual practices

ABSTRACT

Conceptualizations of English as standard, as a lingua franca, or as part of translingual practice form part of the discourses surrounding its use in EMI. While researchers generally agree that the ‘E’ in EMI should not stand for native varieties of standard English, the stakeholders’ perceptions of English call for further research. This paper addresses this gap by examining students’ conceptualizations of English in an EMI programme at a Swedish university. Drawing on interview data collected from local and international students, the analysis focuses on students’ conceptualizations of English in connection to their positionings. The analysis shows that all three above-mentioned conceptualizations are present. The tensions in the students’ conceptualizations of English and positionings point towards issues related to power relations, group dynamics, social integration, and learning. The analysis shows that translingual practices in EMI contexts are not always associated with empowering the students by allowing them to resort to their L1s to fill gaps in their English. Translanguaging can also function as a mechanism of exclusion and reinforcement of language standards by a group of ‘elite’ translinguals. The idea of what is acceptable English in EMI is not static and can move along the standard – non-standard continuum.

KEYWORDS:

• Language ideologies
• conceptualizations of English
• English as a lingua franca
• translanguaging
• linguistic diversity
• multilingual university

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Maria Kuteeva is Professor in English linguistics in the Department of English, Stockholm University, Sweden. Her research and publications have focused on the role of English in multilingual university settings, academic discourse analysis, university language policy, and academic writing in English as an additional language. Her work has appeared in Applied Linguistics, Journal of Second Language Writing, English for Specific Purposes, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, and other peer-reviewed outlets.