EFL, ESOL, EIL, LELF, English as a global Language

EFL, ESOL, ESL, EIL, ELF English as a global language

People often talk about English as a global language or lingua franca. More than 350 million people around the world speak English as a first language and more than 430 million speak it as a second language.  there are English speakers in most countries around the world. So Why is English so popular, though? And why has it become a global language?

People often call English the international language of business, and it’s true because as international trade expands every year, bringing new countries into contact. Many of the best opportunities are given to people who speak English, so speaking it well can put you in a position to get the best chance anywhere. Most multinational companies require a certain degree of English proficiency from employees, so in order to get a position with a top company, more and more people are learning English.

English is universal language. It is the world’s second native language, and we should know that it is called a “global language” because it has achieved the official position and education preference in every nation, that the language will finally come to be used by more people than any other language. The essential reason to make a language global or international is the power of its people.

What does a global language do?

When a new language is introduced to new communities, and a new better life is achieved by the new language, it makes people prefer to use the language than their own language. 

The language has many acronyms, so let’s talk about each of them:

EFL

English as a foreign language is a traditional term for the use or study of the English language by non-native speakers in countries where English is not a local medium of communication. The best example for this is our case as Salvadoran students of the English language since in El Salvador our native language is Spanish even though we learn the English language, but we continue being non-native speakers of it. If those same students were in the U.S learning English, they would be considered ESL students.

It is important to know the difference between EFL and ESL. As i already said EFL is where the teacher teaches English to students in a country where English isn’t the native language and ESL is where English is taught to students in a country where English is the primary language. For example, a Salvadoran student learning English in the U.S.

The difference between ESL and EFL might seem little at first, but they require very different teaching strategies to meet the objectives of the students.

ESOL

This acronym means English for Speakers of Other Languages. English taught to people whose first language is not English, but who live in an English-speaking country and need English to communicate in daily life. According to some studies, this term is used especially in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand.

EIL

This acronym means English as international language. English as an international language has been proposed as viable substitutes for the old EFL / ESL models. In part to overcome the shortcomings and inaccuracies of previous models and also to respond to the changing needs of students, who are affected by the process of globalization. EIL refers to the use of English by people of different nations to communicate one another, and it opens new avenues for research.

ELF

This acronym means English as a lingua franca. The term English as a lingua franca (ELF) refers to the teaching, learning, and use of the English language as a common means of communication for speakers of different native languages. ELF is used most often between non-native speakers of English, but this fact does not mean that native speakers are excluded from ELF communication.

For example, in a place where there are many people. All of them from different countries, speaking different languages; This people could not communicate in their native language because nobody is going to understand what the other person is saying since they speak different languages, but also, they have one language in common which is English.

This people from different countries would use the language that have in common to understand each other, so that is what we called lingua franca.

There are too many reasons to choose English as a lingua franca, and among them we have:

·         There are 2 billion speakers.

·         It focuses on native speaker approach.

·         It is a global phenomenon.

did you know?