Anna Mauranen

Academic writing is rhetorical and culturally conditioned. What in one culture appears as effective and proper, can in a new cultural context look like chaotic writing and sloppy thinking. To discover the ways in which such impressions are made, we need careful textual analysis of academic writing in different cultural contexts. This book takes a textlinguistic approach and contrasts academic journal articles in a large and dominant culture (Anglo-American), a small and peripheral one (Finnish), and the intercultural products of the small culture members writing in the dominant language (Finns in English). The results indicate that academics do have culture-specific writing styles, and that textlinguistic tools are crucial if we want to expand our understanding of written communication.

A Textlinguistic Study

Cultural Differences in Academic Rhetoric

Markku Filppula

Svetlana Vetchinnikova

Juhani Klemola

This book examines the special nature of English both as a global and a local language, focusing on some of the ongoing changes and on the emerging new structural and discoursal characteristics of varieties of English. Although it is widely recognised that processes of language change and contact bear affinities, for example, to processes observable in second-language acquisition and lingua franca use, the research into these fields has so far not been sufficiently brought into contact with each other. The articles in this volume set out to combine all these perspectives in ways that give us a better understanding of the changing nature of English in the modern world.

Global and Local Perspectives

Changing English

Pekka Kujamäki

Translation universals is one of the most intriguing and controversial topics in recent translation studies. Can we discover general laws of translation, independent of the particularities of individual translations? Research into this is new: serious empirical work only began in the late nineties. The present volume offers the state of the art on the issue. It includes theoretical discussion on alternative conceptualisations and new distinctions around the basic concepts. Several papers test hypotheses on universals in the light of recent work in different languages, and some suggest new ones emerging from empirical work over the last two to three years. The book contributes to the search for generalities in translation, the methodological solutions available, and presents emerging evidence on the kinds of regularities that large-scale research is bringing forth. On a more practical level, the applicability of the hypotheses and findings to translator education is, as always, a concern for translation studies.

Do They Exist?

Translation Universals

Jennifer Jenkins

Linguistic Diversity on the EMI Campus presents an in-depth ethnographic case study of the language policies and practices of universities in nine countries around the world. Each chapter provides a detailed presentation of the findings from that university, considering the presence of linguistic diversity in institutions from Australia, China, Finland, UK, Turkey, Malaysia, Italy, Spain, and Japan. Split into three parts, these nine case studies demonstrate the extent to which international-oriented institutions can learn from each other's practices and improve their language policies. Linguistic Diversity on the EMI Campus is vital reading for students and scholars working in the fields of applied linguistics, multilingualism, and education.

Insider Accounts of the Use of English and Other Languages in Universities Within Asia, Australasia, and Europe

Linguistic Diversity on the EMI Campus

Eija Ventola

Writing is crucial to the academic world. It is the main mode of communication among scientists and scholars and also a means for students for obtaining their degrees. The papers in this volume highlight the intercultural, generic and textual complexities of academic writing. Comparisons are made between various traditions of academic writing in different cultures and contexts and the studies combine linguistic analyses with analyses of the social settings in which academic writing takes place and is acquired. The common denominator for the papers is writing in English and attention is given to native-English writers’ and non-native writers’ problems in different disciplines. The articles in the book introduce a variety of methodological approaches for analyses and search for better teaching methods and ways of improving the syllabi of writing curricula. The book as a whole illustrates how linguists strive for new research methods and practical applications in applied linguistics.

Intercultural and textual issues

Academic Writing

Elina Ranta

English as a lingua franca has become a hot topic in Applied Linguistics and English Studies. While it has been a subject of controversy for some time, linguistic observations on actual use have largely been missing out of the debate. This is now changing fast, and the study of English as a lingua franca has become a vibrant research field. This book reflects achievements in the growing field; it presents a good selection of empirical findings, thus providing substance to arguments. It comprises contributions from pioneers and established scholars in the field, along with reports from substantial ongoing research projects. The papers offer insights into the workings of English as a lingua franca in different contexts—conversational, academic, professional, and business situations. They tackle essential theoretical issues, analyse linguistic and interactional features of ELF, and discuss attitudes towards ELF. The studies are firmly anchored in analyses of authentic language in social interaction, some also using survey and interview data. Many papers also touch upon debates on language policy and linguistic ideologies. This collection of papers from the key areas of current ELF research will be of interest to English linguists and applied linguists, graduate and undergraduate students of English, educational and language planners, and teachers of English.

Studies and Findings

English as a Lingua Franca

Linguistic Diversity on the EMI Campus presents an in-depth ethnographic case study of the language policies and practices of universities in nine countries around the world. Each chapter provides a detailed presentation of the findings from that university, considering the presence of linguistic diversity in institutions from Australia, China, Finland, UK, Turkey, Malaysia, Italy, Spain, and Japan. Split into three parts, these nine case studies demonstrate the extent to which international-oriented institutions can learn from each other’s practices and improve their language policies. Linguistic Diversity on the EMI Campus is vital reading for students and scholars working in the fields of applied linguistics, multilingualism, and education.

Insider accounts of the use of English and other languages in universities within Asia, Australasia, and Europe

Writing is crucial to the academic world. It is the main mode of communication among scientists and scholars and also a means for students for obtaining their degrees. The papers in this volume highlight the intercultural, generic and textual complexities of academic writing. Comparisons are made between various traditions of academic writing in different cultures and contexts and the studies combine linguistic analyses with analyses of the social settings in which academic writing takes place and is acquired. The common denominator for the papers is writing in English and attention is given to native-English writers' and non-native writers' problems in different disciplines. The articles in the book introduce a variety of methodological approaches for analyses and search for better teaching methods and ways of improving the syllabi of writing curricula. The book as a whole illustrates how linguists strive for new research methods and practical applications in applied linguistics.

Intercultural and Textual Issues

"The emergence and recognition of English used as a Lingua Franca (ELF) offers new opportunities for investigating language change and language contact. This timely volume explores the use of English in an academic context and between speakers from a range of language backgrounds. Data examined from the one-million-word English as a Lingua Franca in Academic Settings (ELFA) corpus provides an in-depth account of how speakers use and shape the language through dialogue in intellectually and verbally demanding situations. Social and cognitive perspectives are offered on the form and function of the language as used in situ, including its phraseology and lexis, the negotiation of topics, and the co-construction of comprehension. Finally, the book discusses the implications of ELF for the language professions and suggests a way ahead for the future of ELF teaching and research. Exploring ELF is essential reading for practitioners and researchers involved in ELF and EAP"--Provided by publisher.

Academic English Shaped by Non-native Speakers

Exploring ELF

Through integrating different perspectives on language change, this book explores the enormous on-going linguistic upheavals in the wake of the global dominance of English. Combining empirical research with theoretical approaches, it will appeal to researchers and graduate students of English, and also of other languages studying language change.

Anna Mauranen

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