What Is International English?

The number of people using English for international communication is increasing on an unprecedented scale and the spread of English shows no signs of stopping. There is a growing body of research on the phenomenon of international English, yet international English is defined variously in the literature and what is included in these definitions differs considerably. This review seeks to examine what is meant by the various terms employed in the literature and focuses on the international use of English by people for whom it is not a first or official, institutionalized second language, a population which is rapidly growing in number but whose linguistic behavior is still under-researched. The central questions posed are: (1) Does English used by this population constitute a new kind of English or is it simply an error-marred, simplified performance variety of English as a native language? (2) Is it possible that lingua franca English use will affect English as a native language? This paper will review recent empirically-based descriptive studies on international lingua franca English as well as two large-scale corpora currently being compiled in an attempt to shed light on the developing global use of the English language

The relationship between listening and other language skills in international English language testing system

Listening comprehension is the primary channel of learning a language. Yet of the four dominant macro-skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), it is often difficult and inaccessible for second and foreign language learners due to its implicit process. The secondary skill, speaking, proceeds listening cognitively. Aural/oral skills precede the graphic skills, such as reading and writing, as they form the circle of language learning process. However, despite the significant relationship with other language skills, listening comprehension is treated lightly in the applied linguistics research. Half of our daily conversation and three quarters of classroom interaction are virtually devoted to listening comprehension. To examine the relationship of listening skill with other language skills, the outcome of 1800 Iranian participants undertaking International English Language Testing System (IELTS) in Tehran indicates the close correlation between listening comprehension and the overall language proficiency

International English: Ways to Determine the Clearest Communication AmongNative and Non Native English Speakers Within the University

The following document contains a Needs Assessment for International English within Pittsburg State University documentation, specifically digital documentation produced by the Office of International Services and Programs. on their PSU web pages. The online material presented through PSU’s web pages does not currently follow the style of International English or English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). Based on surrounding research of ELF and International English, information that is presented in International English is better understood by the most number of native and non-native speakers of the English language. Because PSU’s online information is not presented in this way, this Needs Assessment will determine whether first-year international students fully comprehend material that is not produced in International English. This needs assessment will look at two groups of first-year international students from two sections of ENGL 100 and ENGL 101 English Composition for International Students. These students will voluntarily be asked to complete three tasks: 1) read the information pulled from PSU’s web pages, 2) interpret/summarize the information presented to them, and 3) express any confusion or difficulty they had with the excerpt. These responses will be cross-analyzed to determine what information is confusing (if any) to the most number of participants. If the study shows a correlation between confusion/difficulty in comprehension and material that is not presented in International English, my analysis will suggest that International English can help decrease confusion among ESL learners based on the surrounding research and pedagogy of the style

The Elements of International English Style

Review of The Elements of International English Style / Weiss, Edmond H. The Elements of International English Style. London: M.E. Sharpe, 2005

Ouachita students present work at international English conference

Four students from Ouachita Baptist University recently participated in the annual International Sigma Tau Delta Conference, an elite international English honor society meeting for college students, in Albuquerque, N.M. Ouachita students participating in the conference included Aaron Hill, Megan McLaughlin, Shelby Spears and Marissa Thornberry

International English and the Training of Intercultural Communicative Competence

Interkulturell angemessene Diskursstrategien in der Fremdsprache zu vermitteln, z.B. in ”International English”, dürfte mehr zur Herausbildung interkultureller Kompetenzen beitragen, als vorwiegend kognitive und persönlichkeitsbezogene Übungsformen, wie sie in zahlreichen interkulturellen Trainingskonzepten zu finden sind. Der Beitrag nimmt Bezug auf Curricula und Trainingsmaterialien, die für Fremdsprachenschüler deutscher Sekundarschulen und für Zertifikatslehrgänge von Industrie- und Handelskammern in Deutschland und Österreich entwickelt wurden.Training students in the use of appropriate discourse strate- gies, e.g. in International English, may do more to encourage intercultural understanding than focussing on cognitive and personality-oriented methods prevalent in many intercultural training concepts. The paper is based on curricula and train- ing material developed both for German secondary schools and for chambers of commerce in Germany and Austria