This thesis surveys current theories of globalization and then inspects the effects of this phenomenon
on the English language. It suggests that not only has the English language changed as a result of
globalization, but that discourse about English and the means of analysis have changed. It then tests
the relevance of contemporary theories of English to find if they match the reality of how English is
being acquired, used and appropriated in the present age.Since globalization is appropriated differently by the various societies it affects, it is important to
consider each individual place with its specific history, culture and politics to evaluate different
outcomes. For this reason, this thesis examines the presence of English in the specific national context
of Germany, but focuses on a group who uses the language regularly for a variety of international
purposes: students of English at the Freie Universitat Berlin. Methods used in this analysis include a
qualitative analysis of questionnaires, discourse analysis of ethnographic interviews with students and
grammatical and stylistic analyses of student essays and assignments. The results of this study shed
light on various student attitudes towards and motivations for learning English as well as their means
of identifying with the language.With this in mind, this study suggests that several issues in the field of applied linguistics need to be
reappraised, for example types of English learners, categorizations of English speakers, domains of
language use, and the role of a lingua franca and its ability to represent identity in L2 language use.
Furthermore, this work suggests important pedagogical implications for English language teaching as
a result of these developments. As English is being increasingly used as a global language and also
being accepted as the common language of the European Union, there need to be corresponding shifts
in ELT pedagogy. Such changes would include an increased teaching of English as a global language;
an opening up to the teaching of (at least awareness of) L2 varieties of English; the increasing study
of contexts where English is used; measures to increase students' perceptive abilities concerning L2
varieties of English; a move away from teaching based on nationalist approaches to language
learning; an emphasis on communicative expertise in language and not on following national
linguistic norms; and teaching strategies that increase students' confidence in appropriating English
