Pitzl, M-L. (2016). World englishes and creative idioms in english as a lingua franca. World Englishes 35(2), 293-309. https://doi.org/10.1111/weng.12196

Creative idioms in English as a Lingua Franca

What this research was about and why it is important The English spoken in conversations where at least one non-native speaker is present, is commonly called English as a Lingua Franca (ELF). ELF does not have fixed rules but is influenced by all languages speakers know and is created spontaneously and anew in each conversation. This study looked at how non-native speakers of English used their knowledge of other languages when producing and understanding idioms in such conversations. This helps us to better understand which strategies speakers apply when using idioms in ELF conversations and how they build on their use of multiple languages in such contexts. The study showed that non-native speakers of English could take their interlocutors’ knowledge of other languages into account when using idioms in an ELF setting.

What the researchers did • The author studied conversations between non-native speakers of English in the Vienna-Oxford International Corpus of English (VOICE). • The researcher was interested in examples of non-standard use of idioms in ELF conversations, i.e.: in instances where speakers used idioms that do not actually exist as such in standard English.

What the researchers found • Speakers did not only use standard English idioms but coined new, creative idioms. • They used idioms in one of the following three ways: o Sometimes speakers translated idioms directly from their first language. They did so when their conversation partners knew another language that used a similar idiom. They also used this strategy when the meaning of an idiom was transparent enough for others to understand it without knowing the specific expression. o They asked how to say an idiom in standard English before using an expression that was similar in wording (e.g.: knife with double blade for double-edged sword). o They used idioms in a language they and their interlocutors knew but that neither of them spoke as a native language (e.g.: an ELF conversation between a Serbian and three Maltese where an Italian idiom was used).

Things to consider • This study showed that non-native speakers used a variety of strategies to get their meaning across and that they could build on their knowledge of other languages when speaking English. This is an important aspect of ELF research, which does not look at conversations between non-native speakers through the lens of an ideal monolingual native speaker. On the contrary, research in this area is interested in how speakers use their active and/or passive knowledge of other languages to communicate meaning. It therefore proposes an alternative to views that describe learner language as deficient. • This study looked at conversations between non-native speakers of English but not at conversations between monolingual English native speakers and non-native speakers of English. • How could students of English be taught to build on their knowledge of other languages when communicating with other non-native speakers in English? • What do these findings mean for the native English speaker as a benchmark for English language classrooms?

How to cite this summary: Müller, L-M. & Pitzl, M-L. (2018). Creative idioms in English as a Lingua Franca. OASIS Summary of Pitzl (2016) in World Englishes. https://oasis-database.org This summary has a CC BY-NC-SA license.