A vueltas con la globalización del inglés: expectativas y paradojas

Abstract

This paper tries to re-examine the impact of globalization on the development of the English Language as Lingua Franca ( ELF), its pretentions and obvious problems. This development has been spectacular since the fifties, initially channelled through well-known processes of British linguistic standarization and American cultural politics, widely diversified later on by the globalizing practices carried out on peripheral scenarios, mainly local and regional. It is within those scenarios how the paradoxical influence of globalization has been felt, particularly through their lingüistic diversity, language contact, local and transnational linguistic policies, as well as in language teaching and in many aspects of the so called paradigmatic shift. As examples of these effects we mention the problematics of English pratices carried out on hibrid terrains and the linguistic politics of the European Council, mainly those outlined in the CEFR documents (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment).