A Case for Domain-Specific Research into Seafarers’ Use of English as a Lingua Franca

Authors

Achala K. Dissanayake

Abstract

Due to ships’ crews and offshore personnel being multicultural and multilingual, more than one variety of English is used in communication in ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and on-board domains. Among these speakers of many Englishes, English is being used as a lingua franca. The use of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) in this domain is characterized by features of the many varieties of English spoken by the interlocutors as well as characteristics of the native languages of the speakers engaged in ELF. Therefore, the incorporation of both World Englishes (WE) and ELF knowledge into the pedagogy of Maritime English (ME) is crucial. Prior to this inclusion, however, more domain-specific research should be conducted into the use of ELF in maritime contexts in order to understand the manner in which ELF interactions take place among seafarers.

Recommended Citation

Dissanayake, Achala K. (2017) "A Case for Domain-Specific Research into Seafarers’ Use of English as a Lingua Franca," Journal of Innovation in Science, Engineering and Technology: Vol. 5: Iss. 2, Article 2.
DOI: 10.4038/caj.v2i0.54
Available at: https://jiset.cinec.edu/journal/vol5/iss2/2

Pages

43-47