When English is no longer a ‘foreign’ language – Signifiers, attitudes and didactic approaches

Conveners:

Dale Jones (University of Klagenfurt), roger [dot] jones [at] aau [dot] at

Wolfgang Hallet (University of Bonn), whallet [at] uni-bonn [dot] de

Description:

This session invites contributions that interrogate the status of English in contexts where it can no longer be treated as a conventional “foreign” language, particularly across continental Europe (Phillipson, 2007). A growing empirical record points to distinctive conditions: extensive extramural learning driven by dense English-language semiotic environments; rising attainment profiles among learners prior to and alongside schooling; shifting attitudes toward ownership and legitimacy; and the formation of large, networked communities of practice online (c.f. Sylvén & Sundqvist, 2012; Jones, 2018; Kaatari et al., 2023; KIM Studie (2024); Hallet, 2024). Together these features challenge inherited sociolinguistic and educational frameworks and demand recalibration of pedagogy, assessment, and teacher training (Dobrić & Jones, 2025).

We seek studies from sociolinguistics, applied linguistics, and language didactics that document, model, or theorize English in these settings. Suitable contributions include corpus and survey analyses of English exposure and proficiency; classroom interventions and assessment redesigns; ethnographies of practice and identity; policy analyses of curricula and staffing; and comparative or boundary cases that clarify where the “no longer foreign” characterization holds or fails. The session aims to specify mechanisms (exposure, mediation, institutionalization), delineate learner and teacher profiles under high ambient English, and derive actionable implications for curriculum, proficiency targets, and evaluation. By assembling convergent evidence, the session will articulate a coherent research agenda for understanding English beyond the foreign-language paradigm and for aligning educational practice with present sociolinguistic realities. It thus invites a discussion of (but not limited to) the following questions:

(1) What empirical thresholds (e.g., extramural exposure indices, non-school domain use, ownership/identity measures) reliably distinguish settings where English functions as “not foreign”?
(2) Through which pathways do exposure, mediation, and institutionalization drive proficiency gains (or plateaus), net of confounds such as SES, bilingual background, and instructional time?
(3) What teacher proficiency targets and staffing models (generalist vs specialist rotations) are necessary and sufficient to serve cohorts with high ambient English?
(4) Which curriculum and assessment redesigns prevent ceiling effects for high-exposure pupils while remaining feasible for heterogeneous classes?
(5) How does the “not-foreign” status redistribute advantage or disadvantage across regions, SES groups, and heritage-language communities, and which interventions mitigate widening gaps?
(6) In which contexts does the characterization fail, and what contrasts with other widely taught languages (e.g., French, Spanish, Kiswahili) identify the necessary and sufficient conditions for “not-foreign” English?

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT

For the Thematic Sessions, we invite proposals for individual papers consisting of a 20-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of discussion. The abstracts should conform to the template found HERE.

References:

Dobrić, N. & Jones, D. (2025). Closing the conceptual and terminological gap on the possible statuses of English – Is English still just a special kind of a foreign language? Forthcoming.

Hallet, W. (2024) Kulturen im Englischunterricht: Konzepte, Modelle, Unterrichtsbeispiele. Hannover: Klett.

Jones, R. D. (2018). Developing Video Game Literacy in the EFL Classroom – A Qualitative Analysis of 10th Grade Classroom Game Discourse. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag.

Kaatari, H., Larsson, L., Wang, Y., Acikara-Eickhoff, S. & Sundqvist, P. (2023). Exploring the effects of target-language extramural activities on students’ written production- Journal of Second Language Writing 62.

KIM Studie (2024). Kindheit, Internet, Medien. Basisuntersuchung zum Medienumgang 12- bis 19-Jähriger in Deutschland. Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest (mpfs).

Phillipson, R. (2007). English, No Longer a Foreign Language in Europe? In: Cummins, J. & Davison, C. (Eds.), International handbook of English language teaching, 123–136. Springer Science.

Sylvén. L. & Sundqvist, P. (2012). Gaming as extramural English L2 learning and L2 proficiency among young learners. ReCALL 24, 302–321. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095834401200016X.