English as Language of Teaching and Research

It has often been claimed that English has emerged as the lingua franca of teaching and research at universities across the globe. This entry provides an overview of language use within higher education internationally, with a particular view to highlighting conditions within the human sciences—that is, the social sciences and the humanities. The entry centres on English as the medium of research, understood primarily as publishing, and English medium instruction (EMI). It begins by providing a brief historical overview.

Lingua Francas of Higher Education

Insofar as English nowadays holds a position as the lingua franca of higher education, it is not the first language to dominate academic life. Although conditions differed greatly, Latin long occupied a similar position as the go-to language of teaching and research. Following ...

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