1. Comment 2.
- Author
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Bolton, Kingsley
- Subjects
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LINGUA francas , *ENGLISH language , *LANGUAGE spread , *SOCIOLINGUISTICS , *CHILDREN'S language , *POLITICAL refugees - Abstract
This article presents a commentary on Robert Phillipson's paper "Lingua franca or lingua frankensteinia? English in European Integration and Globalisation." The current spread of English in Europe is the core of the paper's argument. According to the author, many of the concerns expressed with reference to English in Europe are rooted in social and political issues rather than linguistics. One of the factors that influence the current trend include the growth and development of the European Union, as well as its continued enlargement. For instance, schoolchildren in Stockholm, Sweden, speak more than 150 languages at home and the city serves as home to various political refugees such as those coming from the Balkans, Iraq, Somalia and other troubled nations.
- Published
- 2008
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