English as a Lingua Franca and the teaching of pronunciation at tertiary level

Our increasingly international campuses are one manifestation of the global spread of English. Both on campus and off, it is likely that many interactions in English are taking place without any native speakers of the language being present. The emerging research paradigm of English as a Lingua Franca has called for a corresponding reconceptualisation of English in the world, drawing on empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives. This paradigm shift, if accepted as such, has significant implications for pedagogy. In the area of pronunciation, for example, it is claimed that teaching and assessment should no longer be based on native-speaker norms. The aims of this chapter are firstly to introduce English as a Lingua Franca, both as linguisitic phenomenon and research paradigm, and secondly to assess the extent to which English as a Lingua Franca can inform the teaching and testing of pronunciation at the tertiary level. The definitions of terms such as "norm", "model", "target" and "goal" are examined, and a distinction between "features" and "errors" is proposed. Although the main focus is on pronunciation, there are also possible implications for other syllabus areas, as the nature and importance of linguistic competence is one of the underlying issues.