Penka Hristova
Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski”
Email: penka.d.hristova@gmail.com
Abstract: Over the recent years, English has more and more steadily established its role as an international language and its status as a lingua franca has been increasingly discussed (Hülmbauer, Böhringer, and Seidlhofer 2008; Jenkins 2000, 2009; Seidlhofer 2004, 2005, 2011; Wright 2009). Its universal use can be explained with the economy principle and is a typical example of the pragmatic (instrumental) function of language use. This article is focused on the attitudes towards the use of English as a lingua franca among students who have participated in language exchanges under the EU Comenius Programme (in comparison to their classmates who haven’t participated in the exchanges). It will also show the preferred combinations of languages of the students and the leading place of English among the preferred languages.The research methodology uses both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews) methods. The research itself has been carried out in schools in Bulgaria that participated in bilateral partnerships under the Comenius Programme in the period of 2010 – 2013.
Keywords: English, lingua franca, students, Comenius Programme, preferred combinations of languages.
Rhetoric and Communications E-journal, Issue 34, May 2018, rhetoric.bg/, journal.rhetoric.bg, ISSN 1314-4464