The interactions in English as a lingua franca scenarios are social acts, as are interactions in any given language. To understand such acts, it is necessary to explore beyond how people are perceived to interact with their immediate, physical interlocutors in ELF communication, and consider how they interact with expectations, meanings and constructs that are embedded in social practices. With this as a starting point, and focusing on East Asia where the significance of English has become notably more prominent both functionally and symbolically, this book considers, with openness and inclusivity, ELF language practices in a wider social picture, going beyond a focus on micro-level communicative processes. Through this exploration, it is hoped that a clearer picture of people's linguistic and social realities becomes evident, one that includes holistic insights into the various social and personal dimensions of English in the world today.

Mariko Kitazawa, University of Southampton, UK