About half of European Union citizens can speak English. Is this fact sufficient for English to be considered the international lingua franca? Sharifian (languages, cultures, and linguistics,
Monash U., Melbourne) introduces 15 contributions, some from authors in under-represented countries, that take varying positions on the debate over this movement. In empirical research and case
studies, they address sociolinguistic and imperialist aspects of native vs. non-native speakers, teachers, and models; varieties of English; and implications for the dissemination of local
knowledge such as Traditional Chinese Medicine. Distributed in the US by UTP Distribution. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
