Cultural Capital in English as a Lingua Franca: A Poststructuralist Perspective

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Research on Cultural and Linguistic Capital

Abstract

This paper applies poststructuralist theory to the exploration of seven NNES learners’ experiences in a Commerce English-taught program in Taiwan. Primary data, including student interviews, class observations, language journals, and teacher interviews, were analyzed based on Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) Constant Comparison Method. The findings suggest that language and content expertise, imagined community, and relational and collective self manifest cultural capital that shape one’s social roles and regulate language-use opportunities and language-learning trajectories. This paper concludes by heeding NNES learners’ struggles in conflicting rules and sociocultural norms in an ELF context.

Author

• Yi Ping Huang, National Chengchi University