Language Teaching Research Quarterly

Accelerating globalization has created an interest in studying the use of different languages in intercultural communication. This paper is based upon a small-scale study of expatriates’ use of English as a lingua franca in Denmark and Germany. It discusses expatriates’ use of English as a lingua franca and its influence on their willingness to communicate in the target language. The participants come from both European and non-European countries, and they all know English. They live temporarily in a foreign country whose target language is new to them. Besides illustrating the dynamic nature of English as a lingua franca, the findings show how its role in the participants’ willingness to communicate in the target language is influenced by their attitude, communicative competence, point of view, position in society and social situation. The study comprises quantitative and qualitative data. It is limited to a short time span. Future research could focus upon possible changes over longer time spans.