Placing ELF among the varieties of English: Observations from typological profiling

Abstract

This study investigates how (dis)similar ELF is structurally from the core native varieties of English, indigenized L2 varieties, and learner English. ELF is understood as second language use of English in settings where the interactants do not necessarily share a first language. The empirical part makes use of the method of typological profiling based on aggregate structural features. This method measures three indices (i.e. grammaticity, analyticity, and syntheticity), and it has been used previously to analyze a range of variety types but has not been applied to the assessment of ELF. The results provide quantitative evidence that places ELF on the map and shows that, on purely structural grounds, ELF is a distinct variety type among English varieties. Moreover, the observations show that ELF is structurally different from second language acquisition, and there is a quantitative basis for drawing a distinction between ELF and traditional learner data.