Invited Lecture-Dr. Istvan Kecskes (SUNY- Albany) on April 1

“Tell me about it”: Formulaic language use in English Lingua Franca

What makes intercultural communication and lingua franca communication unique is that interlocutors usually speak different first languages and belong to different cultures but use a common language that has its own socio-cultural background and preferred ways of saying things. With no native speakers participating in the language game how much will the players stick to the original rules of the game?  If we want to answer this question, we will need to find out something about English Lingua Franca speakers’ thought processes and linguistic conventions as reflected in their language use.  This presentation will focus on the use of formulaic language that consists of speech routines and prefabricated formulas whose use is conventionalized in a relatively homogenous speech community.

by

Dr. Istvan Kecskes

Author, Intercultural Pragmatics (Oxford UP, 2013)

Editor-in-chief, Journal of Intercultural Pragmatics

Professor of Linguistics and Education

 State University of New York, Albany

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

The Commons, room 329

Everyone is welcome!

For more information, please contact Dr. Denis Provencher (provench@umbc.edu)