The Handbook of World Englishes, 2nd Edition

12Euro‐Englishes

SUZANNE K. HILGENDORF

1 Introduction

The term Euro‐Englishes refers to the remarkable increase in English use that has been occurring in Europe since the end of World War II. In the last 70 years, the number of the language’s users has grown dramatically, to the degree that today English essentially has become the “other tongue” of Europeans (Kachru 1992). This de facto status is reflected in recent statistics on English learning and use within the European Union (EU). In 2009–2010, 73% of all pupils in primary education and more than 90% of students in most secondary schooling were learning the language (Eurydice 2012: 11). On a broader societal level, some 38% of Europeans now report they can hold a conversation in English. In contrast, only 12% and 11% are able to do so in French and German, respectively, the second and third most studied languages on the continent (Eurobarometer 2012: 21).

This significant societal depth of the English language in Europe today raises fundamental questions about the forms and functions of its use. On the one hand, English certainly is being used as a lingua franca, or default code for communicating with people from other speech communities. Scholars such as Seidlhofer (2001a, 2001b, 2005, 2011, Seidlhofer, Breitenender, & Pitzl 2006) and Jenkins (2000, 2001, 2009) began researching such uses of English in Europe in the early 2000s. Their initial studies established the foundation for the English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) ...