In an ELF (English as a Lingua Franca) circumstance, users of English are not bound by native speaker (NS) norms; rather, their "success" can be measured by their ability to communicate effectively, and to adapt communication to reflect the diversity and variability of English use in shared contexts. However, what are the implications of ELF for writing instruction? Since, broadly speaking, EAP (English for Academic Purposes) assumes that Non-Native Speakers (NNS) should conform to native forms of language use, how should college English instructors address the issue of writing in EAP? There are divided opinions among ELT practitioners. It is argued that adherence to native English norms in academic and professional writing tasks reflects editorial realities: conventional native norms embody the language, organization, and presentation used for academic discourse. On the other hand, ELF researchers contend that priority in language teaching may be given to nurturing ‘communicative capability’ (Seidlhofer 2011, Widdowson 2003, 2015).
