English is a widely shared linguistic resource, shaped by the people of diverse linguacultural backgrounds who use it. To allow any nation guardianship over English is to hinder its development and therefore to erode its international status (Widdowson 1994). Acknowledging the scope of English beyond pre-established codes and conventions, ELF researchers investigate language function according to local and context-specific requirements, without placing particular emphasis on language forms of communities using English as a first language. In Japan, as knowledge of ELF research grows, teachers of English are becoming increasingly aware of measures they might take to shift from traditional centers of ideological and pedagogical emphasis. Such measures include taking heterogeneity into account, thinking critically about one-size-fits-all teaching approaches, and emphasizing intelligibility. The presenter will discuss conceptual differences between EFL and ELF, ELF-awareness as being locally oriented, recent ELF-related research in Japan, and general measures for teachers to consider.
