The epistemological distance between English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and English Language Teaching (ELT) as two influential disciplinary paradigms within applied linguistics is well documented (Dewey, 2014; Baker, 2015, 2016; Kohn, 2014; Sifakis, 2009; Toh, 2016). Scholarly attention to how these contradictions are played out in the everyday life of English language programs is largely absent. This study explores tensions between ELF and ELT as realized through curriculum management and teaching experiences in an ELF-oriented language program at a Japanese university.
