Prague City University to Host International English as a Lingua Franca Conference

In September, the School of Education will proudly host the 14th (bi-)annual international English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) conference (ELF14 2024). This event will bring together researchers, English language academics, teachers, and teacher trainers from around the globe to share their expertise and innovations in education.

ELF in Prague

For the first time in its 14-year history, leading academics from four continents, from over 80 renowned institutions, including among others King's College London, University of Vienna, University of Helsinki, University of Glasgow, National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and University of Oxford, will be meeting in Prague at Prague City University and Charles University.

Over three days, the programme will feature a series of 12 streamed plenary talks, 8 specialized colloquia, 60+ research presentations and 14 practical teacher workshops from leading experts who will share their research, teaching, and expertise, offering an invaluable experience not only for academics interested in the field of Global Englishes and ELF.

The conference will also focus on the linguistic and cultural impacts of AI's rapid advancements on language theory, teaching, and learning, with a particular emphasis on English as a global lingua franca. In addition, speakers will share findings on ELF research in the following areas: AI and teaching and learning, ELF&ELT, bridging of GEs/ELF/WEs paradigms, Present & Future of Englishes, Bilingual Education, CLIL/EMI, Corpus linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Conversation analysis, Translanguaging, Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), and more.

Teachers’ Friday

High school, language school and freelance English teachers and active educators are also welcome to join a special day that will include lectures and workshops conducted by globally renowned linguists, researchers, and teacher trainers. A major focus will be on the use of language in the age of AI and on promoting ELF-informed pedagogy.

Participants will discover how English is used, theorised, and taught worldwide and will learn how to enhance their teaching skills by:

• discovering practical ways to integrate Global Englishes theories into the classroom;
• learning how to enhance lessons with activities that reflect different global Englishes;
• finding inspiration to create dynamic teaching materials and lesson plans;
• developing strategies that raise awareness of English’s role in global communication;.
• engaging in discussions about linguistic identities and intercultural communication.

How to Book

The fee to attend Teachers’ Friday is 40 EUR + VAT and includes plenary lectures in the morning at Charles University, followed by afternoon workshops at Prague City University. The fee also includes all day refreshments. Interested teachers must register via this link to book their place.

Local University Partners

ELF14 will be hosted by the Faculty of Education at Prague City University and the Faculty of Arts at Charles University.

Dr. Veronika Quinn Novotná, the English Programme Leader at PCU’s School of Education, has led the organisation of the conference over the past year with support from the School of Education and collaboration with her long-term research partner and friend Jiřina Dunková.

According to Dr. Quinn Novotná it is important to host ELF14 in Prague as:
“Prague is home to prestigious universities and research institutions that can contribute to and benefit from the conference, enhancing academic collaboration and innovation. ELF14 will also be the first in person conference since the COVID-19 pandemic. By hosting the conference in Prague we can raise the profile of ELF research in Eastern and Central Europe, promoting greater regional engagement with global linguistic issues. It will also help raise the awareness of the teaching and academic community on the importance of English as a global lingua franca, and the sociolinguistic dynamics associated with its use.”

For more details about the conference, please visit the ELF website. There, you will find the preliminary programme, featured speakers, participating universities, and registration information.