Negotiating the Local in English as a Lingua Franca

Although there are many studies on the new international norms developing to facilitate communication in English as a lingua franca (ELF), there are limited discussions on the ways local values and identities are negotiated. After reviewing the debates on the place of the local in ELF, this chapter goes on to address the new policy challenges for local communities. Then it reviews studies on the ways local values are represented in oral, written, and digital communication. I finally make a case for developing paradigms based on heterogeneity in applied linguistics to accommodate diversity in successful communication.