In a world where an increasing amount of communication takes place in English among non-native speakers, this study presents data from email exchanges to provide the first examination of sociolinguistic competence and the acquisition of native-like variability in an English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) context. The analysis of a range of linguistic variables (future tense, relative pronoun choice, complementizer use and adverbial placement) in the online interactions of Swiss speakers (with German, French and Italian mother tongues) allows the reader to gain a greater understanding of which linguistic features are source language-related and which are learning-related. This book will be a valuable resource for postgraduates and researchers interested in language variation and change, ELF and second language acquisition, as well as for undergraduates wanting guidance on different ways of examining sociolinguistic variables. This is a most interesting book and offers lots of new insights into language variation and change, the role of new technologies in the evolution of language use, new speech 'communities' of multilingual speakers and also further explorations of the relationship between SLA and sociolinguistics which add to those already in existence. In addition, there are interesting implications for language teaching and learning. ― Vera Regan, University College Dublin, Ireland Mercedes Durham's important new book contributes to our understanding of sociolinguistic variation in a multilingual context in general and to the role of English as a lingua franca in Switzerland in particular. Through rigorous analysis, the author shows how non-native speakers of English acquire considerable sociolinguistic competence. The findings reported here suggest that our ideas of sociolinguistic competence need to be redefined as English gains wider currency as a global language. ― Robert Bayley, University of California, Davis, USA Mercedes Durham is Lecturer in Sociolinguistics at Cardiff University. Her research interests include sociolinguistics, language variation and change, English as a world language, dialects of English and the acquisition of variation. The Acquisition of Sociolinguistic Competence in a Lingua Franca Context By Mercedes Durham Multilingual Matters Copyright © 2014 Mercedes Durham All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-78309-143-0 Contents Acknowledgements, 1 English as a Lingua Franca, 1.1 English as a Global Lingua Franca, 1.2 Classifying English Users, 1.3 From ESL and EFL to ELF and Beyond, 1.4 The Sociolinguistics of ELF, 2 Second Language Variation, 2.1 Introduction, 2.2 Sources of Non-native Variation, 2.3 Type of Non-native Speaker: Interlanguage Versus High-level Competence, 2.4 SLV and ELF, 2.5 Previous Work on SLV, 2.6 Where Does ELF Fit into SLV?, 3 English as a Lingua Franca in a Multilingual Context: Switzerland, 3.1 Languages in Switzerland, 3.2 2000 Census Results, 3.3 The Rise of English and its Causes, 3.4 English as a Swiss Lingua Franca, 4 Data, 4.1 Introduction, 4.2 Swiss Data – IFMSA-Switzerland, 4.3 Languages Used in the Association, 4.4 The Situation at Meetings (and Interviews), 4.5 The Mailing List, 4.6 Type of English Used, 4.7 Native English Data, 4.8 Discussion, 5 Methodology, 5.1 Comparing Linguistic Varieties, 5.2 Multivariate Analysis and its Use for Comparative Sociolinguistics, 5.3 Categorizing the Results, 5.4 Features Analyzed, 6 Future, 6.1 Introduction, 6.2 Future Forms, 6.3 Future Forms in the Source Languages, 6.4 Previous Studies, 6.5 Setting Up the Analysis, 6.6 Results, 6.7 Discussion, 6.8 Conclusion, 7 Relatives, 7.1 Introduction, 7.2 Relative Clauses, 7.3 Relative Clauses in the Source Languages, 7.4 Previous Studies, 7.5 Analysis and Results, 7.6 Multivariate Analysis, 7.7 Discussion, 7.8 Conclusion, 8 Complementizers, 8.1 Introduction, 8.2 Complementizers, 8.3 Complementizers in the Source Languages, 8.4 Previous Studies, 8.5 Analysis and Results, 8.6 Multivariate Analysis, 8.7 Discussion, 8.8 Conclusion, 9 Lexical Variation: Also, As Well and Too, 9.1 Introduction, 9.2 Also, As Well and Too, 9.3 Additive Adverbials in the Source Languages, 9.4 Previous Work on Additive Adverbials, 9.5 Analysis and Results, 9.6 Discussion, 9.7 Conclusion, 10 Discussion, 10.1 General Considerations, 10.2 Features, 10.3 Interpretations, 10.4 ELF and Sociolinguistic Competence, 11 Conclusion, References, Index, CHAPTER 1 English as a Lingua Franca 1.1 English as a Global Lingua Franca As English has increased in use across the world, so have attempts to account for its spread and to analyze the new ways it is used. While discussions about English in native, in foreign language and in lingua franca contexts are wide ranging and diverse, one aspect which has received relatively little attention so far is the sociolinguistics of English as a lingua franca (henceforth E