Lend - Bologna

March 9th, 2011

Enrico Grazzi

Learners as social networkers via English as a Lingua Franca

The aim of this presentation is to consider the pedagogical implications of using English as a
Lingua Franca (ELF) and social networking at high school level, to exploit collective writing and
fanfiction as language learning tools.
The fundamental assumption here is that the Internet should be considered an authentic
social environment, inhabited by culturally and ethnically diverse communities who mainly use
ELF to interact online. Following Lantolf and Thorne (2006, 67), it is claimed that the World Wide
Web should be included in the list of settings where developmental processes take place, hence it
may be advisable to approach ELF as a cultural artifact that allows "Internet-mediated
communication". In a globalized world, the extreme heterogeneity of the growing population of net
users is perhaps the most tangible manifestation of cross-cultural communication, and the
pervasiveness of English as the primary contact language has given a strong impulse to the
emergence of its sub-standard varieties, a phenomenon that can be interpreted as the inevitable
consequence of the non-native speaker's (NNS) tendency to adapt the international language to their
own linguistic and cultural identity, in order to fulfil their communication needs.
The advent of Web 2.0 has marked the beginning of a new era for technologically mediated
social interaction, as it has boosted hyperlinking, which is the very essence of the Internet. The
great success of this platform largely depends on the implementation of advanced tools that allows
net users to upload and share their own materials (e.g. texts, pictures, digital audio/video recordings,
webpages) and exploit the power of the Web through the great potential of their collective
intelligence. Social networks have lead to the creation of communities of peers who share a
cooperative rather than competitive spirit and master the process of communication to reach their
common goals. Also literature is being deeply affected by the Web, which has the power to connect
groups of readers worldwide, and transform them into collective writers. Countless blogs and
dedicated discussion forums host a huge number of readers, brought together by their desire to
share views and ideas about their favourite books (e.g. aNobii). As a natural consequence, their love
for literature has induced them to create original stories, novels and poems, or else develop a new
genre called fanfiction, whereby groups of fans create new versions or sequels of the books they
like best (Harry Potter is a case in point). Fan culture has turned the Web into a participatory
environment where creativity is used above all to share a collective experience, rather than sell a
product.
This session will show ways in which language teachers could exploit collective writing and
fanfiction as valuable resources to improve their students’ receptive and productive skills, and also
promote important methodologies such as cooperative learning and intercultural communication.

Web-sites
 Enrico Grazzi, Learners as social networkers via English as a Lingua Franca

aNobii (create, share and explore booklists): http://www.anobii.com

Beta Reading (fanfiction-collaborative writing) www.sugarquill.net

Ewenger Etienne, http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

Fanfiction: http://www.fanfiction.net/book/

Fanfiction (Harry Potter)

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3870764/1/A_Different_Start_American_Harry_Prequel

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1480438/1/

Fiction Alley (biggest English fanfiction web site) www.fictionalley.org

Galaxiki (fancy fiction) http://www.galaxiki.org/

Harry Potter fandom http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_fandom#Fan_fiction

Lulu (online publisher): http://www.lulu.com/it

Orion’s arm (fancy fiction) http://eg.orionsarm.com/

Tailtelling http://www.tailtelling.com/

VOICE 1.0, http://www.univie.ac.at/voice/page/what_is_voice

Wiki Novel http://wikinovel.box-fire.com/wiki/Main_Page

Wikipedia: glossary of fanfiction http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_fan_fiction_terms

Wiki Story http://www.wikistory.com/wiki/WikiStory_Home

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Biodata
Enrico Grazzi is a researcher in the field of English Language and Translation at the University of “Roma Tre”, Rome,
Italy, where he teaches English for Communication Science.

His main interests are: English as a Lingua Franca; Corpus Linguistics; Communication Science; Translation Studies.

He is a past President of TESOL-Italy (2002-2004), and a member of TESOL-Italy’s Executive Committee.

He is a teacher trainer and a textbook writer.

He has published Horizons on Literature. An Approach to 19 th and 20th Century Literature, Oxford University Press,
Oxford 2006.

E-mail: egrazzi@uniroma3.it