Beliefs about English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) or International Language (EIL) in Intercultural Contexts: Voices from Brazil and Chile

Authors

  • Valeria Sumonte Rojas

    Department of Languages, Catholic University of Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile
  • Lidia Andrea Fuentealba

    Department of Languages, Catholic University of Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile
  • Esteban Ayala Herrera

    Department of Languages, Catholic University of Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile
  • Carmen Gaete Mella

    Department of Languages, Catholic University of Maule, Talca 3460000, Chile
  • Kyria Rebeca Finardi

    Department of Languages, Culture and Education, Federal University of Spirito Santo, Vitoria 29075910, Brazil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11538
Received: 8 August 2025 | Revised: 7 October 2025 | Accepted: 10 October 2025 | Published Online: 5 November 2025

Abstract

The following study examines how university teacher educators in Brazil and Chile perceive the integration of interculturality in the teaching and learning of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) and English as an International Language (EIL). While both countries included English in the curricula as a foreign language, they have recently rethought the status of English in the education system—Brazil officializing it as ELF and Chile proposing it as EIL— the extent to which this policy changes translate into pedagogical practice remains unclear. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten English teacher educators from both countries, this research investigates their beliefs about the challenges and opportunities of implementing ELF or EIL with an intercultural orientation. The findings reveal a disjunction between awareness of policy mandates and uncertainty about their classroom application, reflecting limited guidance and persistent reliance on native-speaker norms. By situating these insights within broader ELF/EIL and interculturality scholarship, the study highlights the need for clearer policy practice alignment and for teacher education programmes to provide explicit support in developing intercultural competence. In doing so, it contributes empirical evidence from Latin America, a region underrepresented in ELF/EIL research, expanding understanding of how global language paradigms are interpreted in local educational contexts.

Keywords:

Higher Education; Professors; Interculturality; Teaching and Learning

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Sumonte Rojas, V., Fuentealba, L. A., Ayala Herrera, E., Gaete Mella, C., & Finardi, K. R. (2025). Beliefs about English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) or International Language (EIL) in Intercultural Contexts: Voices from Brazil and Chile. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 375–391. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11538

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Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

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Copyright © 2025 Valeria Sumonte Rojas, Lidia Andrea Fuentealba, Esteban Ayala Herrera, Carmen Gaete Mella, Kyria Rebeca Finardi

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