Do Accommodation, Cooperation and Face Strategies in ELF Vary According to Setting? A Case Study of Institutional Power in Migrant Settings

Abstract

This chapter examines instances of ‘non-understanding’ and cooperation in the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) on the basis of a data set that reveals how the propositional content of an interaction is of crucial importance. In transactional communication, the will to invest in collaborative interaction is higher than in an interactional conversation where the primary function is rapport building or identity affirmation. This study focuses on functional interaction in naturally occurring ELF discourse in public service settings in Italy between plurilingual migrants and Italian officials from the public and legal services. The data contains features of both transactional communication (asylum application requests; thus, highstake interactions) and interactional features (rapport building between the parties, especially those from so-called “collectivist” cultures).