ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides a range of language learning environments, in most cases formal learning contexts. It examines the role of language learning in a post-conflict zone and the complexity of language learning as a conciliatory initiative. The book discusses the potential of foreign language education for the development of European Union (EU) and global citizenship, as language learning leads to the engagement with multiple identities and respect for diversity. It focuses on the plurilingual approach to language teaching, which has been promoted by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) since the early 2000s. The book also discusses how foreign language (FL) learning in higher education in the US could be enhanced through university departments constructing their own curricula. It proposes the reconceptualisation of English as a lingua franca (ELF) into English as a multilingua franca (EMF).