ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses cognitive ontologies of English in the light of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) research, exploring usage-based approaches and the role of usage norms. It addresses how ELF-informed cognitive research can shed light on the assumed dichotomy, more broadly viewed, between native speakers (NSs) and non-native speakers (NNSs). The chapter deals with the nature of the mental resources used in ELF processing. It ends with some general conclusions and suggestions for further research. Native English speakers (NESs) also participate in ELF interactions, and they too will bring variable resources to the communicative event, deploying these resources variably, with variable success. Many ELF scholars and commentators continue to present ELF as a linguistic system, a kind of English, using terms like ELF user/speaker and contrasting it with English as a native language (ENL). This problem remains a serious obstacle for a cognitive account of ELF.
