ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the rise of English in higher education due to the perceived demands to internationalize. It reviews studies that have adopted an English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) perspective and what they tell us about English in Brazil. The chapter focuses on potential directions for ELF research as part of a critical agenda in Applied Linguistics. It explains issues related to policy decisions regarding the teaching of English in relation to internationalization efforts in higher education and their reinforcement of normative views of language. The tensions inherent in the teaching of English for internationalization and the ELF voices represent the major challenges for English language teaching in Brazil today. The chapter presents both national and regional perspectives, helping to create a wider picture of the issues involved in ELF. Approaching ELT from an ELF perspective would be an empowering one, because it would allow to challenge and actively struggle against monolingualism and beliefs tied up with English imperialism.
