Abstract

English is used in diplomatic contexts worldwide, including in situations where none of the interlocutors are native-speakers. This ground-breaking volume brings together the perspectives of researchers and practitioners to discuss the needs of those using and learning English for Diplomatic Purposes. Chapter authors use concepts from sociolinguistics, World Englishes, Peace Linguistics and English as a Lingua Franca. Combined with this theoretical background is a pragmatic understanding of the work of diplomacy and the realities of communication, as well as exercises designed to help students, teachers and practicing diplomats reflect on, and develop, their language use. This book represents an important first step in the opening-up of English for Diplomatic Purposes as a distinct field of study and learning, and as such will be required reading for those working and studying in this area.

This ground-breaking collection focuses on a key area of international communication, that of diplomacy. The chapters deal with diplomacy at a variety of levels, including the interpersonal, intercultural, and intergovernmental. The volume is informed by an appreciation of and respect for all languages and all peoples in the world, illuminated by an ethos of ‘peace linguistics’, which highlights the potential of the English language to contribute to global understanding at an individual as well as an institutional level.

Patricia Friedrich is Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition/Linguistics at Arizona State University, USA. Her research focuses on World Englishes, Peace Linguistics, Cross-Cultural Communication, and on applying linguistics to different realms of life. She is the author of over 25 articles and chapters in academic journals and publications, and she has written/edited several books including Nonkilling Linguistics: Practical Applications (Center for Global Nonkilling, 2012).

At a time when the need for border-crossing has become vital for a lot of people who are struggling for a better life, this book may help teachers, policymakers, gatekeepers etc understand the centrality and the complexity of what is called ‘English’ in the construction of alternative futures nowadays.

(This book) is a thoughtful and practical commentary on the language all of us probably use from time to time and how to humanise our use of language and make it more compassionate.

The editor and the contributors to this volume must be praised for having published this unique book which is a milestone in the field of English as a diplomatic language.

This book is an important and remarkable publication about English as a diplomatic language. It will be very useful, appropriate and suitable for scholars, instructors, students and all professionals working in this global field. Patricia Friedrich and her team of 9 international scholars must be congratulated and praised for having edited and published this unique book which is a real milestone in the field of English as a diplomatic language.