Erasmus exchange students

A behind-the-scenes look into the ELF community of practice

Abstract

The present paper examines how some Erasmus exchange students studying temporarily at the University of Szeged or at the Charles University in Prague are socialized in(to) their new communities of practice. The paper adopts a language socialization perspective combined with a community of practice approach, and thus contributes to a vastly under-researched area within ELF. The paper reveals that the participants collect first hand experience of using ELF within their newly emerging Erasmus community of practice. Very importantly, though, ELF, is not the only language that they are using within the Erasmus community; and the Erasmus community is not the only community of practice which they orient themselves to. As will be shown, their experience of language socialization is a multifaceted one, characterized by pride and satisfaction, on the one hand, and dilemmas and regret, on the other.