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EIL stands for English as an international language. It describes the study of English as it is used internationally. The term recognizes the use of English as a “lingua franca” or common language for communication. The concept of lingua franca will be further discussed in Chapter 4. EIL implies that English is used among individuals who may not be native speakers or bound to traditional native-speaker language norms. The contexts associated with EIL are in multilingual settings such as large, international cities (e.g., Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Doha, and Dubai) or on the internet.

The use of English in these contexts may generate new language patterns or norms that have more to do with efficient communication and clarity than with traditional or formal English language use; however, speakers are typically successful in their communication. Kate had frequently interaction with speakers of diverse languages while living in Doha, Qatar, where roughly 88% of the population is from outside the country (Demographics of Qatar, 2019). Many individuals were from nearby countries in the Middle East and Asia, but also from the Philippines and Malaysia. The official language of Qatar is Arabic. English is also employed there as an international language, because it is a commonly learned language and many people have learned some of it. Street names were often not marked, so it was often necessary to negotiate at length with cab drivers about where to go, and how to get to a particular location. Communication between Kate and a cab driver depended in large part on each speaker’s knowledge of the area and abilities in Arabic for the street names and oral English. Many language shortcuts were taken to ensure that they understood each other and had the same location in mind. These types of interactions, if frequent, create new language patterns.