Abstract
The distinction between English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) is a highly debated issue on both a theoretical and an applied level. EFL is a well-established paradigm, whereas ELF is an emerging paradigm which has not received full acceptance in all academic circles.
According to many scholars, the time has come for a teaching paradigm to change, i.e. to move from the ‘traditional’ EFL principles to the new World Englishes (WEs) and/or ELF focus. This paper reviews and summarizes the current paradigmatic changes and juxtaposes them to solutions applied to global teaching materials.
We do not promote the ELF perspective; rather it is our goal to provide a brief comparison of the two teaching paradigms. On the example of two recently published textbook series Global (2010) and English Unlimited (2010) we demonstrate some novel tendencies in textbook design.