The dynamics of English in a multilingual Europe

Throughout European history, multilingualism has coexisted with one or more linguae francae. Today’s European lingua franca is English, and it, too, functions within a thoroughly multilingual context. This introduction to the volume English in Europe Today illuminates some of the sociocultural and educational contexts in which English and its manifestations in the European linguistic landscape play a shaping role. The contributions to the volume are set within these varied contexts. Together they bear witness to the challenging but enriching dynamics that are part and parcel of the use of English in multilingual Europe today.