The Unexpectedness in Multilingual Communities

The article, “Lingua Franca English, Multilingual Communities, and Language Acquisition” took me on a whirl.  After reading the article, I put it down and had to question SLA experts.  Some questions I have are; How are SLA experts correct?  Are they really correct?  I realize that Lingua Franca English is the universal language of communication, but how are SLA experts so sure that form is so important?

“It is now well recognized that the dominant constructs of SLA are founded on monolingual norms and practices” (934).  The article talks about language acquisition and use in multilingual communities.  The author explains that in these communities it is often difficult to identify one’s mother tongue or native language.  These communities are so multilingual that they even share mixing of diverse languages, literacies, and discourses. Moreover, when people are conversing with one another, they are open to the unexpectedness.  

These multilingual communities are so open to one another that it kind of reminds me of Utopia community.  As a future language teacher, I am finding it difficult to teach the “correct” dialect of English to second language learners.  I feel as if I am cheating them of what other dialects are out there.  I realize that I have knowledge about introducing different dialects into the classroom using authentic resources, but I guess I never really thought of teaching the Lingua Franca English.  We must give some students some choice in the matter while giving them the truth of the dialect of English we use in our schools and the teaching of that specific dialect.