in teaching and learning English. Kuo (2006) further
indicates that teaching English as a lingua franca
model is not widely accepted for several reasons,
includingstandardization, popularity,and application
in ELT. Despite the fact that adopting English as a
lingua franca model in ELT appears unacceptable
to many scholars, it has raised important issues
regarding communication features and culture in
English as a lingua franca communication and this
will be useful for English teachers to consider in
equipping students withtheappropriateknowledge
and skills for intercultural communication.
RegardingtheroleofEnglishasalinguafranca
inThailand,Baker (2009) indicates thatThailand isan
expandingcirclecountry,accordingtoKachru’sthreecircle
classification model, and English generally
takesonaroleas linguafrancainThailand.Similarly,
Todd (2006) points out that Thais who work in the
Thai tourismindustrymainlycommunicateinEnglish
as a lingua franca with foreign tourists who are
primarilynon-nativespeakersofEnglish.Todd (2006)
adds that approximately 70% of tourists who visit
Thailand areAsian. Hence, Englishis clearlyused as
alinguafrancaintheThai tourismindustry. However,
Englishhasavital rolenotonlyincommunicationwith
foreignersinthetourismindustry butalsointheinternational
businessfield.According tothe World Bank
(2010,ascited inSimpson,2011),Thailandisexpected
to be the second most attractive country in ASEAN
in drawing international business investment using
English as a communicative device. Consequently,
English has become a tool for international
companies based in Thailand. More importantly,
English will play a role as the main language for
interaction between the ten ASEAN member
countries in the ASEAN Community in 2015. Thus,
EnglishisclearlyinuseasalinguafrancainThailand