What Language does Internationalisation Speak?

ABSTRACT: The internationalization of Higher Education, although a relatively new concept, has a broad and far-reaching impact. Over the past decades, Higher Education Institutions in Europe have been moving towards “Internationalization”, triggered by the Bologna Agreement and the definition of a European Higher Education Area. Despite the apparently irreversible shift towards an international higher education, there is still the need for reflection on the implica- tions of the process, and how it affects all aspects of university policy and practice. This paper intends to give an overview of the process and rationale of internationalization (as it regards the Italian situa- tion in particular) in order to reflect upon the role of language – predominantly English – in the internationalized university. The aim is not to assess the language (English) as such, but to review how the issue of language has been approached, and often over- looked, in the process of internationalization. The role of English Medium Instruction (EMI) is also discussed in terms of its underly- ing principles and educational and linguistic consequences, as well as the fundamental question of the preparation of university lectur- ers to hold EMI courses.