Exploring Multilingualism: English as a Lingua Franca in the European Framework

The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the role that English has gained in Europe, and, in particular, in intercultural communication. Therefore, this dissertation will analyse English as a lingua franca, its importance in intercultural interactions and its implications in a multilingual Europe. In order to explore this topic six semi-structured interviews have been conducted among students, professors and administrative employers of the University of Padua. The results showed that the power English has in Europe is strong and it has brought several consequences to today’s societies. Therefore, actions should be taken in order to restrict this supremacy or to use it properly to promote multiculturality and multilingualism.