English-medium policy and English conversational patterns in the UAE

English-medium policies in the Arabian Gulf have generated interest in the development of a Gulf variety of English. This study, located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), uses ethnographic methods and current understandings of translanguaging and English language variation (Garcia & Wei, 2014; Mahboob, 2014; Pakir, 1991, 2004), to describe a range of conversational patterns supported by English in - and around - a higher educational context. The findings offer descriptions of the complex and diverse ways of using and modifying English alongside Arabic. This paper uses participants' voices to describe five modes of conversational activity in this EMI setting. The different modes described by the participants highlight the linguistic complexities of students' language use and challenges prevalent assumptions of a singular variety of Gulf English. The authors ultimately argue that translanguaging is the most appropriate lens to explain the fluid nature of students' language use.