scholarly journals Intercomprehension – A Mere Dream or a New Way of Learning in Globalised World?

Politeja ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3(60)) ◽  
pp. 155-166
Author(s):  
Dominika Dzik
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Global Trade ◽  
Global Communication ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Unknown System

Nowadays, due to the increased mobility of people and a rapidly developing global trade, a knowledge of more than one foreign language is indispensable. However, mastering several languages throughout a lifetime seems to be an unattainable goal. One of the possible solutions to this problem is the use of English for global communication. But owing to the fact that in the European Union, considerable emphasis is placed on preserving linguistic and cultural diversity, there is a need to increase intercommunication between people speaking different languages. The present paper discusses the concept of intercomprehension, which is recently proven to be the most effective approach to language learning. Its main aim is to encourage students to rely on the similarities that exist between languages belonging to the same family in order to be able to deal with comprehension problems. This concept focuses primarily on mastering receptive skills, which are crucial in the process of decoding the messages expressed in an unknown system. The paper also reports on the advantages of intercomprehension and methodology that could be applied to the process of developing each individuals’ competence.

scholarly journals Interactions between European Citizenship and Language Learning among Adolescent Europeans

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 623-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mairin Hennebry
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Young People ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Member State ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Citizenship ◽  
The Subject

Recent enlargement of the European Union (EU) has created debate as to the suitability of current structures and policies for effectively engaging citizens and developing social cohesion. Education and specifically modern foreign language (MFL) teaching are argued by the literature to play a key role in equipping young people to interact and communicate effectively in the ever-changing European context and to exercise their rights as European citizens. However, much of the empirical research to date has focused on adult understandings of European citizenship. Furthermore, very few studies consider whether current MFL teaching is addressing issues of European citizenship or offer a comparison of provision between one member state and another. This study presents questionnaire data from four European countries to investigate young people's current understanding and awareness of European citizenship and the perceived contribution of their language learning experience to this awareness. Findings suggest that knowledge about European citizenship is patchy across the four countries. Reports on learning in MFL lessons indicate a mismatch between the role identified for the subject in the development of European citizenship and the situation in the classroom. Data gathered from English pupils suggest that these issues are more acute in England than they are in France, Spain or Ireland.

scholarly journals Valorizzare la diversità linguistica e culturale

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Coppola ◽  
Raffaella Moretti
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
European Union ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Experimental Sample ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Fundamental Value

Linguistic and cultural diversity has always been a fundamental value of the European Union. However, today, due to the current profound crisis, it is in danger of being perceived rather as an obstacle to cooperation. The aim of this paper is to take advantage of the diversity that characterises multiethnic classes, promoting plurilingualism and a dialogical approach to language learning-teaching and to intercultural communication. In a case study, the validity of plurilingualism and of cooperative methodologies, also in language testing, is confirmed by the results relating to the linguistic and intercultural competence of an experimental sample of middle school pupils.

scholarly journals European identity and multilingualism

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-260
Author(s):  
Damir Velički ◽  
Katarina Aladrović Slovaček
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
European Identity ◽  
Language Diversity ◽  
The European Union

n the official documents that regulate certain segments of education in Croatia, the terms Europe and European (identity) appear. In this paper the authors analyse the concept of European identity and reach the conclusion that it has not been unambiguously defined. The term European identity is closely connected within the European Union with multilingualism. Through a policy of multilingualism, the European Union strives to preserve language diversity in Europe. The authors of this paper start from the question of whether foreign language learning increases the feeling of being connected to Europe and present the results of a study that was conducted at the Faculty of Teacher Education in Zagreb in 2018/19.

Europe's Deep Crisis

2005 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
FURIO CERUTTI
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Political Identity ◽  
Democratic Deficit ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Political Actor ◽  
Constitutional Treaty ◽  
Deep Crisis

The rejection of the symbolically rather than institutionally innovative Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands as well as the show of disunity in the European Council of mid June 2005 signal the end of a long cycle, culminating in the 1990s, in which the transformation of the European Union into a full-fledged political actor seemed to be possible. For decades ahead there will be no European polity capable of powerfully co-determining the governance of globalization. This was made possible by the rarely debated democratic deficit that makes one people or government decide on issues of general European interest and uncritically glorifies direct democracy, thus opening the door to populism.The comedy of errors which saw a majority of French citizens voting for domestic motivations, instead of focusing on the actual European issues go back to underlying troubles in contemporary democracy, but also to the contradiction inherent to the attempt to give the functional-bureaucratic EU of ‘Brussels’ a broad democratic legitimization. Rather than the now dead Constitution, it is the experience of the Europeans with common high-political acts of economic and security policy that may in the future foster their political identity in the framework of cultural diversity.

Multilingualism and the Ideal of Unity in Diversity in the European Union. Key Concepts and Context

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-282
Author(s):  
Roxana-Maria Nistor-Gâz ◽  
Delia Pop-Flanja
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cultural And Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Tower Of Babel ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Unity In Diversity ◽  
The Ideal

"In a world challenged by cultural diversity, this article aims to look at the great diversity of languages and cultures that coexist within the European Union. Building on the story of the Tower of Babel that explains, from a religious point of view, the cultural and linguistic diversity existing in the European Union, the authors tried to contextualize EU’s motto of “unity in diversity”, interpreted as an ideal involving a lot of effort and sometimes even many conflicts, but one that we should all fight for and strive to maintain. Keywords: linguistic diversity, ethnicity, nation, minority, majority, communication, unity in diversity"

scholarly journals A Cross-Departmental Approach to Supporting Students with a Disability Affecting Foreign Language Acquisition

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Lys ◽  
Alison May ◽  
Jeanne Ravid
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Foreign Language Study ◽  
Foreign Language Requirement ◽  
Language Requirement ◽  
Important Objective

Abstract In order to enhance mobility, competitiveness, and opportunities for work, the European Union lists the ability to communicate in a foreign language and to understand another culture as an important objective in their language education policy. Knowledge of a foreign language is also an important objective for many American universities, which require students to study a foreign language as a prerequisite to graduate. Students with documented disabilities affecting the learning of a foreign language or students with poor foreign language learning skills, therefore, pose a significant challenge, since a foreign language requirement may prevent such students from graduating unless universities are willing to make special arrangements such as having students graduate without fulfilling the requirement or letting them take substitution classes. The question of what to do with such students is at the heart of this article. It describes how one mid-sized private university with a two-year language proficiency requirement has approached the problem to ensure that policies are implemented fairly. Rather than pulling students out of the foreign language classroom, the university succeeded in keeping students engaged with foreign language study through advising and mentoring across departments

scholarly journals The Importance of Foreign Language Education

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarka Hubackova
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Foreign Language Education ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
German Language ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Language Knowledge ◽  
Ways Of Life

Foreign language knowledge is a basis of understanding other cultures, different ways of life and of intercultural communication. What is more, foreign languages offer an advantage when it comes to getting job, they facilitate travelling; they open the possibilities to study abroad. The European Union encourages and supports foreign language teaching and learning.  European Union documents are made available multilingully, so that they becme pervious to all citizens of member countries. Foreign language education has a long- tradition in the Czech school system. At its disposal, it has l sophisticated methods. They are continuously modernized and harmonized in accordance with recommendations, documents and projects concerning the language policy of European Council and Commission. The academic community gets the familiarization with them by means of national and international activities.       Keywords: Blended learning; Foreign language; Language education; German language 

scholarly journals THE MAIN SKILLS AND COMPETENCES OF MULTILINGUALISM IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irena Vankevič
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cultural Globalization ◽  
The World ◽  
Official Languages ◽  
Unity In Diversity ◽  
European Citizen ◽  
The Eu

The paper presents multilingualism and multiculturalism as one of the main aims of the European Union (EU) and deals with the issue of political and cultural globalization. More and more young people describe themselves as cosmopolites. Multiculturalism is especially noticeable in the sphere of languages. Languages are fundamental for Europeans wanting to work together. They go to the very heart of the unity in diversity of the EU. It is important to nurture and to promote our linguistic heritage in the Member States but we also need to understand each other, our neighbours, our partners in the EU. Speaking many languages makes businesses and citizens more competitive and more mobile. The EU policy of official multilingualism as a deliberate tool of government is unique in the world. The EU sees the use of its citizens’ languages as one of the factors which make it more transparent, more legitimate and more efficient. At the level of culture and of enhancing the quality of life, too, the EU works actively to promote the wider knowledge and use of all its official languages throughout the Union. The ability to speak foreign language and multiculturalism are inseparable parts of the EU integrations. There are certain skills and competences that a multilingual, multicultural European citizen must acquire in order to become a full‐fledged EU member. Pagrindiniai daugiakalbiškumo įgūdžiai ir kompetencijos Europos sąjungos kontekste Santrauka Straipsnyje parodomas daugiakalbiškumas ir daugiakultūriškumas kaip vienas iš pagrindinių Europos Sąjungos tikslų bei analizuojama politinės ir kultūrinės globalizacijos problema. Vis daugiau jaunų žmonių save apibūdina kosmopolitais. Daugiakultūriškumas ypač pastebimas kalbų srityje. Kalbos labai svarbios europiečiams, norintiems bendradarbiauti. Būtent kalbos sudaro Europos vientisumo ir skirtingumo ašį. Todėl visos Europos Sąjungos (ES) šalys narės privalo ne tik tausoti ir plėtoti savo kalbos paveldą, bet ir stengtis suprasti vienos kitas, savo kaimynes, ES partneres. Gebėjimas bendrauti keliomis kalbomis padeda plėtotis ne tik verslo sričiai, jis padeda ES piliečiams tapti konkurencingesniems ir mobilesniems. ES valdžios taikoma oficialaus daugiakultūriškumo politika – vienintelė pasaulyje. ES valstybinių kalbų vartojimą laiko vienu iš šalies skaidrumo, didesnio teisingumo ir produktyvumo veiksnių. Kultūros ir gyvenimo kokybės stiprinimo lygmeniu ES aktyviai dirba skatindama mokymąsi ir visų Sąjungos valstybinių kalbų vartojimą. Gebėjimas kalbėti keliomis kalbomis bei daugiakultūriškumas – neatsiejama eurointegracijos dalis. Yra tam tikrų gabumų ir kompetencijų, kurios privalomos daugiakultūriam, daugiakalbiam europiečiui, norinčiam tapti visaverčiu ES piliečiu.

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