Volume: 6  Number: 3-4  Page: 211–218  doi:10.2167/laic248.0

Awareness and Practice of Plurilingualism and Intercomprehension in Europe

Sónia Santos Alves and Luís Mendes School of Education, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, Portugal

This paper discusses strategies of intercomprehension in the context of the promotion of plurilingualism and intercultural competence in Europe. Plurilingualism and intercomprehension are concepts of particular importance in the multilingual and multicultural European context. These are explicit aims and requirements of the European Union when identifying and pursuing the fundamental objectives of social cohesion, by promoting the definition of a composite social identity that respects cultural diversity in establishing ‘Europeanness’. In this context, we analyse the new approaches to the concept of intercomprehension developed within the ‘EU&I – European Awareness and Intercomprehension’ project (Lingua 1), listing and describing the various dimensions and components which it comprises. The EU&I project builds on the plurilingual and pluricultural competence to root it in intercomprehension practices (focusing on receptive skills), when the subjects come in contact with foreign languages they have not learnt. The innovative approach of EU&I lies in the relevance confered to the textual and sociocultural dimensions of intercomprehension, as it stems from both linguistic transfers and textual and socio-cultural experience and knowledge.

Keywords: discursive competence, Europe, European language policies, intercomprehension, plurilingualism

© 2006 S.S. Alves & L. Mendes

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