Unit 3 Linguistic Education and Intercultural Communication

UNIT 3

Linguistic Education and Intercultural Communication

LEAD-IN

1 Look at the images above and say what you know about these organizations and their role in promoting foreign language learning and teaching policy.

2 Generate ideas on the following issues.

1. What does the concept of the ‘internationalisation of the education’ imply?

2. What languages do you know? What languages would you like to speak?

3. How do you learn languages?

4. Is there any difference between language acquisition and language learning?

5. What is the role of English in the global world? What other languages are widespread nowadays?

6. What could you tell about the peculiarities and ways of getting the Foreign Language Teacher Education in the Republic of Kazakhstan and around the world?

7. What does the concept of the ‘Competency Model of the Specialist’ (Foreign Language teacher, e.g.) imply?

8. How could you explain the difference between competence and competency?

9. What is ‘plurilingualism’?

10. What is the aim of Foreign Language Education nowadays?

11. What does the concept of the personality of the ‘Subject of Intercultural Communication’ imply?

CONCEPT STUDY

1 Read the following excerpt from Jeremy Harmer’s book ‘How to Teach English’ and say what the difference between acquisition and learning is.

If, as we have said, children acquire language subconsciously, what does this tell us about how students should get a second language? Can we (indeed, should we) attempt to replicate the child’s experience in the language classroom?

Some theorists, notably the American applied linguist Stephen Krashen in the 1980s, have suggested that we can make a distinction between acquisition and learning. Whereas the former is subconscious and anxiety free, learning is a conscious process where separate items from the language are studied and practised in turn. Krashen, among others, suggested that teachers should concentrate on acquisition rather than learning and that the role of the language teacher should be to provide the right kind of language exposure, namely comprehensible input (that is, language that the students understand more or less, even if it is a bit above their own level of production). Provided that students experience such language in an anxiety-free atmosphere, the argument goes, they will acquire it just as children do, and, more importantly, when they want to say something, they will bу able to retrieve the language they need from their acquired-language store. Language which has been learnt, on the other hand, is not available for use in the same way, according to this argument, because the learner has to think much more consciously about what they want to say. The principal function of learnt language is to monitor what is coming from our acquired store to check that it is OK. As a result, learnt language tends to ‘get in the way’ of acquired-language production and may inhibit spontaneous communication.

Harmer, J. (2010). How To Teach English.

Chapter 4 ‘Describing learning and teaching’, p.47

2 Specify the significance of the exposure, comprehensible input in the language education. Suggest the ways the comprehensible input can be provided.

3 Revise your own experience of language study. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the ideas expressed in the excerpt?

LISTENING

1 Listen to Simon, a person who lived in many different countries, both in Western Europe, Middle East, and now in Hong Kong, who talks about learning languages and say how he managed to learn five to six different languages in a fun and easy way and what helped him succeed in learning languages.

2 Listen to Simon again and complete the sentences with suitable words.

1. Learning languages is not only important when you move to a country, it is just ________.

2. Among things that helped learn languages one should mention watching the __________ kinds of programs we see everyday on channels around the world. 

3. Types of program like game shows can be helpful at learning languages on account of the fact that they have a ____________or a ______________ that they repeat endlessly when _______________ win or when they are called to compete.

4. The best practice to learn languages is just talking to people in the street, or in shops where you could ____________ in your head what you wanted to say beforehand.

5. When you come to the shop, for example, people are very ____________ and supporting in most cases. 

6. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the meaning of the ___________expressions, idioms, that kind of thing, that people use in everyday talk.

7. Usually people are really supporting when they know that you are ________ interested in learning their language.

3 Evaluate the ways Simon learns languages and say whether you consider them effective or not.

4 Formulate what difficulties you have in learning foreign languages and cultures. Swap information with your partner.

5 Suggest recommendation you could give to your in order to master foreign languages.

READING

1 Skim the text and explain why the concept of plurilingualism has grown in importance in the Council of Europe’s approach to language learning in recent years?