The Significance of Plurilingualism in Europe - Essay Example

PLURILINGUISM Plurilingualism is the ability of an individual to speak more than two languages. This is different from Multilingulism which basically means the knowledge and existence of many/several languages within the society. Thus Plurilingualism is more of an individual capability of a person to know more than one language. This concept though very old , came into vogue after the establishment of European Union in 1992. The European Union is one of the largest economic and political entities in the world. The European Union has adopted a single currency -- the euro. This is already being used by 13 member states The European Union has 23 official and working languages (Council Regulations, 2006). As per the council records, German Language is the most widely spoken mother tongue while English, French, and Italian follow in this order. English is the most spoken foreign language with French and German following it. About 56% of european union citizens can hold a conversation in one language apart from their mother tongue. (Eurobarometer 243) Since the setting up of EU, there has been more close relationships between member countries in all the spheres such a economic, trade, education etc. The different cultures and languages in different countries is causing problems in day-to-day routine functioning as people are unable to freely disuss issues. This has necessitated the need for people who are able to understand more than one language. Plurilingualism, therefore can also be defined as the wide range of attempts to stabilize multilingual societies by fostering high levels of individual plurilingual competence. This approach places focus on Language teaching and learning, This also encompasses all categories of linguistic rights, legislation, policies, that affect the relationships between different communities. In this context, the Council of Europe, which closely monitors the linguistic and cultural environment in the continent, is now focusing on the language teaching and learning process. It has decided to encourage the concept of plurilingualism such that people of European union are able to freely mingle with each other. This basically is not only the need to converse in more than one language but the need to understand and appreciate cultures or ideas different from one's own. It now becomes a much broader concept dealing with the understanding of different cultures and languages. The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, drawn up by Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe is a document that sets out to popularize plurilingualism. (Council of Europe, 1996) The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, or CEFR, was put together by the Council of Europe as the main part of the project "Language Learning for European Citizenship" between 1989 and 1996. It is aimed to provide a method of assessing and teaching which applies to all languages in Europe. Thus because of plurilingualism, an individual person's experience of language in its cultural contexts expands and he builds up a communicative skill to which all knowledge and experience of language contributes. Thus a person can easily achieve effective communication with different people understanding different languages. This language policy fosters the capacity to coexist. The pluricultural education enables the citizens to accept differences between different cultures, establish constructive relations with others, solve conflicts by nonviolent means, take on responsibilities, participate in decision-making and use mechanisms to protect people's rights. Since language is the most important social and cultural mark of identity, the education for plurilingualism and pluriculturalism promotes tolerance of other's viewpoint and remove the obstacles that hinder people's active participation in an increasingly globalized world. The knowledge and use of other languages other than one's mother tongue can be our safeguard in the fight against racism. It is quite obvious that when the person is knowledgeable and has experienced the other culture , he/she is better able to understand the problems and issues faced by the other person who does not belong to his country, culture or region. This helps in improving the capacity to communicate. And these newly acquired skills can pave the way to the increased opportunities offered by a new society. Many international projects have been developed to promote language learning amongst citizens of European union. One of these is Linguapax. It was promoted by UNESCO in 1987 for the teaching of foreign languages and literature. The main aim is to promote the culture of peace, tolerance and international understanding through plurilingual education. It also focuses on the protection of the linguistic heritage and understanding and cooperation between peoples. Linguapax (UNESCO, 1987) works with UN member countries on teacher training and educational planning projects. It provides educational guidelines, methods and materials that are developed keeping in mind the regional contexts. Teachers of foreign languages can then adopt these to help promote peace and international understanding. One of these guidelines that are most frequently used by the language teaching profession as a whole is the 1987 Linguapax Kiev Declaration entitled "Content and Methods That Could Contribute in the Teaching of Foreign Languages and Literature to International Understanding and Peace" (UNESCO, 1987). Linguapax principles and practice are also documented in various publications and workshop reports such as Peace through Language Teaching (Raasch, 1991), Language Teaching in a World Without Peace (Raasch, 1993), International Understanding through Foreign Language Teaching (Classen-Bauer, 1989), Linguapax IV (UNESCO, 1995) and Linguapax V (Cunningham, 1996). Besides taking the direct route of setting up of institutes and councils to promote plurilingualism, there are many indirect methods to do so. This can be done by creating awareness about the advantages of learning more than one language and motivating them by showing that this will be useful to them in terms of creative satisfaction as well as career growth and advancement. Some of these methods are: To improve the training of language teachers, Catch Them Young : Try to provide foreign languages training from the earliest possible age, To step up the teaching of subjects through the medium of a foreign language, The distribution and easy availability of multilingual-learning resources, Young people should be informed about and motivated to seek jobs involving multilingual or plurilingual capabilities, More should be done to promote professions which require an in-depth knowledge of languages (linguists, interpreters, translators and teachers). It is quite obvious that this sector (job opportunities as translaters/language teachers/trainers etc.) is not the only one to suffer from a shortage of trained professionals. The idea should be to capitalize on the balance between supply and demand in this segment of the labour market. Provision of training for an adequate number of interpreters and translators, Provide resources for providing training and paying salaries The establishment of international sections at high schools. This will help in comparing the points of view of speakers using different languages, thereby facilitating mutual enrichment. Expand cooperation between schools in different countries. Such cooperation should be focused on projects involving language activities which use the new technologies and the internet to the full. Support cultural events comprising inter-cultural elements. Organize youth fairs and youth meet wherein young people from different countries are invited for cultural exchange programmes. Promote inter-cultural television programmes, along the lines of Arte or Euronews. With awareness there will be increased demand for such programmes. The history of European nations and cultures should be written about and taught as an integral part of European history. The establishment of a Festival of Languages and Culture. Promote the broadcasting of original language versions of films on television. Thus we see that the language is the main means of getting to know people and its potential to promote tolerance and world peace has not yet been completely tapped. Language is a way of effective interpersonal communication with respect to the values, sensitivities, feelings and behavior of people from different cultures. Thus by taking steps to create awareness amongst people regarding the advantages of plurilingualism such as increased career options, growth opportunities; we can popularize plurilingualism in Europe. Of course, there will be many hurdles to clear, before people take it up with both hands. But these can be sorted by giving complete and factually correct information to people. The most common problem is regarding the elevation of English as the major foreign language. Since this is one of the widely spoken foreign languages, I see no harm in promoting this as one. Also, to be noted is that besides Europe, English has a major following throughout the world including Africa, America and Asia. Most of the higher education institutes in any country use English as the means of communication. Thus it is the language that is universally accepted. The other major problem could be the feeling of loss of identity for many Europeans. Till now, most nations consider the feeling of oneness and nationality as a matter of pride and suddenly, if we start talking of blurring of nation boundaries, there is bound to be confusion and resistance. Some hardliners such as the fascists are and will try to arouse patriotic feelings to gain their way, but correct information available to people can be the only solution to this problem. People should be able to see the difference between being patriotic and true to their country and at the same time trying to be global by learning and assimilating other cultures. Thus a plurilingual Europe is not a mirage, if we can convince the people regarding its advantages. A look at the success of Asian countries like Philipines and India In IT enabled industry should be an eye opener. Since they both adopted English as the major foreign language and used it right from their primary education, they have a vast manpower that is proficient in their mother tongue as well as English. As a result, business sense has made big American, British and other multinational companies to invest in them and as well as outsource their business to India and Philipines. This issue became such a major co0ntroversy that both US and UK governments had to intervene. This has brought about a tremendous growth in economy in both these countries. In conclusion, we can say that if the current policies of European nations are any indication then, in future, we should be able to find a truly plurilingual Europe. References: 1. Classen-Bauer, I. (Ed.). 1989. International understanding through foreign language teaching. Bonn: German Commission for UNESCO. 2. Council of Europe. 2003, Guide for the Development of Language Education Policies in Europe: From Linguistic Diversity to Plurilingual Education. 3. Council Regulation (EC) No 1791/2006 of 20 November 2006, Official Journal L 363 of December 12, 2006. 4. Cunningham, D., & Candelier, M. (Eds.). (1996). Linguapax V. Melbourne: FIPLV. 5. European Conference on Plurilingualism, 2005 6. European Commission, Special Eurobarometer 243: European Commission website (published online only). 7. esperantic.org/esf/netlang.htm 8. Raasch, A. (Ed.). 1991. Peace through language teaching. Saabrucken: Universitat des Saarlandes, Germany. 9. Raasch, A. (Ed.). 1993. Language teaching in a world without peace. Saabrucken: Universitat des Saarlandes, Germany. 10. UNESCO. 1987. Content and methods that could contribute in the teaching of foreign languages and literature to international understanding and peace. Paris: UNESCO. 11. UNESCO. 1995. Linguapax IV. Barcelona: Centre UNESCO de Catalunya. Read More