LIFE LONG ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AND ITS ROLE IN FORMING MULTILINGUAL MIND: EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE


  • Victoria Yashkina
Keywords: Multilingualism, multilingual and monolingual programmes, language of instruction, early start, lingua franca

Abstract

In the focus of attention in the article are challenges of multilingual education reflected through the prism of prominent European multilingual universities’ experience. Crucial issue considered is whether they aim to develop a multilingual and multicultural competence in all students or a considerable part of the student population, or whether they allow students to follow a monolingual programme in the context of a multilingual university environment. The higher demand for international mobility among students and staff is one more incentive to adapt the educational programme at least in part and open it to other target groups, supported by a more heterogeneous staff. It is common knowledge that many European universities have parallel programmes in English and native languages, which aim at separate student groups. At the same time there are those which integrate programmes and expect their students to follow at least part of their studies in both languages. The main difficulty for the latter is the case of how to prepare a shift in language of instruction. This is the problem all universities with different languages at undergraduate and master’s level have to face, and there is no easy solution. One step towards lessening tension is the «early start direction»: a renovation in views to primary school education. As far as the academy itself is concerned, the increasingly dominant role of English in research makes it necessary to add English as a language of instruction. Without English as a lingua franca there would be much less communication and mutual understanding amongst Europeans today.

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Published
2020-12-22
How to Cite
Yashkina, V. (2020). LIFE LONG ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AND ITS ROLE IN FORMING MULTILINGUAL MIND: EUROPEAN EXPERIENCE. Anglistics and Americanistics, 1(17), 63-67. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15421/382011
Section
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING AND THE ISSUES OF MULTILINGUALISM

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