AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
that when doing their research they study mainly scientific and
research papers written in foreign languages. Therefore, reading
comprehension still deserves full attention of the teachers of
foreign languages at the doctoral degree of studies.
Within the project “Developing the Reading Competency and
Teaching Technical Foreign Languages at Technical
Universities” we did the analysis of the attitude of the students
of bachelor degree at the Technical University in Zvolen to
reading of professional texts in foreign languages. It follows
from the results that even students at the bachelor degree of
studies are aware of the importance and usefulness of the
professional texts in foreign languages, they found valuable and
up-to-date information in them, they are definitely useful for
their studies and personal development. The analysis was carried
out on the sample of 175 students and nearly 62 % of the
respondents declared that professional texts in English or
German (they selected these two foreign languages as the
languages in which they read foreign texts) are necessary for
their studies and that they read them regularly. Therefore
mastering the language skill of reading comprehension is crucial
for them and the teachers of foreign languages for specific
purposes should focus their attention to the development of this
skill.
4 Theoretical framework
Receptive multilingualism (cf. Kloss 1929 in Beerkens 2010, p.
27) for receptive competence in West Germanic languages)
means making an important step towards handling linguistic
pluralities, claiming the importance and the advantage of a “one-
way / one-code” information transfer for an adequately efficient
communication in some conditions. Receptive multilingualism
(in a very close conceptual relation to semicommunication, cf.
Haugen 1966, Bud
ovičová 1987) is based on the acceptance of
but a partial communicative competence as a prerequisite of
efficient information exchange (an implicit renouncement to
flawless communicative competence modelled after native
speakers) and on the will to preserve the plurality of means of
communication. It is one of the issues dealt with within
plurilingual approaches to language use and language
teaching/learning.
Plurilingual approaches to language acquisition focus on
developing plurilingual and pluricultural competence. It can be
observed with speakers who master several languages to various
extent, have experience with different cultures and are able to
take part in intercultural interaction. Plurilingual competence is
an asymmetric one:
“Rozlišuje sa, nakoľko jednotlivec jazyky ovláda a nakoľko ich
používa. Každá rečová zručnosť môže byť u jednotlivca
rozvinutá v inej miere. Veľmi málo bilingválnych a
viacjazyčných jednotlivcov má rovnakú znalosť dvoch alebo
viacerých jazykov. Jeden jazyk
má tendenciu byť silnejší a býva
nazývaný dominantným jazykom. Je to kompetencia nestála,
dynamická, nerovnomerná alebo evolutívna. Slabší jazyk sa
môţe stať silnejším. Konfigurácia tejto zručnosti sa totiž vyvíja
podľa situačnej a komunikačnej trajektórie komunikanta –
spoločenského aktéra. Obohacuje sa o nové komponenty, alebo
ich dopĺňa, či transformuje, respektíve niektorými inými
komponentmi mrhá. Je to vplyvom pracovných, geografických
alebo rodinných zmien, ale aj vplyvom rozvoja osobných
záujmov.” (Bírová – Eliášová, 2014, p. 75)
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“There is a difference to what extent a speaker masters languages and to what extent
they use them. Each speech ability of a speaker can be developed differently. Only a
few of bilingual and multilingual speakers have the same knowledge of two or more
languages. One language tends to be stronger and is called dominant language. It is an
unstable, dynamic, uneven or evolutionary competence. Weaker language can become
stronger. Configuration of this ability is developing according to the situational and
communication trajectory of a communicator – social participant. It is enriched by
new components or it complements or transforms them; it wastes alternatively other
components. It is under the influence of working, geographical or family changes, as
well as under the influence of personal interests’ development.” (translation: authors)
In language acquisition, plurilingual approaches towards
languages and cultures imply several linguistic and cultural
varieties at once. According to Candelier (2012, p. 6), they
include awakening to languages, integrated language teaching,
intercomprehension between related languages and the
intercultural approach(es). These methodologies are defined in
FREPA (Framework of Reference for Pluralistic Approaches)
and its accompanying tools, considered as bases for further
plurilingual curricula development and innovation. Among six
basic principles of plurilingual curricula construction, there are:
a. holistic conception of teaching, b. taking into account the sum
of learners’ linguistic resources; c. focus on learner s’ linguistic
conscience; d. learning strategies development, e. linkages
between teaching languages and teaching other disciplines, f.
building up intercultural competence.
The language of schooling and the source culture (discussed by
Schmitt, 2017, who points out at three of the main functions of
the latter: “fonction de proximité”, “fonction de mise en valeur
du pays de l’apprenant” and “fonction interdisciplinaire”) tend to
be the gravity centre and the principal beneficiary of integrating
processes mentioned above. Candelier (2012, p. 28) claims that
innovative aspect of plurilingual approaches has to be seen in the
possibility of valorising linguistic codes that occupy peripheral
positions in regard to the main language of schooling
(eventually, official language or majority language), but hold
central “biographical” position, i. e. are important for learners in
the perspective of their personal/familial background. These
peripheral codes can be absent from the institutional language
acquisition process and may remain unknown to the instructor.
We speak about the necessary transition from the neglected
multilingualism of speakers’ linguistic repertories and those of
their communities to an inclusive multilingualism.
5 Research objectives and methodology
The aim of the study is to uncover the potential for mutual
intelligibility of languages that are not necessarily bound by a
close genetic relation trying to spot factors that may enhance
understanding between speakers of these languages. Within the
target group of young Slovaks, understanding of French
language is tested with a specific focus of distinctions between
contextual and non-contextual lexical elements, presuming the
necessity, for the latter, to lean on extralinguistic knowledge
and/or familiarity with linguistic systems.
The study uses an original methodology of assessment of written
reception of an unfamiliar language. The main methodological
instrument was a test of reading comprehension. The focus was
on reading and understanding a short text in French language
(100 words; 613 characters):
Le volcan Sinabung, sur l'île indonésienne de Sumatra, a craché
cette semaine des flammes et une épaisse colonne de cendres
brûlantes très haut dans l'atmosphère. Un responsable local
estime qu’il s’agit là de la plus grande àruption de l’année. Les
dernières image envoyées par les agences sont spectaculaires.
Des milliers d'habitants alentour ont été affectés par les rejets de
cendres et de fumée, mais personne n'a été sérieusement blessé.
La zone de danger avait été évacuée. Le Sinabung, entré dans
une longue éruption en 2013 après au moins 400 ans de
sommeil, est l'un des 129 volcans actifs en Indonésie.
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The text was written in general standard French and did not
comprise any specialised vocabulary (technical terms, slang,
jargon etc.). Global understanding of the text and local (detailed)
understanding of selected expressions were verified through the
identification of semantic equivalents of lexical units in Slovak
language. The list of elements used for testing understanding
included, on one hand, contextually bound items (selected from
the text above) and, on the other hand, lexical units without
context (a separate series of isolated words). Both groups
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Adapted from: https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Environnement/Le-volcan-Sinabu
ng-crache-a-nouveau-des-flammes-et-des-cendres-1428956
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