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Language awareness activities appear to give new breath to intercultural approaches within Swiss schools. They allow children to be involved in language by comparing languages, sharing knowledge, and reflecting on language structures and functions. Children develop a rudimentary research approach to languages, and begin to understand that their language system is one among many. Language minority children, often from migrant communities, do not find their languages devalued, and "linguicentrism" declines. The classroom can become a true multilingual community where children speak about general linguistic questions and their own identities at the same time, and are more able to conceptually situate minority languages in majority contexts than they otherwise would. (Contains 14 references.) (MSE)

Examines pedagogical advantages and limitations of the Internet for teaching French grammar, and shows how these factors were taken into consideration in creating a Web site at the University of Alberta (Canada), with special emphasis on the integration of exchanges between learners, and exchanges between learners and the virtual francophone community. (Author/MSE)

The teaching of culture in second-language instruction is discussed from the perspective that cultural instruction should focus less on specific cultural traits or differences and more generally on the ability to exchange ideas about cultural experience. (MSE)

A group of students at Saint Laurent upper secondary school in Rotterdam produced a "video letter" to be sent to students at the Saint Michel school in Istanbul, Turkey. The video chronicled the school life of the Dutch students. The planning process and structure of the video are detailed. (MSE)

The use of techniques from drama and psychodrama to explore intercultural differences and relations is described. The process used incorporates eight stages of discovery of perceptions, stereotypes, cultural identity, communication taboos, and bringing together individuals from different cultures. (MSE)

The European Community is facing the dilemma of respecting and maintaining Europe's traditional national languages and cultures while facilitating communication. This objective can be met by expecting all citizens to speak in their native languages but understand several others, placing emphasis on comprehension in second-language instruction. (MSE)

An essential task in foreign language teaching is to develop students' abilities to look at other cultures by confronting them with themes in the foreign culture that are strange or exotic to them, inviting them to interpret what they see and leading them through a process of clarifying, correcting, and adjusting their initial hypotheses. (MSE)

In the process of Arabization of Morocco, it is necessary to maintain French language instruciton, but as a necessary foreign language and not as a primary language. French remains an important part of Morocco's diverse cultural identity. (MSE)

Describes a French civilization course offered in Spain that compared French and Spanish cultures by looking at each from the perspective and stereotypes of the other. A module devoted to the influence of song in various contexts is described in some detail. (MSE)

Discusses the use of ethnological techniques to immerse teachers of French as a second language in the culture of a village in France as a means of making their observations of the culture more meaningful. The objectives, activities, and further use of the teachers' observations and experiences are also discussed. (MSE)

Body language is inseparable from spoken language, and may reflect universal behavior or be culture-specific. Photographs and videotape recordings can help the French instructor illustrate the richness of facial and body mannerisms. (MSE)

A biblical story about the mispronunciation of Shibboleth introduces a discussion of the notion of cultural codes and cultural traits relating to language, science, and popular culture that commonly mark an individual as an insider or an outsider of a particular culture. (MSE)

Presents comparison of three types of exchange programs between anglophone and francophone students in Quebec and their effects on students' language and cultural attitudes. Results showed that direct contact between geographically distant groups is more successful than exchanges between geographically close groups and between distant groups where the exchange is not direct. (MSE)

A multicultural group of beginning French speakers gained confidence and communication skills by discussing the reasons for failure in communication among individuals. Techniques for dealing with problem situations are presented. (MSE)

In response to the needs of international businessmen for intercultural negotiation skills, a Dutch university and a Dutch company have launched an initiative with the French embassy promoting cross-cultural communication skills and the understanding of business-related language. (MSE)

Four classroom activities are described: (1) one for stimulating beginning students' interest in finding evidence of French language and culture in their own environment; (2) a card game for learning grammar; (3) a letter-writing exercise; and (4) a game using lipograms in the creation of a fictional community. (MSE)

The different concepts underlying the terms "foreign language,""second language," and "native language" are examined in the context of social change that blurs cultural delineations. The implications for language instruction in a variety of contexts and with a variety of objectives are discussed. (MSE)

The variety of terms used by different cultures for bathroom facilities not only illustrates the problems language poses for travelers but also opens a discussion of the distinction between linguistic borrowing and etymology. (MSE)

The aim of this study is to reveal intercultural interaction patterns in active learning groups. The study group consists of 28 students between ages of 15-17 who continue their education in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades. The participating students in question are studying at fine arts high schools in Romania, Poland and Türkiye. These three schools came together to carry out joint activities with the scope of the “Building Bridges through Arts” Project supported by Erasmus+ Programme. Activities were carried out in active learning groups. Semi-structured interview questions were used in the study. As a result of the analysis of the interview questions, students expressed opinions that creating active learning groups helped them learn about different cultures, strengthen interpersonal interaction, create products together; encourage collaboration, facilitate making decisions together and enhance positive time management.

Interacting with target-language speakers online has become an important way for many second language students around the world to improve their skills in their target language. These types of learning interactions can take place on a wide range of online platforms, whether paid or unpaid, one-on-one or in small groups. Although research on these types of activities, often called virtual exchanges (VE), has increased, relatively little research has compared students’ experiences across different platforms. The present study compared the experiences of first and second-year university students with native speakers in in-person interactions as well as through several online services that connect language learners. Results indicate that students claimed to learn more in the in-person interactions than in the online settings. They also claimed to feel less anxiety in the in-person interactions. However, they also felt that certain online services improved their language learning in ways that were similar to the in-person interactions. In addition, each online or in-person setting offered unique advantages and disadvantages in terms of practicality and learning.

Language as a Tool of Influence: Discourse Analysis of Daenerys Targaryen’s Speeches in Dothraki and High Valyrian in Game of Thrones. This article delves into the examination of the multilingual discourse and diplomatic strategies employed by Daenerys Targaryen, a central character in the “Game of Thrones” television series. The investigation centers on her utilization of the Dothraki and High Valyrian languages, both meticulously crafted by linguist David Peterson expressly for the show. Employing critical discourse analysis, this study seeks to unravel the linguistic influence wielded by Daenerys in her pursuit of power and influence within the fictional realm of Westeros. Through an analysis of her multilingual abilities, the article explores how Daenerys navigates and negotiates linguistic and cultural barriers to build alliances, forge connections, and assert her authority. Through an examination of the linguistic dimensions inherent in her diplomatic endeavors, the article illuminates the role of language as a potent tool for persuasion, negotiation, and cultural mediation within complex sociolinguistic contexts. The findings of this study significantly enhance our comprehension of multilingual diplomacy and its portrayal in popular culture, emphasizing the pivotal role of language in shaping political discourse and interpersonal relationships. Dialoguri transculturale. Evoluția personajului Daenerys Targaryen ca ambasador cultural în Game of Thrones. Acest articol explo­rează discursul multilingv și strategiile diplomatice folosite de Daenerys Targaryen, un personaj central din serialul “Game of Thrones”. Ne concentrăm asupra modului în care Daenerys se folosește de limbile Dothraki și High Valyrian, create cu meticulozitate de lingvistul David Peterson special pentru acest serial TV. Prin analiza discursului, studiul nostru își propune să dezvăluie cum Daenerys mane­vrează influența lingvistică în căutarea puterii și a influenței în lumea fictivă a Westerosului. Explorăm cum, prin abilitățile sale multilingve, Daenerys depășește și negociază barierele lingvistice și culturale pentru a construi alianțe, a crea conexiuni și a-și afirma autoritatea. Prin examinarea dimensiunilor lingvistice implicate în eforturile sale diplomatice, articolul aduce în prim-plan rolul limbii ca instrument puternic de persuasiune, negociere și mediere culturală în contexte sociolingvistice complexe. Concluziile acestei cercetări contribuie semnificativ la înțelegerea diplomației multilingve și la modul în care este prezentată în cultura populară, subliniind importanța centrală a limbii în modelarea discursului politic și relațiilor interpersonale. Cuvinte-cheie: Game of Thrones, limbi construite, limbă și identitate, adaptare culturală, comunicare interculturală. Article history: Received 30 January 2024; Revised 28 May 2024; Accepted 05 June 2024; Available online 25 June 2024; Available print 30 June 2024.

Vulnerabilities and ‘gatekeeping’ asymmetries often emerge throughout interactions taking place in institutional settings. This is especially true in cross-cultural interactions occurring in migration contexts, which are often characterized by an asymmetrical power distribution between the participants involved, namely Western experts vs. non-Western migrants, challenging a successful meaning negotiation. Starting from the assumption that mediation processes are central in migration contexts, where speakers from different sociolinguistic backgrounds interact in multilingual environments where there is an increasing use of lingua francas such as ELF, the paper will explore those pragmalinguistic processes and behaviours challenging successful meaning negotiation or leading to communication failure in such intercultural and multilingual contexts. A discourse analysis of spoken interactions involving asylum-seekers, language mediators and professionals unveiled participants’ use of strategies of hybridization, negotiation, and reformulation, activated in such cross-cultural mediation encounters, where meaning is negotiated at different levels – linguistic, paralinguistic and extralinguistic – variously and creatively exploited by multilingual speakers. The ultimate aim of the exploration of spoken specialized discourse, related to medical and legal integration, to mediated migration narratives, as well as to cross-cultural representations of traumatic experiences, is to promote intercultural awareness, cultural diversity and plurilingualism, and to raise concern towards current ethical issues connected to identity and displacement in the new multilingual and multicultural European societies.

In the context of foreign language education (FLE), virtual exchanges (VE) involving videoconferencing are becoming an increasingly widespread practice. It is to be expected that students face challenges as they may not have developed the skills necessary to successfully carry out these types of online intercultural interactions naturally. In order for them to get the most out of the collaborative learning experience, teachers must engage in the process of teaching students how to do so. With this in mind, this case study analyses the impact that VE teachers’ mentoring had on the development of students’ videoconferencing skills by conducting a qualitative content analysis of pre- and post-intervention videoconference recordings, as well as students’ reflections in their personal portfolios. Despite the limitations identified, the results of this study point to the importance of providing adequate videoconferencing mentoring to improve the VE learning experience and its learning outcomes.

The purpose of this practice report is to describe a Global Networked Learning (GNL) that unfolded among a cohort of 54 University students (n=54) in Germany and the United States. There were 28 students from Germany and 26 students from the United States who participated in the international virtual exchange. A GNL is a collaborative, international online approach to help students and instructors from universities around the world to participate in a learning exchange and the creation of knowledge through project-based learning. The GNL project centered around crafting an engaging multimedia presentation about regions called a Global Competency Virtual Odyssey (GCVO). The focus of the GCVO was on regions in Germany and the United States. The GNL project was implemented over a an eight-week period. The students collaborated via four synchronous Zoom sessions with further collaboration happening over WhatsApp. The report describes the features of the GNL project and the collaborative process of creating and presenting the GCVOs. The article could be relevant to readers as it offers an explanation how to implement a GNL project. The report concludes with a discussion of the students’ perceptions of creating and presenting their GCVOs as part of the GNL project.

This practice report describes the design and implementation of a collaborative and virtual exchange-embedded virtual summer school for postgraduate students in the context of European Higher Education. The two-week virtual summer school on multilingualism and intercultural learning brought together 40 students who collaborated to produce ten video-case studies based on their experiences as educators in a number of contexts. We share our experiences as organisers and participants and offer insights from the process of planning for, engaging with and evaluating the summer school. Our paper draws on quantitative and qualitative data, i.e., a pre and post summer school survey, a qualitative evaluation questionnaire and a student-participant account to evidence how the experience benefitted participants. Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the model presented here: participants’ understanding of key concepts of interculturality and multilingualism increased, there was a statistically significant difference in perceived development of digital competences and presentation skills, and more than 90% of the participants were very satisfied with their training and international collaboration opportunities. In conclusion, we propose a set of learning points that may support others to design and deliver a collaborative model of summer school and the use of ‘skills passports’ in alternative to accreditation.

The relevance of the topic considered in the article is determined by the ongoing international-ization of Russian universities and the need to solve the problems of cross lingual and cross-cultural interaction that arise in a multilingual and multicultural academic environment. The readiness of for-eign and Russian students for effective cross lingual and cross-cultural communication is due both to the knowledge of foreign languages and familiarity with the peculiarities of a foreign culture. The purpose of the research is to study the perception by Russian students, majoring in management, of the specifics of the multinational educational environment of the university of economics, as well as to analyse the intensity of their cross lingual interaction and the factors impeding it. To conduct the research, the methods of survey, interviewing and quantitative and qualitative data processing were applied. The results obtained confirm the relevance and need for the development of cross-cultural and foreign language communicative competencies among students and allow to better understand the features of cross-cultural interaction in the academic environment. 48% of the respondents consider the knowledge of a foreign language necessary for productive communication among Russian and foreign students, which indirectly confirms the difficulty of in-teraction with foreigners in Russian. Only 28% of the respondents consider it important to know the differences in cultural values for mutual understanding among representatives of different cultures. It was found that, according to the students, one of the effective means of improving foreign lan-guage communicative and cross-cultural competencies is the involvement of Russian and foreign students in joint classroom and extracurricular activities, as well as informal communication. The leading role of university departments of foreign languages in solving the issues of internationaliza-tion of the university is emphasized. The analysis of the perception by Russian students of the cross-cultural environment of a Russian university has not been carried out before. The results obtained have a practical focus and can be used in developing a strategy for successful adaptation of foreign students in the academic environment of universities in the Russian Federation.

This research is part of a more complex study which aims to consider silence in its practical dimension, such as conduct, aesthetic or strategical turn. Our goal is to explore the role of silence in intercultural communication since linguistics has shown growing interest lately (cf. Jaworski & Stephens 1998) emphasizing that silence is not simply an absence of noise but constitutes a part of communication as important as speech (e.g. Tannen & Saville-Troike 1985; Blimes 1994; Jaworski 1997). Our study starts with an overview of the forms and functions of silence. Next, literature on silence from intercultural perspectives will be discussed.