Nähe und Distanz in der europäischen Mehrsprachigkeit.

Im Jahr 2004 feiert die Europäische Kulturkonvention, die die Grundlage der meisten sprachenpolitischen Initiativen des Europarats darstellt, ihren 50. Geburtstag. Der vorliegende Beitrag informiert über die sprachenpolitisch relevanten Institutionen des Europarats und gibt einen detaillierten Überblick über deren Initiativen, die unter dem Leitbild der Mehrsprachigkeit stehen. Eingehender betrachtet wird der Gemeinsame europäische Referenzrahmen für Sprachen, der gegenwärtig das einflussreichste sprachbildungspolitische Instrument des Europarats darstellt. Der Beobachtung, dass die Fremdsprachen in der dort propagierten "mehrsprachigen Kompetenz" in eine Situation der Nähe gerückt werden und so ihren Charakter als Fremdsprachen verlieren, wird der Vorschlag für einen Sprachunterricht angefügt, in dem die Sprachen auch als ,Distanzsprachen' erscheinen. Denn insbesondere durch die Versprachlichungsstrategien der Distanz werden die Sprachen als das greifbar, wofür sie unter die Europäische KuIturkonvention fallen, nämlich als Teil des vielfliltigen europäischen Erbes

Altersstarrsinn oder Altersweisheit? Die sprachliche Bildung der Älteren

Aerial view of the University of Arizona stadium and the south, west and east sides of campus in late 1954

Subjektive Adjektive. Zur Semantik von fremd

The present essay is to be understood as a contribution to a Linguistik des Sprechens in the sense of Coseriu as well as a contribution to a linguistique du discours in the sense of Benveniste. After a description of the varieties of meaning of the adjective fremd and their interrelations the author focuses on particular problems connected with the semantics of adjectives. The essay maintains the idea that several problems which have been discussed separately so far can be dealt with in a more appropriate and efficient way by considering adjectives as a part of speech under the aspect of the subjectivity of language

On web-spinning spiders, buzzing beas and speaking human beings: Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct

Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct has captured the attention of those outside of the field of linguistics, proving to be a world-wide success. Through a critical commentary of the book, the article presents Pinker's understanding of language. Arguing against a conception of language that treats language as a cultural artefact, Pinker combines Chomsky's theory of language with Darwinism. By returning to Johann Gottfried Herder, the author reproaches Pinker for fundamentally missing language – language as an interplay of biology and culture

The International Year of Languages 2008 and International Issues of Linguistic Education

In retrospect, significant parallels can be drawn between the International Year of Languages 2008, which was initiated by the United Nations General Assembly and was coordinated by UNESCO, and the European Year of Languages 2001, which was a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union. In both cases 'the Year' passed with little public notice, and ended with the insight that a shared interest in languages by no means goes hand in hand with common views on language policy. Moreover, the status in the education systems of mother tongues on the one hand and foreign languages or trans-regional linguae francae on the other was discussed intensely in both instances. Against the background of the current debate on the influence of international educational organisations on national educational systems and concepts, the present article asks whether UNESCO has a specific role to play in the area of language education, and what (eurocentrically determined) blindspots in language education concepts become visible when one looks beyond the borders of Europe

Europäische Union und sprachliche Bildung: Auf der Suche nach einem europäischen Kommunikationsraum

Orders and communiqués by the executive body of the European Union consistently treat the generation of "european spaces and areas": the "European economic area" is followed by the "European space for higher education", the "education area", the "European area of lifelong learning", the "research area" and the "European information space". Although all of these spaces are not conceivable without linguistic communication, no one is ever explicitly talking about a "European communication space" - in Europe language issues are a hot potato. Implicitly though, it is of course a matter of a "European communication space", and that to a great extent in European politics of linguistic education. The article documents the history of this EU policy from its beginnings to the new "framework strategy for multilingualism", and contrasts this policy with disillusioning results from research into the actual European multilingualism. Following the attempt to reconstruct the implicit model of a European communication space based on approaches of linguistic varieties it is proposed that the negative results of a multilingualism politicy are directly linked to the non-feasibility of this implicit model