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- Title
Reseptiivinen monikielisyys: miten suomenkielinen oppija ymmärtää viroa äidinkielensä pohjalta?
- Authors
Kaivapalu, Annekatrin; Muikku-Werner, Pirkko
- Abstract
The Council of Europe language policy recommends that all European citizens learn at least two foreign languages. If this is put to practice, the methods of endorsing learning and the required proficiency need to be discussed. Would it suffice for most people just to understand the foreign language? A potentially useful construct is receptive multilingualism: the participants of a conversation each use their native language which the other person understands. Such an approach is not a novelty; it has been favoured in Scandinavian collaboration for a long time. If comprehension were the principle goal of language learning, a language closely related to one's first language or other languages already known would be an economical choice for study. Thus for Finns to learn Estonian, and vice versa, is both useful, due to many contacts, and feasible, due to linguistic proximity. This would provide a practical alternative for both parties using a foreign language, usually English. The idea of receptive multilingualism in communication between Estonians and Finns is an attractive idea. Since receptive multilingualism is first and foremost about second language comprehension, a test was designed for assessing that. Finnish students with no prior knowledge of Estonian were given a text in Estonian and then asked to describe its contents in writing. Translating was also encouraged. In addition, the students were asked to reflect on the experience: to describe what was easy, what was difficult, and what strategies were used in retrieving the meaning. As expected, the results showed that particularly similarities in the vocabulary facilitated understanding. The learners were also aware of the existence of false friends: the similarity of form was not blindly trusted to provide a shared meaning. The structural proximity of the languages was equally essential in understanding the text: the similarity of inflection, derivation, compounding, and sentence structure aided in deciphering the contents of the text. Unlike production, the comprehension of closely related languages proceeds with simultaneous item learning and system learning. It is also possible to deduct from the answers that strategic competence, metalinguistic awareness and profound knowledge of one's first language all support comprehension.
- Subjects
ESTONIA; FINLAND; MULTILINGUALISM; LANGUAGE &; languages; LANGUAGE policy; LEARNING; COUNCIL of Europe
- Publication
Lähivõrdlusi / Lähivertailuja, 2010, Vol 20, p68
- ISSN
1736-9290
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5128/LV20.03