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Cecilia Serra Universities of Geneva and Lausanne

EUNoM symposium on Higher Education and Research on Multilingualism: Challenge or Opportunity? Social Representations of Plurilingualism in Language Policy and Academic Teacher Discourse at University Level. Cecilia Serra Universities of Geneva and Lausanne. main issues.

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Cecilia Serra Universities of Geneva and Lausanne

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  1. EUNoM symposium onHigher Education and Research on Multilingualism: Challenge or Opportunity?Social Representations of Plurilingualism in Language Policy and Academic Teacher Discourse at University Level. Cecilia Serra Universities of Geneva and Lausanne

  2. main issues • linguistic analysis of social representations • a qualitative study • universities, contexts, languages • universities, social representations in language policy • universities, social representations in academic teachers’ discourse • examples • effects on bi-plurilingual teaching / learning practices

  3. linguistic analysis of social representationsin the study • investigates the link between the social representations of institutions (values & models proceeding from language policies) and those of individuals (beliefs, opinions and attitudes); • an interplay of possible conflicting elements • linguistic elements taken into accounts: • polyphonie (Bakhtine, 1978; Ducrot, 1984); pronominalisation («I» vs «one» vs «we» vs «they»), mood and modality, qualifiers & connectives, etc.; (Serra & Py 1997, Serra 2000) • schematizing and categorization devices (Grize 1990; Kleiber 1990; Sacks 1992; Mondada 1999) • stereotyping • conversational use of discourse types (debating, explaining, justifying, narrating, etc.) (Serra 2000)

  4. a qualitative field study: universities, contexts, languages • USI Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano (1966) • Italian = minority language = 6.5% (German, 63%; French, 20.4%; Rumantsch, 0.5% ((Federal Census, 2000)) • Students: 2’707: Tessin, 29.5%; Swiss others, 8.6%; Italy, 36.9%; Foreign others 25% (University census, 2010) • UNIZHR Universität Zürich (1525) • German = majority language = 63% • Students: 25’815: Swiss, 83.1%; Foreign others 12.3%; domestic foreign others, 4.6% (Federal office of Statistics, 2009) • HESBE Haute Ecole Spécialisée Bernoise, Biel/Bienne(1873/1998) • German/French = Bilingual Canton (3 Swiss Bilingual Cantons: Bern / Fribourg / Wallis: German/French = Language territoriality) • Biel/Bienne = Bilingual city : German, 53%; French, 30.7%; Italian, 7.6%; Foreign others, 8.7% (City census, 1990)

  5. a qualitative field study:universities, social representations in language policy

  6. a qualitative field study: social representations in academic teachers’ discourse

  7. when representations clash an example from HESB-TI language policy • Why are students shy when it comes to talking in L2? in multilingual Switzerland: changing the representation ofbilingualism: it is an instable process of language learning it is not a perfect balance of 2 languages language use talk in L1, understand L2 didactic devices at HESBE-TI teachers and students talk in L1 (students understand L2)

  8. when representations are in bloom an example from teacher’s discourse at USI Globalisation + English + banking + professional vs Isolation + (Swiss-)German + Swiss elderly people Technical language vs English (poor) simplification use of Italian or French in students’ oral and written records German + banking + Swiss quality +tradition + Students (elite) Italian + University + identity + Switzerland economist teacher planner

  9. effects on bi-plurilingual teaching / learningpractices • Language choice • bachelor official Swiss languages • master official Swiss languages + English (cf. Federal census 2000, Lüdi & Werlen 2005) • Models of bi-multilingual teaching • immersion (USI), English L2: • vs USI dual teaching and intercultural program • low command in English accepted and not improved • idealisation of bilingualism?

  10. effects on bi-plurilingual teaching / learningpractices(2) • reciprocal immersion (HESB-TI), French & German L2 • good understanding of bilingual teaching (representations, teaching steps & goals) • low understanding of the role of conversation in language acquisition • focus on language (university) vsfocus on subject (teacher) • bi-multilingual teaching (UNIZHR), German L1, French L2 Italian/English/Spanish L3 • excellent understanding of bi-multilingualism practices • focus on the subject • use of languages to process meaning, and access transversal knowledge • use of bilingual conversational routines • optional course: poor support from the institution

  11. references • Bakhtine, M. (1984). Esthétique et théorie du roman. Paris: Gallimard • Ducrot, O. (1980). Le dire et le dit. Paris: Minuit • Grize, J.B. (1990). Logique et langage. Paris: Ophrys • Kleiber, G. (1990). La sémantique du prototype. Paris: PUF • Mondada, L. (1999). L’accomplissement de l’étrangéit’dans et par línteraction: procédures de catégorisation des locuteurs. Langages 134, 20-34 • Sacks, H. (1992). Lectures in conversation. Oxford: Basil Blackwell • Serra, C. (2000). Traitement discursif et conversationnel des représentations sociales. TRANEL 32, 77-90 • Serra, C. & Py, B. (1997). Le crépuscule des lieux communs, ou les stérótypes entre consensus, certitude et doute. TRANEL 27, 29-49

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