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Programme: accepted abstracts

Abstract ID: 1318

Part of Session 179: Mutual intelligibility of closely related languages in a multilingual Europe (Other abstracts in this session)

EuroComGerm five years on: Critical assessments of the method as applied to different constellations within the Germanic languages

Authors: Duke, Janet (1); Marx, Nicole (2)
Submitted by: Duke, Janet (Skandinavisches Seminar, Germany)

EuroComGerm was developed as a method for accelerated development of receptive multilingualism skills among closely related languages. The original EuroCom template, which was developed for the Romance language family (Klein/Stegmann 2000), has been in development for the Germanic languages for roughly ten years (Duke/Hufeisen/Lutjeharms 2004). Thus far, materials designed for use by learners are only available in the form of a single, ca. 300-page volume which deals with six Germanic languages (Hufeisen/Marx 2007). These materials have since been used in diverse educational settings, with varying - and sometimes clearly disappointing - results. Over the past five years, enough experience with both materials and method has accumulated to allow a review of the EuroCom method as applied to Germanic languages, an exercise which effectively began through some of EuroComGerm’s own contributing authors (Berthele et al. 2011). The purpose of this paper is thus to first provide a general overview of the types of programs, courses, and educational settings in which EuroComGerm has been used since 2007 as well as of the resulting feedback and empirical data. The results identify problematic areas for the further development of EuroComGerm and also suggest possible alternative approaches for Germanic intercomprehension with the aim of obtaining better results for specific target groups.

References :

Berthele et al. (2011): “Zu den Grenzen des EuroCom-Konzeptes für EuroComGerm – Zwischenfazit.” In: Ohnheiser, Ingeborg / Pöckl, Wolfgang / Sandrini, Peter (eds.): Translation – Sprachvariation – Mehrsprachigkeit. Festschrift für Lew Zybatow zum 60. Geburtstag. Frankfurt: Lang, 483-498.

Duke, Janet / Hufeisen, Britta / Lutjeharms, Madeline (2004): “Die sieben Siebe des EuroCom für den multilingualen Einstieg in die Welt der germanischen Sprachen.” In: Klein, Horst G. / Rutke, Dorothea (eds.): Neuere Forschungen zur europäischen Interkomprehension. Aachen: Shaker, 109-134.

Hufeisen, Britta / Marx, Nicole (2007) (eds.): EuroComGerm – die sieben Siebe: Germanische Sprachen lesen lernen (Bd. 1). Aachen: Shaker.

Klein, Horst / Stegmann, Tilbert (2000): EuroComRom – die sieben Siebe: Romanische Sprachen sofort lesen können (Bd. 1). Aachen: Shaker.